As the HMRC announce a drop in Gift Aid payments, mainly due to increased checking in some cases, and the Charity Finance Group questioning the usefulness of the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (“GASDS”) in the context of the decline of cash as a way of giving, we thought it helpful to remind everyone of the GASDS scheme and why you ought to claim, if you can.
The GASDS scheme allows qualifying organisations to claim 25% on:
- cash donations of £30 or less
- contactless card donations of £30 or less collected on or after 6th April 2019
We know of some charities who could claim but don’t, but our view is that if you can make a legitimate claim, you ought to. You don’t need a Gift Aid declaration form, and you can claim up to a maximum of £2,000 in a tax year.
If you are not already using GASDS, or for more information, see https://www.gov.uk/claim-gift-aid/small-donations-scheme