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Gift Aid

If you are a taxpayer and decide to use Gift Aid for your donations to the Church, the Church will be able to reclaim tax on that donation. If you are a higher rate taxpayer, you can claim personal relief on these donations.

Completing a Gift Aid Declaration does not commit you to making any specific donations.  It just gives us the authority to reclaim the tax you have already paid.

How does Gift Aid work?

Gift Aid donations are treated as having had basic rate tax deducted which the Church can reclaim. So for every £10 you give, the Church will receive another £2.50 from the Government.

However, to let the Church claim this:

You must have paid enough income tax or capital gains tax or both in that year to cover what the Church claims on your donations.
You have to give the Church a declaration which allows us to reclaim the tax.

 

What if I am a higher rate taxpayer?

If you pay higher rate tax, you can personally claim relief based on the difference between the basic and higher rates.

What if I don't pay tax?

A non-taxpaying spouse cannot make a Gift Aid Declaration on the strength of tax paid by the partner. In such a case, the taxpayer should make the Gift Aid Declaration in his/her own name, and make payments out of his/her taxed income. A non-taxpayer must not make a Gift Aid Declaration as it cannot be use to reclaim tax.  Joint Declarations are not acceptable.
If you want to donate, but are a non-taxpayer who has a taxpaying spouse, it is all very easy.  The taxpayer need do nothing except complete one Gift Aid Declaration which lasts a lifetime.  You can do the rest, Sunday by Sunday, however, or whenever, you want to donate.

How are payments made?

The Parish must record all amounts received under Gift Aid, so donors must make their contributions in numbered envelopes or by cheque or by standing order.

What do I need to do to start gift-aiding my donations?

You actually have to do very little – our Gift Aid Organisers do the hard work - just contact one of our Organisers and they will advise you and answer any other queries that you may have:

David Goodge Tel: 01444 456546, Email: david.goodge1@btinternet.com
Peter Burholt  Tel: 01444 412824, Email: peter@burholt.co.uk

 

Or, you can print off a Gift Aid form and return the completed form to

David Goodge, Gift Aid Organiser, c/o The Presbytery, St.Paul's Church, Hazelgrove Road, Haywards Heath, RH16 3PQ

Please note that, for tax validation purposes, the form should be filled in by hand.