Charity on line gift aid

HMRC has published further details on the new online Gift Aid service for charities and sports clubs first announced in January, reports chartered accountant Harris & Co. The department is writing to 110,000 charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCS) informing them that, from 22 April, they can enrol to make repayment claims online, through the HMRC website.

The new service, called Charities Online, is being introduced in response to feedback from charities. It is set to make it easier for charities and CASCS to submit their Gift Aid repayment claims.

Sajid Javid, economic secretary to the Treasury, said: "Claims will be processed more quickly, as well as saving on postal costs and delays. The service will be more accurate, with built-in checks."

Separately, the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS) is also being introduced in April. This will allow charities and CASCS to claim top-up payments on cash donations of £20 or less without the need to collect Gift Aid declarations. Charities will generally be able to claim payments on small donations of up to £5,000 each year.

HMRC will publish information on its website in March 2013 on how to sign up and use Charities Online.