Operating a Gift Aid Scheme:

Registering your Scheme

Currently, all parishes are charities which are excepted from registration with the Charities Commission. (This is under review and may change in the near future). However, in order to make tax reclaims, a parish does have to be registered as a charity for tax purposes with HMRC Charities (formerly Inland Revenue).

Parishes which have made claims under Gift Aid or Deeds of Covenant in the past will have an HMRC Charities reference number, which usually starts with X. If you are unsure of your reference number, or if you are not sure if your parish has ever made tax reclaims, then for Diocesan Scheme parishes, please contact the Gift Aid Officer at Church House. Others will need to contact HMRC Charities at Bootle.  See the useful contacts page for details.

Parishes who have never registered with HMRC Charities will need to decide whether to make use of the Diocesan Gift Aid Scheme or not. If you choose to use the Diocesan Scheme, then the Gift Aid Officer will arrange registration for you. If not, you will need to contact HMRC Charities at Bootle directly.