Gift Aid
As a UK taxpayer, you have the fantastic opportunity to increase your impact by supporting Cycling UK with Gift Aid. As a charity, we can claim 25p for every £1 of your membership subscriptions and/or donations from HMRC.
If every eligible Cycling UK member opted into Gift Aid, we could raise an extra £700,000 each year—helping create happier, healthier and greener lives making cycling safer and more accessible for all.
More information about Gift Aid
One Gift Aid declaration covers your current and future membership subscriptions and/or donations, and we can also claim Gift Aid for the past four years. We’ll continue to add Gift Aid to your future membership subscriptions and/or donations unless you ask us not to.
You can Gift Aid donations if you are a UK taxpayer and the Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax you pay in that year is equal to or greater than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all your charitable donations in that tax year. If you pay less tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all your donations in that tax year it is your responsibility to pay any difference.
Please notify [email protected] if you:
- Want to cancel your Gift Aid declaration
- Change your name or home address
- No longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains
If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HMRC to adjust your tax code.
For more information about Gift Aid visit the Gov.uk Gift Aid page.
Frequently asked questions
What membership types are eligible for Gift Aid?
Members with individual, household and concessionary memberships are eligible to opt in to Gift Aid. Other membership types i.e. Gift membership, Cycle Activity Provider membership, Group membership and Life membership are not eligible at the current time.
What is the criteria to opt in to Gift Aid?
The eligibility to opt in to Gift Aid is for:
- All individuals who are resident in the UK
- Individuals who are Crown servants or members of the UK armed forces serving overseas
- Other non-resident individuals, provided they have income or capital gains charged to UK tax at least equal to the gross amount of the donation (that is, the actual donation made plus the basic rate Income Tax treated as deducted from that donation)
- Anyone who makes a Gift Aid donation must be charged either Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax during the tax year they make the donation. The tax paid must be equal to or greater than the amount of tax treated as deducted from all the Gift Aid donations they made during that tax year.
Do I need to make a separate Gift Aid declaration to Cycling UK to cover each tax year?
No, you only need to make the declaration once. We will keep your declaration as your enduring permission to claim Gift Aid tax relief on all your subscriptions and/or donations. It will cover the previous four years, the current year, and your future subscriptions and/or donations to Cycling UK.
Does Gift Aid cost me anything?
No - Gift Aid doesn’t cost you anything extra. It simply allows Cycling UK to reclaim the basic rate of tax (25p for every £1 you give) from HM Revenue and Customs, increasing the value of your contribution at no additional cost to you.
If I stop paying tax, can I stop the declaration?
Yes, you can cancel the declaration at any time by emailing your full name, address, and Cycling UK membership number to [email protected] or by calling us on 01483 238301.
I’m a pensioner, do I qualify?
Income from state pensions alone is unlikely to qualify, as you’d need to earn above the personal allowance threshold to pay income tax. We recommend you check with your tax office before completing a Gift Aid declaration.
What if I pay a higher rate of tax?
If you pay income tax at a higher or additional rate, you can claim the difference between the rate you pay and the basic rate on your total donations. You can do this either through your Self-Assessment tax return or by asking HMRC to adjust your tax code.
Does my Gift Aid declaration cover all the membership subscriptions and/or donations I have ever made to Cycling UK?
We can only claim Gift Aid tax relief back for the previous four tax years. If your subscriptions and/or donations go back further than four years, unfortunately we cannot claim for these.
Can Gift Aid be claimed on joint memberships?
Gift Aid can only be claimed on payments made by the person who pays tax and makes the declaration. For joint or household memberships, only the taxpayer listed as the main contact should make the declaration.
What if my circumstances or personal details change?
Please let us know if you stop paying enough tax, or if your name or address changes, so we can update our records. You can email us at [email protected] or call 01483 238301.
Can I backdate a Gift Aid declaration?
Yes - if you’ve paid tax in the last four years, you can ask us to apply your declaration to eligible payments made during that time. Unfortunately, we can’t claim Gift Aid for payments made more than four years ago.
How much Gift Aid can the charity claim?
We can claim 25p from HMRC for every £1 of your eligible membership subscription or donation. E.g. for an individual Membership costing £55, Cycling UK can claim £13.75 from HMRC at no cost to you. We can also claim Gift Aid tax relief for the four previous years and on all future subscriptions and/or donations.
I don’t want to complete the online form to opt in to Gift Aid, how else can I do this?
Please call our Membership team on 01483 238301 to make your Gift Aid declaration over the phone. Or you can download, complete and return this form to us by post or email.
