Gift Aid
Every gift you make to Dentaid The Dental Charity could be worth more at no extra cost to you simply by choosing to add Gift Aid.
For every £1 you donate with Gift Aid, Dentaid The Dental Charity receives an extra 25p from the government.
To qualify for Gift Aid you must be a UK taxpayer and have paid (or expect to pay) enough income or capital gains tax in the tax year to cover the Gift Aid claimed on all your donations to charity.
Please read the FAQs below for more information.
What is Gift Aid?
Gift Aid is a government scheme which is open to all charity supporters who pay UK Income and Capital Gains tax. For every pound you earn you pay 25p (or 20% basic rate of tax).
By signing up to Gift Aid, every time you donate your charity can reclaim the tax you have paid based on the value of the donation you have made.
It means a £10 donation from you will allow a charity to reclaim £2.50.
How do I know if I have paid enough tax?
You must have paid at least 25p in income or capital gains tax for every £1 you donate to charity to allow you to put Gift Aid on donations.
Please make sure you are paying enough tax to Gift Aid your donations, as every income taxpayer will have a tax-exempt threshold before they start paying tax.
If you make total donations of £100 to all your charities in one tax year (April 6th-April 5th), you will need to have paid at least £25 in tax in that tax year.
If you need help you can either contact HMRC on 0300 200 3319, make sure you have your National Insurance number or Self-Assessment Unique Taxpayer Reference, or you can speak to an accountant.
What if I don’t pay enough tax?
HMRC can only pay Gift Aid tax to charities if you the donor has paid enough income or capital gains tax to cover the gift aid on ALL your donations to your favourite charities.
The scheme is therefore only opened to UK taxpayers who have paid enough tax.
Who will be able to access my Gift Aid information?
Only HMRC and our charity team can access your data.
We never share your data for marketing purposes with any other organisation or business.
We do not share your information with anyone else, not even your other family members without your permission.
Why is Gift Aid important?
Many charities rely on the extra income Gift Aid provides. Every donation received which can be Gift Aided adds 25p for every pound donated.
For Dentaid that means:
An extra £5 Gift Aid on a £20 donation will help to provide a vulnerable person with an oral health pack to help them take care of their teeth
An extra £12.50 Gift Aid on a £50 donation will help go towards allowing someone experiencing homelessness, harm, poverty or abuse to see a dentist, helping them to access life-changing care.
An extra £25 Gift Aid on a £100 donation will allow a person living with oral health issues to become pain-free, helping to restore their confidence and set them on a journey to a better stage in their life.
What is a Gift Aid declaration form?
A Gift Aid declaration form is required to provide evidence to HMRC that you have given us permission to claim Gift Aid.
If you require a Gift Aid declaration form, please contact Dentaid’s fundraising team at fundraising@dentaid.org or download a declaration here. <insert link>
If you make a donation using our website, you will be asked to add Gift Aid to your donations that way. Make sure you understand your responsibility to have paid enough tax.
Do I need to make a declaration every time I donate?
Most charities use an enduring declaration, meaning if you paid enough tax all your donations including any donations you may have made in the past four years and in the future will, if eligible, have Gift Aid claimed on them.
You can still choose to make a new declaration if you wish but it is not automatically necessary.
How do I know if I qualify for Gift Aid?
You qualify for Gift Aid if you choose to add Gift Aid to your donation, you are a UK taxpayer and you have paid sufficient income tax or capital gains tax charge during the same tax year.
What do you mean by ‘my own money’?
Gift Aid can be claimed on both individual donations and sponsorship donations provided you are donating to a charity.
Which donations are not eligible for Gift Aid?
- On entry fees charged for tickets to events such as performances or sports events
- On competitions such as raffles or sweepstakes
- If your donation is on behalf of someone else or a group of people – for example, a collection from work colleagues or the proceeds of a bake sale or coffee morning
- Donations made to a family member or connected person, taking part in an event where their chosen charity is contributing to the cost.
- Donations made by individuals or organizations outside of the UK
Can I claim Gift Aid on money used to pay for my overseas visit?
Gift Aid cannot be claimed if you or a connected person donate to your trip; this is because the charity pays for the travel and accommodation, these are deemed a benefit to the volunteer by HMRC.
· For the Volunteer: If you (the volunteer) donate money towards these costs, you generally cannot claim Gift Aid on those specific donations because you are getting something in return (the trip).
· Connected persons to you cannot claim Gift Aid when donating to your trip; Connected Persons include: Your spouse/civil partner, parents, grandparents, children, siblings, and their respective spouses.
· Third-Party Donors: Donations from your friends, colleagues, and others not connected to you are eligible for Gift Aid, even if the money is eventually used for your flights.
Why do you need my personal details?
In order for HMRC to know who is signing up to the scheme, they will need to know your full name and usual home address. They will already hold this data on their records but this must match with the records that Dentaid has.
How do I cancel Gift Aid?
You can cancel your Gift Aid at any time and must cancel it if you stop paying tax. Simply contact us and we will cancel your declaration immediately.
Please inform us:
- by calling 01794 324249
- by emailing fundraising@dentaid.org
- by writing to Dentaid The Dental Charity, 116 Commercial Road, Totton, Hampshire, SO40 3AD
What happens if I am moving overseas?
You can still make Gift Aid donations to Dentaid if you move abroad, as long as you retain your UK tax status.
We will still need notification of your usual home address even if overseas, and if there are any changes to the scheme which could affect your Gift Aid, we are obliged to contact you and let you know.
What if I live in Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man?
As all three are Crown Dependencies, and therefore have unique tax systems which are separate to the one used in the UK, residents would not be able to join the Gift Aid scheme unless they are a UK taxpayer. If in doubt, please check with your accountant.
Do I need to notify you if I change my address?
Yes please. We know you will have so much to do when moving house, so if you add us to your “notifications” list you can let us know your new address once you have moved, even better before you move.
What if I have opted out of receiving correspondence from you?
As the Gift Aid scheme is owned by the Government, we have the responsibility to make sure that the donor is always eligible to be in the scheme.
Therefore, we may need to contact you every so often to make sure we have your correct contact details and are still eligible for Gift Aid, even if you have previously asked us not to contact you.
Please note that we will only do this when necessary and will honour all other requests.