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gift aid
Gift Aid is a government scheme which allows a congregation, as a registered charity, to claim 25p from HMRC every time an individual donates £1. The donor must have made a Gift Aid declaration giving the congregation permission to claim on their offerings and donations. The donor must be a UK tax payer and have paid as much or more income tax and/or capital gains tax in the tax year than will be reclaimed through Gift Aid on their donations. The responsibility for this lies with you the donor, not the congregation, so it is good to check from time to time that you are still paying enough tax.
If a congregation receives annual offerings or donations of £10,000 which are eligible for Gift Aid, the congregation will receive a tax refund of £2,500. Similarly, on £50,000 of donations the refund will be £12,500, so this is really worthwhile doing.
If you pay above basic rate tax you can claim the difference between the rate you pay and the basic rate on your donations. You can claim the difference through your Self Assessment Tax Return or ask HMRC to amend your tax code.
Please print off this form, complete and give it to the Church Treasurer.