Gift Aid

For every £1 you donate to St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth, we can get an extra 25p from Her Majesty’s Revenue Customs (HMRC) at no extra cost to you.

Just two minutes of your time can help us make a real difference to our patients and their families, at no cost to you. If you have made a donation to St Luke’s in the last four years (and a UK taxpayer) and haven’t ‘ticked’ the Gift Aid box, simply complete the below form. It’s as simple as that and will help us claim back your Gift Aid.

To ensure all your donations are maximised for St Luke’s, please complete the declaration form below and we will do the rest! Thank you so much for your support. Ticking that little box makes a real difference to patients and their families across our local community.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Gift Aid?

Gift Aid is an arrangement that allows charities to reclaim tax on a donation made by a UK taxpayer, which means your donations will be worth 25% more to us at no extra cost to you. This additional income really does make a big difference, so please don’t forget to Gift Aid donations if you are a UK tax payer. Find out more from HMRC website.

What we need to claim Gift Aid?

To claim gift aid, we simply need your full name and home address and a donation made from a personal bank or building society account.

If you are paying less income tax or capital gains tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year, it’s your responsibility to repay any difference. This is currently 25p for every £1 you give.

Using the declaration form on this page, we can claim Gift Aid on all your donations in the last 4 years and all future donations.

Please note: Once you have become a Gift Aid donor, please let us know if you stop paying tax or if you change your name/address so that we can update our records. We can’t claim Gift Aid on donations from company accounts. The donation must be your own money and not the proceeds of a collection.

Is your donation eligible for Gift Aid?

Under UK law, certain donations are not eligible for Gift Aid. If your donation falls into any of the following categories, Gift Aid shouldn’t be claimed:

Donations made by anyone who is not a UK taxpayer.*
Donations made on behalf of someone else or a group of people e.g. you collect money from your friends and family and then made a bulk donation. Even if they are UK taxpayers, the donation is not eligible. HMRC needs a Gift Aid declaration from each of the donors contributing to the collection.
Donations made in return for something. For example, you are making a donation in return for a ticket to attend an event, most purchases of goods at an auction or buying a raffle ticket.

*If you are either not a UK taxpayer, or if you pay less income tax and/or Capital Gains Tax in the current tax year than the amount claimed on all your donations, HMRC may require you to pay the difference.

I am a pensioner, do my donations qualify?

You may still be paying tax on a private pension plan or a savings account, or capital gains tax if you sell either some property or shares. You are still eligible if you have paid enough tax during the year to cover the amount we are reclaiming on your donations.

What if I have agreed to Gift Aid to another charity?

You can support as many UK charities as you like through Gift Aid. All you need to do is to return a declaration to each charity that you support and ensure that you are paying enough tax during the year to cover your total annual donations.

Do I have to make a declaration for every gift?

No. You just need fill out a Gift Aid declaration and date it – then it will cover donations you have already made to St Lukes Hospice and any donations you make in the future. There is no extra paperwork – we deal with the tax office to reclaim the tax. All we need is your declaration form.

What if I pay tax at a higher rate? Can St Lukes Hospice claim back the full amount?

Unfortunately not, we can only claim back tax at the basic rate. But you can request a rebate for the difference when you submit your tax returns and you can then opt to donate this to a charity of your choice.

As a higher rate tax payer, when you donate the charity will claim against your donation at the basic rate of tax (currently 20%) However, the good news is you can claim the difference between the rate you pay and basic rate on your donation. It’s the same if you live in Scotland.

All you need to do is complete the charitable giving section on your self-assessment tax form.

If you don’t have to send a tax return, contact HMRC and ask for a P810 form. You’ll need to submit it by 31 January after the end of the previous tax year.

Can I make an anonymous donation?

Yes, but if you do so, we will not be able to claim Gift Aid. If you do choose to provide your information, we will only use your details if you give permission and it will not be passed on to other organisations.

Gift Aid on Sponsorship Forms

Do I have to use the sponsorship form you’ve provided?

Yes please. We provide you with a form that helps you and us claim Gift Aid properly.

Please do not design your own as the Gift Aid form is a legal document and must include certain information to be valid.

Can I fill it in for my sponsors?

No. Please do not fill in donation details on behalf of your sponsors. For legal reasons, the Gift Aid declaration needs to be in the handwriting of the person ticking the Gift Aid box. For the same reason, all details need to be handwritten and not typed.

Remind your sponsors that Gift Aid means UK taxpayers can add an extra 25% to their sponsorship at no extra cost to them.

What details do I need to fill in?

To allow us to claim this essential additional income, your sponsors must:

tick the Gift Aid box on your sponsorship form when they sponsor you (but only if they are tax payers);
write their full name and title;
include their home address (house number/name and postcode is the minimum requirement we need to be able to claim Gift Aid);
fill in the ‘date paid’ box on the sponsorship form when they give you their donation;
avoid ditto (” “) marks. If a number of sponsors live at the same address, they must each complete the address and postcode fields;
the name, amount, address and postcode fields must be filled out in the sponsors own handwriting;
donate individually. You cannot make joint donations, for example from Mr and Mrs Smith, as the HMRC needs to determine who the taxpayer is.

Gift Aid declaration

Title *

First name *

Surname *

House number and street *

Address line 2

Town *

County *

Postcode *

Date of declaration *

I would like to Gift Aid my donation today and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past four years to St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/ or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference. I will notify St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth of any changes to my name or home address, or if I no longer pay sufficient tax or wish to cancel this declaration.
If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code. *

If you would prefer to download a Gift Aid declaration form and send it in, please click here to download and send to: St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth, Stamford Road, Plymouth, PL9 9XA.

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