Gift Aid

If every tax-paying RSPB member and supporter signed a Gift Aid declaration, we would have an extra £5 million a year to save nature!

It's really easy to sign up! 
To increase the impact of your donation, just call our Supporter Services team on 01767 693680 or complete this simple online form. 

If you've already made a declaration, thank you very much - your money is working even harder to help save species and protect and restore wild places. 

Gift Aid is a government scheme that allows charities to claim tax relief on donations. This means that all taxpayers can supercharge their donations, adding an extra 25p for every £1 donated simply by signing a charity Gift Aid declaration. 

Supercharge your donation.  

Do I need to make a Gift Aid declaration every year? 
No. Once you have made a declaration, it will cover ALL your donations and membership subscriptions until you cancel your declaration.  

Will Gift Aid cost me anything? 
Gift Aid doesn’t cost you a penny, ticking the box just means that we can reclaim the tax on your membership subscriptions and donations, as long as you’re a UK taxpayer. 

Am I eligible to make a Gift Aid declaration? 
To qualify for Gift Aid, you must pay an amount of UK Income and/or Capital Gains Tax, which is at least equal to the amount that we and all other charities will reclaim on your donations in each tax year (6 April to 5 April). If you pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all your donations in the tax year, it’s your responsibility to pay any difference to HM Revenue and Customs. Gift Aid is claimed at 25p per £1 of your support. NB Taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify for Gift Aid.  

I don’t pay tax but my partner does. 
If you have joint or family RSPB membership and your partner pays tax then they can tick the Gift Aid box, provided that the membership is paid either from your partner’s account or from a jointly held or named account (ie the payment is from the ‘Gift Aider’).  

Is it still worthwhile even if my donation is small? 
Yes! We can reclaim 25 pence in every pound. For example a year’s membership of £50 would equate to £12.50 Gift Aid per year. We have over a million members, so if everyone ticked the Gift Aid box we could claim a substantial amount to help nature.

Can I still help if I’m not a UK taxpayer? 
Yes. By ticking the non-taxpayer box, you can help us keep our records up to date. 

If I have a Gift Aid declaration, what should I do if my tax situation changes and I no longer pay UK Income or Capital Gains Tax? 
If you no longer pay sufficient UK Income or Capital Gains Tax, please tell us by calling 01767 693680 and and we will stop claiming Gift Aid on your membership and/or donations.  

I may have already made a Gift Aid declaration to another charity. Does this mean I can't tick the box again, or don't need to? 
No. Ticking one box means that only that one particular charity can reclaim the tax on your donations, so it’s important to tick a box for each charity for which you want to claim Gift Aid.  

I support several charities, can I declare Gift Aid with all of them? 
To declare Gift Aid, you must pay an amount of UK Income and/or Capital Gains Tax which is at least equal to the combined amount of Gift Aid that charities are claiming. If you pay less tax than this then you can stop one or more of the declarations to ensure the Gift Aid is not more than the tax you are paying. Simply contact the supporter services team at the charity or charities of your choice.

I’ve already made a Gift Aid declaration to the RSPB. Do I need to tick the box again? 
Not unless we ask you. All your donations and subscriptions are covered with one declaration.  

Should I indicate that I have made a Gift Aid declaration on my tax return? 
Not if you are a standard rate taxpayer and do not receive a tax return from HM Revenue & Customs. However, if you do receive a tax return, you must declare the information.  

I am a self-assessment taxpayer and I pay tax at the higher rate of 40 per cent. How can I give part or all of my tax repayment to the RSPB? 
From 5 April 2011 you can no longer donate your tax repayment directly to the RSPB using your tax return. However, you can still donate your tax refund in the normal way when you make a donation. In this way, if you have signed up to Gift Aid, the RSPB will be able to recover the basic rate of tax on this donation too. 

Please advise our Supporter Services Department either in writing, by telephone on 01767 693680, or via email to membership@rspb.org.uk if you:

• Want to cancel this declaration or change the start or end dates shown above
• Change your name or address
• No longer pay sufficient UK tax on your income and/or Capital Gains
• If you only want your declaration to relate to a one-off specific transaction

If you’d like to sign up to Gift Aid, click here to complete the online form.