---
title: "What is Gift Aid? | CharityCompare"
description: "How Gift Aid adds 25p per £1 to UK charity donations if you are a taxpayer, who can tick the box, and how higher-rate relief works."
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/gift-aid-basics
retrieved: 2026-08-18T01:24:31.216Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

# What is Gift Aid?

**In short:** Gift Aid lets an eligible UK charity claim an extra 25p per £1 you donate if you have paid enough Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax — it costs you nothing extra, but you must opt in and stay eligible.

Data from [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 12 August 2026.

Gift Aid is a UK tax scheme run by HMRC. When you donate to an eligible charity or Community Amateur Sports Club and complete a Gift Aid declaration, the organisation can claim **basic-rate tax** back on your gift — currently **25p for every £1** you give.

## Who can tick the box

You must be a UK taxpayer and have paid at least as much Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax in the tax year as the charity will reclaim on your donations. Gift Aid does **not** cost you extra. You should not complete a declaration if you have not paid enough tax — HMRC can ask you to repay the difference.

VAT, council tax and National Insurance do not count.

## Higher-rate and additional-rate taxpayers

The charity still claims 25p per £1. If you pay tax above the basic rate, you can claim the difference through Self Assessment (or by asking HMRC to adjust your PAYE code). That extra relief comes back to **you**, not the charity, unless you choose to donate it on.

## What Gift Aid is not

- It is not a Gift Aid “score” on CharityCompare. Clarity Scores do not depend on whether donors use Gift Aid.

- It does not make an unregistered appeal legitimate. Verify the [charity number](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/how-to-check-a-charity-number) first.

- Payroll giving and some overseas bodies have different rules — see [tax-efficient giving](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/tax-efficient-giving-uk) and the [Gift Aid calculator](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/gift-aid-calculator).

## Practical habit

Complete one declaration per charity you support regularly, keep your name and address accurate, and tell the charity if you stop paying enough tax. Then give through the charity’s official site, not a forwarded payment link.

## Read next

- [How to give tax-efficiently in the UK Gift Aid adds 25p per £1 at no cost to you. Higher and additional-rate taxpayers can reclaim more through Self Assessment, and Payroll Giving, share gifts and legacies each carry their own reliefs.](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/tax-efficient-giving-uk)
- [Payroll Giving UK — Give As You Earn explained for donors & employers Payroll Giving takes donations from gross pay before tax — relief is instant. Gift Aid tops up net donations by 25% for the charity. Compare both with our free calculator, then verify the charity’s Clarity Score and charity number before you set up a deduction.](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/payroll-giving-uk)
- [Zakat and faith giving UK — calculate, verify, give with clarity Calculate Zakat with today’s silver nisab (you enter the price — we never bake in a stale figure), then give to organisations you have verified as registered charities. Clarity Score rates filing transparency, not religious eligibility.](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/zakat-and-faith-giving-uk)

Ready to check a specific charity? Every profile shows a free Clarity Score from regulator filings.

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**Information only** — not donation advice.