If you are already registered for Gift Aid with HMRC, you shouldn’t need to complete the below steps and can claim your Gift Aid online.
Before you start the process of applying for Gift Aid with HMRC, your charity or CASC will need to:
- Be recognised as a charity for tax purposes
- Add Charities Online to your HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) online account (You will need to have or register a Government Gateway ID for your charity to continue at this stage)
If you are not registered with Charities Online and do not have an online account with HMRC you'll need to register and enrol. Remember to have your:
- Postcode
- HMRC reference (up to 5 numbers, starts with 1 or 2 letters)
- Customer account number (add a zero to the start if it’s 9 digits) or the last 4 digits of your bank account number
Once you have enrolled, you will be sent an activation code through the post. It can take up to 1 week to arrive and is only valid for 28 days. Once you have received your activation code you can activate Charities Online by logging in here.
Once you have completed the above steps, or if you are already registered with HMRC, you will be able to provide your 'schedule spreadsheet' to HMRC and claim your Gift Aid.