Gift Aid FAQs

Thank you for choosing to support the Churches Conservation Trust (registered charity no. 258612) through Gift Aid. Your support is vital and helps us to ensure these majestic buildings are cared for both now, and for the future.

Please find below a list of FAQs. For any further information on Gift Aid, including declarations of consent we may already have for you, please contact the Fundraising Team by phoning 0800 206 1463, or by emailing [email protected].

To provide us with consent to claim Gift Aid on any donations towards our work, please visit this page of our website and complete the short form.

• What is Gift Aid?

  The Gift Aid scheme is for gifts of money by individuals (as opposed to companies) who pay UK tax. It increases the value of donations to charities by allowing them to reclaim basic rate tax on your gift.

• How does Gift Aid work?

  Gift Aid is an arrangement that allows charities to reclaim tax on a qualifying donation made by an individual UK taxpayer. This means every qualifying donation will be worth 25% more, at no extra cost to the donor. For example, with Gift Aid we can claim an extra 25p for every qualifying £1 donated, which makes an important difference.

• Am I eligible for Gift AId?

  You must be an individual UK taxpayer to participate in the Gift Aid scheme. You need to pay enough Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax in the tax year during which any qualifying gifts are made to cover the Gift Aid claimed on all your donations to charity otherwise you will be responsible for paying any difference.

• What payments qualify for Gift Aid?

  In very simple terms, we can only reclaim the tax paid by a relevant person (as defined above) making a gift on those parts of any donation for which the person making the gift does not receive any personal benefits in the form of products of services.

• Is a payment made for CCT membership eligible for Gift Aid?

  CCT Individual, and CCT Joint, membership payments of £42 and £60 respectively are not eligible for Gift Aid as the member is receiving benefits in return. 

  However, if an Individual or Joint Church Based membership (at the same price points as referenced above) is purchased, then 50% of the fee is eligible for Gift Aid. This is due to this portion of the membership fee being considered a donation towards the selected church, and the remaining covers the received benefits. 

  If an Individual Bulmer Thomas Circle membership is purchased, costing £600 per year, then £450 of this fee is a suggested donation that is eligible for Gift Aid, leaving £150 as not eligible for Gift Aid as this covers the received benefits.

  Similarly: Joint Bulmer Thomas Circle membership consists of a £570 suggested eligible Gift Aid donation, Individual Chancel Club membership consists of a £1,050 suggested eligible Gift Aid donation, and Joint Chancel Club membership consists of a £1,600 suggested eligible Gift Aid donation.

  All memberships that are purchased as gifts, or on behalf of another individual, are not eligible for Gift Aid.

  Any qualifying donations made in addition to a membership fee during the same transaction is eligible for Gift Aid.

• How do I give Gift Aid?

  To enable us to boost your donation by 25p of Gift Aid for every qualifying £1 you donate, please provide consent when the donation is made. This can be done by either ticking the box on the online form (either whilst making a payment, or by visiting this website page) or signing the Gift Aid Declaration section (if you are making a donation using a paper based form). Alternatively, we can send you a Gift Aid Declaration for you to complete and return to us.

• Will HM Revenue and Customs need to get in touch with me?

  No. If within that tax year you pay enough Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax to cover the Gift Aid claimed, then once you have signed a Gift Aid declaration you will not need to pay any more in tax or need to fill in any additional forms.

• Do I need to fill in a new Gift Aid declaration each year?

  No, the declaration will stay in place, unless you contact us to cancel it. One Gift Aid declaration covers your current and future donations. An option is also available to backdate your Gift Aid contribution for up to four years by speaking to a member of our team. However, we do need to know if you are no longer a taxpayer or if you change your name or address. 

• I subscribe to lots of charities. Is it possible to Gift Aid them all?

  Usually, you can give Gift Aid to many charities. However, the tax claims from each charity added together must not exceed the amount of tax you pay in a year (otherwise, you will be responsible for paying any difference).

Thank you.

For any further questions, please contact the Fundraising Team by phoning 0800 206 1463, or by emailing [email protected]. The HMRC also provide detailed guidance that can be accessed here.

The money raised from this scheme goes directly towards making your donations do more to save historic churches. Thank you for considering supporting us further.

To give us consent to claim Gift Aid on any qualifying donations, please complete this short form on our website.