Fundraising section:

Gift Aid – frequently asked questions

Q: How do I know if I am eligible for Gift Aid?

A: You are eligible to authorise us to claim Gift Aid on any gifts you made in the last 4 years, either through membership payments or donations if you are a UK taxpayer, providing the total amount you pay is at least equal to what we, and any other charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) you make a donation to, can claim within the financial year that you made that gift. For membership fees paid to the Vegetarian society this is generally between £5 and £7.50.

Q: How do I know if I am a UK taxpayer?

A: You are a taxpayer if income tax is deducted from your wages or salary, or if you pay tax through a self-assessment each year in the UK. If you do not pay income tax, you may pay tax on any UK savings accounts which should be shown on your statements. Alternatively you may have paid capital gains tax or be paying tax on a private pension in the UK. All these types of tax will qualify you for the Gift Aid scheme providing you meet the terms above. Note that any VAT and Council Tax do not apply.

Q: How can I find out if you have claimed Gift Aid on my donations and/or membership fees?

A: If you need to find out if we have claimed Gift Aid on your behalf we are happy to answer your questions. Please email support@vegsoc.org or phone us on 0161 925 2000 and ask for the Fundraising Team.

Q: How much tax can you reclaim on any membership fees or donations I make to you?

A: We can reclaim 28p of tax on every £1 that you gave up to 5 April 2008 and 25p of tax on every £1 that you give on or after 6 April 2008.

Q: I have made a Gift Aid declaration with another charity, does that matter?

A: No. You can support as many charities as you like in this way providing the amount of tax you pay is enough to cover all the Gift Aid reclaimed on your behalf by each charity or Community Amateur Sports Club for that tax year.

Q: I think I have already made a Gift Aid declaration with you.

A: You may have already made a Gift Aid declaration with us on a membership joining or renewal form, however if you are unsure it is worth making an additional one and we can either update or change our records. It doesn't matter how many declarations you complete, so long as they reflect your tax status accurately.

Q: I don’t currently pay tax in the UK, is it worth me making a declaration?

A: Even if we are not currently able to claim Gift Aid on your donations or membership fees it is worthwhile making a Gift Aid declaration. We can claim Gift Aid for the past four years so if you have paid tax during some periods you can make a declaration for these specific periods. Even if we are unable to claim Gift Aid on any of your donations or membership fees by making a declaration you will save us the time and expense of writing to you about Gift Aid in the future.

Q: I am not a taxpayer but my partner is. Can they make a declaration that will enable you to claim on our membership?

A: The Gift Aid scheme requires that the membership must be in the name of, and paid for by, the taxpayer for us to claim Gift Aid. If you hold individual membership this means that you must be a taxpayer and have made a declaration. If you hold a family membership and the taxpayer pays for the membership, or the membership is made from a joint account, then we can claim Gift Aid on your membership fees. We must however have a valid declaration on file for the taxpayer so please make an online declaration today. Please include in the additional notes a statement to note that the other member is not a taxpayer so we can update our records accordingly.

Q: The donation I made was from a joint account and only one of us is a taxpayer, can you still claim tax on our donation?

A: Yes we can claim Gift Aid on donations made from joint accounts if the donor is a taxpayer and we have a Gift Aid declaration on file.

Q: I am paying for or have received a Gift Membership, is that money eligible for Gift Aid?

A: Unfortunately gift membership payments are not eligible for Gift Aid so we cannot claim on these payments. There is an exception to this if you are paying junior membership for a dependent child. We are able to claim Gift Aid on this membership fee providing we have a valid Gift Aid declaration for the adult taxpayer.

Q: I am a low rate tax payer. Can you still claim Gift Aid on my donations?

A: Yes, we can still claim Gift Aid on your donations and/or membership fees if you are a low rate taxpayer provided that the total amount of tax you have paid is as much as we will claim within the financial year. For example if you pay £16 in membership we can claim approximately £4.50 in Gift Aid. Therefore, providing you have paid at least £4.50 in tax during the financial year we can claim Gift Aid and you should tick yes in the Gift Aid declaration.

Q: I am a pensioner. Does that mean I should tick the no box in the declaration form?

A: As a pensioner not currently paying income tax you may still pay enough tax on either a UK private pension or a savings account to enable us to claim Gift Aid on your donations. You may also have paid capital gains tax in the UK. For example if you pay £16 in membership we can claim approximately £4.50 in Gift Aid. Therefore, providing you have paid at least £4.50 in tax during the financial year we can claim Gift Aid and you should tick yes in the Gift Aid declaration.

Q: I pay a higher rate of income tax. Can you claim extra Gift Aid?

A: We are only able to claim tax back at the standard rate but please complete and return the declaration anyway. However, if you pay higher rate tax, you are able to claim back the difference between the higher rate of tax and the basic rate on the total value of your donation of membership payment. For example, if you donate £100, the total value of your donation to us including Gift Aid is £125, so you can claim back 20% of this (£25) for yourself. You can make this claim for any extra tax from your charitable donations on your tax self-assessment and donate this to us by specifying us to receive your repayment. The Vegetarian Society code for use in your self-assessment is PAM41KG.

Q: I make a tax self-assessment, how can I benefit the Vegetarian Society?

A: If you wish to donate some or all of any tax repayment due to you from your self-assessment you can simply enter the Vegetarian Society code to donate this money to us. The Vegetarian Society code for use in your self-assessment is PAM41KG. This money will be paid directly into our bank account.

Q: I have changed my address. Do I need to make a new declaration?

A: No, you do not need to make a new declaration but you do need to let us know your new address. Please email membership@vegsoc.org, or phone 0161 925 2000 with your new address details.

Q: I have changed my name. Do I need to make a new declaration?

A: No, you do not need to make a new declaration but you do need to let us know of your new name so we can make a record of it in our database. Please email membership@vegsoc.org, or phone 0161 925 2000 with your new name details.

Q: My tax status has recently changed. Do I need to let you know?

A: Yes, you should inform us if your tax status changes. Please do so by filling out the online Gift Aid declaration and writing the date you either stopped or started paying tax in the box for additional comments, or by emailing support@vegsoc.org

Q: My tax status will change for a set period of time. Will I need to change it twice?

A: No, if you let us know the time period your tax status will be different for we can automatically change it back when that period ends. Please fill out the online Gift Aid declaration and enter start and end dates for your tax paying periods in the box for additional information. For more information email support@vegsoc.org or call 0161 925 2000 and ask for the Fundraising Team.

Q: Can I make a declaration over the phone?

A: Yes you can make an oral declaration over the phone, you will then receive a confirmation letter of your declaration. However it is easier for us if you make a Gift Aid declaration using our online form, or by printing out and sending this form to us.