Gift Aid

Gift Aid is a government scheme which lets us claim an extra 25p for every £1 you donate to us. It doesn't cost you anything to sign up for Gift Aid, but you must be a UK taxpayer. This is because the money we receive from Gift Aid comes from the tax you originally paid to HMRC.

We encourage all supporters who are eligible for Gift Aid to claim it as it can make a huge impact on our income. In 2023 we received an extra £44,664 in donations through Gift Aid, helping us to better support children with cancer.

Personal donations made by an individual are eligible for Gift Aid. It can't be claimed on lump sums where individual donors cannot be traced e.g. bucket collections. It also can't be claimed on payments for goods or events (e.g. when buying merchandise or challenge event tickets) or on payments for raffles or auctions. Donations from companies are also not eligible for Gift Aid.

Gift Aid can be claimed on sponsorship, providing adequate records are kept. If you use an online platform like JustGiving to collect sponsorship, each donor will be automatically asked to claim Gift Aid. If you are collecting cash sponsorship, you must use a sponsor form and collect the required details to allow us to claim. All details on the form must be completed, or else we may not be able to claim.

A Gift Aid declaration must be made by the individual donating the money. It cannot be made on behalf of someone else.

To claim Gift Aid on your donation, we need:

• Your name and address, including the postcode
• A promise that you are a UK taxpayer and the amount of tax you pay will cover any Gift Aid we will claim from you in each tax year.
• Your signature or digital confirmation
• The date the declaration is made

You can make your declaration by filling in our online or paper form, emailing [email protected], or calling 0113 322 9283. You can also declare at the time of making an online donation either directly to us or via a fundraising page. 

If you would like to check whether you are already opted in to Gift Aid for Candlelighters you can email [email protected] or call 0113 322 9283. 

You must declare Gift Aid for each charity you donate to. If you have made a declaration to another charity, but not to Candlelighters, we won't be able to claim on your donations to us.

• It is your responsibility to ensure the tax you pay will cover the Gift Aid charities can claim on your donations. If the amount of Gift Aid claimed in a tax year exceeds the amount of tax you paid, you will be liable to pay the difference.
• You only need to declare Gift Aid once to allow us to claim it on all your future donations. The declaration will also cover any donations you have made to us in the past four years. If you haven't paid enough tax previously to cover past donations, please let us know not to include these.
• If your tax status or details change, including your name or address, you must let us know so we can stop claiming on your donations or amend our records.
• If you're a higher-rate tax payer, you can claim back the difference between the tax you've paid on the donation and the current basic rate on your self-assessment tax return. Visit the UK Government website for more information.
• You can cancel your declaration at any time by contacting us at [email protected] or calling 0113 322 9283.