Claiming Gift Aid
Gift Aid allows BHF to claim an extra 25% on donations. Learn what you need to know about Gift Aid, including how it works and what it can be claimed on.
What is Gift Aid?
Gift Aid is a tax relief allowing UK charities to reclaim an extra 25% in tax on every eligible donation made by a UK taxpayer.
Donations you can claim Gift Aid on
Gift Aid only applies to personal, voluntary donations where the donor doesn’t receive anything in return.
Personal donations in celebration or in memory are eligible for Gift Aid as long as they have been made by an individual, not a company.
Donations you cannot claim Gift Aid on
Gift Aid cannot be claimed from donations from fundraising events such as:
- bake sales
- raffles
- tombolas
- prize draws
- jumble sales
- events that require the purchase of a ticket.
If you receive any extra voluntary donation, then you can Gift Aid it as long as the donor is a taxpayer and completes a valid Gift Aid declaration (PDF).
If you are unsure about any donations from your fundraiser, and if they are eligible for Gift Aid, please ask your local fundraising manager.
Getting permission from the donor
In order to claim Gift Aid, we need permission from the donor, and they need to complete a Gift Aid declaration. If they are not UK taxpayers or don’t pay enough tax, they shouldn’t Gift Aid their donations. It’s very important that the Gift Aid declaration includes the correct wording and information so please make sure the donor reads the form before completing it.
The best way to ensure you get this right is to use our Gift Aid declaration form (PDF).
How to send in Gift Aid declarations
You must return the Gift Aid declarations to us with the money you have fundraised. We also need to know how the money was raised. We will use this information to claim the money back from HMRC.
You can download a Gift Aid donation form (PDF).
Alternatively, our Customer Service Centre will be happy to send you Gift Aid donation forms or envelopes. You can reach out to our Customer Service Centre by emailing [email protected]
It’s best to download Gift Aid forms as you need them – that way you will definitely be using an up-to-date form that contains the correct legal declaration.