Gift Aid

What is Gift Aid?

Gift Aid is a simple way for our Scout Group to increase the value of your donations and subscriptions to the Group if you are a UK taxpayer.

How does Gift Aid work?

When a UK taxpayer gives a gift of money to a charity they have already paid tax on that money. Because charities are generally exempt from tax, they can claim an amount from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) equal to the tax paid on that money by the donor. This repayment is known as Gift Aid.

How much is Gift Aid worth to our Scout Group?

By asking donors permission to reclaim the tax they have paid on their donation, we can increase the value of that donation by one quarter, i.e. for every £1.00 paid as a subscription we can claim back 25p making it worth £1.25 to the Group.

In the 2016-17 tax year we reclaimed £5,523 of a possible £6,721, but only had 67% of those paying subscriptions signed up to the scheme.
In the 2017-18 tax year, we reclaimed £6,024 of a possible £7,051, with an increase to 70% signed up.  An improvement - but we still missed out on over £ 1,000 !
Whilst in the 2018-19 tax year, we reclaimed £5,808 of a possible £7,224, with an increase to 72% signed up.  The amount claimed fell back again.

Gift Aid Claimed graph
Gift Aid % signed up

We really want to be able to do even better, as it is through reclaiming this money we manage to avoid raising subs!  If there is any chance your details may have changed or you have not completed a form, please download and return to one of your child's section leaders as soon as possible.

Why are Gift Aid Declarations important?

A donor must have paid enough tax on their income before a charity can claim it. It is important that HMRC can verify the connection between our tax repayment claim and the tax paid by the donor. In other words, every claim must be supported by a Gift Aid Declaration that shows who paid the tax in the first place.

Frequently Asked Questions