News
Make your donation to Southern Area Hospice Services worth even more! - at no extra cost to you!
1/1/2013
Your donation can be worth even more - at no additional cost to you! If you pay any tax at all in the UK the Southern Area Hospice can reclaim the tax you pay on your donations through the Gift Aid scheme.
What is Gift Aid?
When you make a donation to the Southern Area Hospice, we are able to claim back the tax that you have paid on the donation. This mechanism is called Gift Aid and amounts to an extra 25p for every £1 that you give*. Last year we raised more than £70,000 by claiming Gift Aid, but we know this figure could be even bigger!
How does it work?
If you give £10 to us and you are a basic rate taxpayer (20%), you will have paid £2.50 in tax on the gross donation. Charities are able to reclaim this £2.50 back from HMRC.
Who is eligible?
You must be a UK taxpayer for your donation to qualify for Gift Aid. This can either be Income or Capital Gains Tax, but you must have paid enough in the tax year that you make the donation to at least cover the amount that the charity will claim (25p per £1).
What do I have to do?
If you would like us to Gift Aid your donation, you will need to inform us that you are a UK taxpayer and you would like us to reclaim the tax on your donation. You can do this by filling out our Gift Aid Declaration on our website www.southernareahospiceservices.org (74kb), or by phoning the Fundraising Office on 02830251333 and requesting a gift aid form to be sent out to you. In order to claim Gift Aid, we need at least your surname and initials and your house number/name and postcode.
Do I need to fill in a Gift Aid form each time I donate?
No - one form covers all future donations, but you must inform us if your circumstances change e.g. if you change address or you no longer pay tax. We can also use your declaration to claim Gift Aid on any previous donations made within the past four financial years.
I have collected sponsorship money for taking part in a Sponsored Walk.
Can you claim Gift Aid on my donation?
In order to claim Gift Aid on sponsorship from an event, we require a completed Southern Area Hospice sponsor form to be completed. You can request a sponsor form by contacting the Fundraising Team on 028 30251333. The person who owns the sponsor card must fill in their house name/number address and postcode at the top of the sponsor card. Each person who sponsors you needs to fill in the form using their surname and initial and their house name/number and postcode, ( not the name and address of the organization or company they work at) and tick the Gift Aid box to confirm they are a UK tax payer, in order for us to claim Gift Aid.
Please note that donations from close relatives cannot be considered for Gift Aid. A 'close relative' is defined as a spouse, parent, child, sibling or close relative's spouse. If you are unsure, please contact us.
What about Higher Rate taxpayers?
If you pay a higher rate of income tax, either at 40% or 50%, you can claim the difference between the basic rate of tax reclaimed by us and your highest rate. You can choose to either keep this relief for yourself or donate it to us. This can be done via your self assessment tax return by including our charity code - XN47329/2. For more information about how to do this, and the amount that this relief could be worth to you, visit the Institute of Fundraising's guide.
