Payroll giving FAQs

What is payroll giving?
Payroll giving is a tax effective way to donate to charity. This means that you make your donation straight from your salary, or occupational pension, before tax. The end result is that costs the individual up to 40% less. For example, if you donate £15, the actual cost to you will be £9 (based on a higher rate tax payer).

Why is it a good idea?
It is easy, effective and it costs you less! For a higher rate taxpayer, payroll giving is the ONLY way that a charity can automatically receive all your tax on your charitable donation.

How can I sign up?
You can sign up by completing online form now.
You can also sign up by approaching your employer direct - your payroll department should have the form that you would need to fill in. If not, please see 'What does my employer need to do?' below.

What does my employer need to do?
Implementing Payroll Giving is a simple and quick process. Your employer needs to register with an HM Revenue & Customs approved Payroll Giving Agency and have the facility to make pre-tax deductions on your payroll system.

If your employer is not signed up to a payroll giving agency, it is very easy for them to do so. The Payroll Giving agencies (there is a list of the main ones below) would be able to talk your payroll team through the process, and your employer can read more about it on the HM Revenue and Customs  website, which includes tips, success stories and reasons for your employer to set up a payroll giving scheme.

Other useful links:

South West Charitable Giving (SWCG)  
Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)  
Charities Trust (CT)  

You complete a donation form which is passed to your payroll department and they set up a pre tax deduction from your salary. This deduction is sent to the payroll giving agency your employer is registered with and they send the donations on to the destination charities. Donations have to go through this channel to provide an audit trail for HMRC.

What if I want to change my donation?
Payroll Giving is a flexible scheme. Employees can change their donation amount, add new charities or cancel their donations when they wish.

Benefits of donating via payroll giving
Payroll giving is easy, flexible and it costs you less. Payroll giving makes it easy to manage your donation - as the gift is deducted before tax, you never have to worry about paying it.
Your payroll gift is also extremely valuable to the RNLI. Your regular support means that we can plan long term projects. As payroll giving costs you less, it also means that our supporters can afford to give more, which makes a vital difference to saving lives at sea.

Why not ask your employer if they will match your gift? Many do, and this helps you to have your say about which charities your company supports.