Gift Aid

Gift Aid is the scheme operated by HM Revenue & Customs for charities like WCS to increase the value of monetary gifts from UK taxpayers by allowing the charities to claim back the tax at the basic rate paid by the donor on the donation. Not only does this increase the value of donations but it does so at no extra cost to the donor. The current (Feb 2024) basic rate for tax is 20% which means that for every £1 donated, WCS can claim an extra 25p, i.e. a quarter more.

For WCS to submit its claims to HMRC, there are several key points that need to be noted:

• The donor must pay at least as much UK tax (Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax and/or Dividend Tax) as the amount of Income Tax that will be claimed by WCS.
• Please be aware that a proportion of interest earned on savings is tax-free.  Please also be aware that if you receive any dividends then a certain amount of the value of these is also tax-free.  
• If a donor makes a number of Gift Aid donations, including to other charities, he/she must pay a sufficient amount of UK tax on the total amount of those donations and may be required to pay any shortfall in tax paid to HMRC.
• If the donor is also a higher rate tax payer then he/she can also benefit from some tax relief by claiming the difference between the higher rate paid and the basic rate.
• Anyone drawing on a pension, for example, will be paying tax so will also be eligible to be part of the scheme.  As a guide, if your total gross income is in excess of roughly £19,000 (2020) then it is likely you'll be paying sufficient tax to qualify for Gift Aid participation with WCS.
• The scheme is open to individual UK taxpayers only, not to companies.
• An individual may choose to leave the scheme at any time.
• No donation made to the choir, and for which Gift Aid relief is being sought, can have any conditions for its use attached to it.   For example, there can be no expectation of repayment, and no goods, tickets or services received in return or purchased as a condition.  See also the sponsorship page.
• The Gift Aid status can be applied to all donations made to the choir in the previous four years by an individual.
• Paying the membership subscription on behalf of a choir member does not qualify for Gift Aid relief as this is viewed by HMRC as a gift to the member and not to the choir.   The only exception to this is if the payment is made by cheque drawn on a joint account of which the member is a signatory.

Gift Aid Administrator

Wimbledon Choral Society
415 Hillcross Avenue

Morden
London   SM4 4BZ