Gift Aid is a UK government scheme that allows Association of Charity Independent Examiners ("ACIE") (HMRC Charities Reference: XR41759) to reclaim the basic rate tax that you pay as a UK taxpayer. It means that ACIE can claim 25p of tax for every £1 that you donate to ACIE, at no extra cost to you. If, for example, you make a Gift Aid donation of £50.00 to ACIE's Bursary Fund, ACIE can claim £12.50 [ie 25% of £50.00] from HM Revenue & Customs.
To qualify for Gift Aid you need to:
(1) be a UK taxpayer;
(2) have paid, or expect to pay, enough income tax and capital gains tax (when aggregated) in the tax year (6 April to 5 April) you made this donation to ACIE to cover all the Gift Aid donations that you made to charity in the tax year. Your donations will qualify as long as they are not more than 4 times the amount that you pay in tax for the tax year; and
(3) make a Gift Aid Declaration, which requires you to: (a) confirm (1) and (2); and (b) declare that you understand that, if you pay less income tax and capital gains tax (when aggregated) for the current tax year than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all of your donations to charity, it is your responsibility to pay any difference.
Your Gift Aid declaration will cover all donations that you make to ACIE in the current tax year, whether they are made by credit card, debit card, bank transfer or cheque.
You are advised to visit the "Tax relief when you donate to a charity" Gov.uk web page for guidance on, for example:
(1) the records that you need to keep of your donations to charity;
(2) the details that you will need to enter on your Self Assessment tax return; and
(3) the action you need to take if you pay tax at the higher or additional rate.
Gift Aid Declaration
By ticking the box in the 'Gift Aid' section of your membership application/renewal form, you are declaring that:
(1) you wish to Gift Aid your donation to ACIE;
(2) you are a UK taxpayer (income tax and/or capital gains tax) for the current tax year (6 April to 5 April); and
(3) you understand that, if you pay less income tax and capital gains tax (when aggregated) for the current tax year (6 April to 5 April) than the amount of Gift Aid claimed by charities on all of your donations to charity in the current tax year, it is your responsibility to pay any difference to HMRC.
Affiliate membership is open to anyone interested in undertaking independent examinations of charity accounts, who supports the aims of ACIE, and is willing to adhere to the ACIE Code of Ethics for any independent examinations undertaken. Affiliates receive a membership pack guiding them through the next stages.
Full membership is awarded for excellence in charity examination. In order to become a full member you must first have joined as an affiliate. You will need to pass a qualifying assessment, providing evidence of your knowledge and understanding of charity accounting and practical examples of IE you have undertaken. Click here to find out how to become a Full Member.