Give Smart: Questions and Answers

You can reclaim the difference between the basic rate of tax (20%) and the higher rates of tax (40% and 50%) on all your charitable donations.

Instead of claiming it back for yourself, you can allocate this windfall to Opportunity International – simply add our HMRC charity code RAF17HG in section 5 and record the amount you want to restrict to us in section 4 of this short form.

If you overpaid tax in the year (for whatever reason), and are eligible for a refund, you can allocate some or all of the refund to us. You can use this same form and send it with your Self Assessment Tax Return.

You can support Opportunity straight from your pay. Click here to find out more.

On 5 April 2011, the amount of Gift Aid that charities can reclaim on a donation decreased from 28% to 25%. This is as a result of the change in the basic rate of income tax in April 2008.

When the basic income tax rate was reduced from 22% to 20% in April 2008, the transitional relief scheme was established to boost the level of Gift Aid that charities could reclaim to the previous level. The transitional relief scheme was agreed for a limited period of 3 years, which comes to an end in April 2011.

Prior to 6 April 2011,  a donation of £100 from an individual taxpayer to Opportunity was worth £128.21 after Gift Aid including transitional relief. After 6 April 2011, a donation of £100 is now only worth £125.

You can make a donation online, by phone or by post. A Gift Aid Declaration can be downloaded here. If you would like to find out more about this change and why it is happening, please visit the HMRC website.

We will decline support from organisations or individuals if we know that their donation comes from illicit or illegal sources or where people living in poverty have been directly harmed by a donor’s actions. For more information, please read our Refusing Donations statement.