06 June 2016

Gift Aid - what happens when I tick the box?

Ticking the Gift Aid box allows us (your charity of choice) to receive 25p from the Government for every £1 you donate. It’s as simple as that!

All you need to do is check you are eligible and permit us to claim Gift Aid on your donation.

So what’s it all about?

Gift Aid is the Government's way of letting you decide how your tax is used; you just need to have paid enough tax to cover your donation. To be eligible you need to pay tax equal to or more than the total value of donations you make to charities in that year.

Here's an example:

If you donate £2 a month to three different charities, you give £6 a month, a total of £72 a year.

To gift aid the £72 you need to pay equal to or more than £72 a year in tax.

That simple tick means the charities receive an extra 25%, making your donations grow to £90 without any cost to you! So that's an extra £6 for each of your charities.

How does it work?

Rather than your 25p going into the Government's melting pot, it's given to the cause of your choice – which is amazing and something to be proud of our country for championing!

I’m unsure whether I’m eligible to Gift Aid

Taking the time to check if you can Gift Aid will make a big difference to those you are donating to. If you’re retired, on a limited income or in receipt of benefits and unsure of your eligibility, click here for help or contact us and we will help if we can.

You can also Gift Aid some, if not all of your donations, so you will be doing 25% more to help a cause you care about with a single pen stroke (or mouse click!).

Why should I bother?

It is estimated £750 million (yes million!) goes unclaimed each year from donors not ticking the box, just think what your favourite charity could do with their share!

Remember that £6 from the example earlier? That £6 could feed a donkey a tasty meal, provide a bandage for an injured pony, or fill a poorly horse's stable with bedding. And it all adds up. Last year Redwings was able to claim over £220,000 in Gift Aid.

By now you must be convinced that Gift Aid is something special. If you do pay enough tax, then check you've ticked that box. Not just for the horses at Redwings but for every charity you give to.

Make a Gift Aid declaration

To make a Gift Aid declaration or find out if you have one email us or call us on 01508 481000.

Take the opportunity to choose how your money is used, every last penny. Thank you.