Information about Gift Aid By selecting 'I wish to add gift aid to my donation' in the drop-down list, you have added 25p per £1 donated, or 37.5p per £1 if you are a higher rate tax payer, at no cost. Gift Aid is a government scheme that allows charities to reclaim the tax that you have already paid on your donations through income tax or capital gains tax. All donations (excluding those made through the Charities Aid Foundation and payroll giving), made in the last four years are eligible for the scheme – including regular gifts such as standing orders and direct debits. Tax Relief for Higher Rate Tax Payers If you are a higher rate taxpayer, you can reclaim the difference between the higher rate and the basic rate of tax, when submitting your tax return. 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 HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code. I am a pensioner, do my donations qualify? You may still be paying tax on a private pension plan or a savings account, or capital gains tax if you sell either some property or shares. You are still eligible if you have paid enough tax during the year to cover 25% of your total annual donations. What if I have agreed to Gift Aid to another charity? You can support as many UK charities as you like through Gift Aid. All you need to do is to return a declaration to each charity that you support and ensure that you are paying enough tax during the year to cover 25% of your total annual donations. Do I have to make a declaration for every gift? No. You just need to fill out a Gift Aid declaration and date it – then it will cover donations you have already made to the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and any donations you make in the future. There is no extra paperwork – we deal with the tax office to reclaim the tax. All we need is your declaration or verbal agreement. My circumstances have changed If you are no longer a UK taxpayer, or if you do not pay enough tax on your income and/or capital gains in a year to cover the total Gift Aid to be claimed by all of the charities you support, you should notify us. Similarly, please notify us if you change your address.