Gift Aid is one of the simplest ways for charities and CASCs to boost their income - for every £1 donated, you can claim an extra 25p from HMRC at no extra cost to your supporters. It’s essentially free money that helps you make every donation go further.
But while Gift Aid can be hugely valuable, setting it up and managing claims isn’t always straightforward. Without the right processes in place, many organisations miss out on thousands of pounds in unclaimed tax relief each year.
KindLink simplifies Gift Aid Claiming by automating the process for online and offline donations. It saves time, reduces admin, and ensures every eligible donation is accounted for. Funds are transferred directly to your charity’s bank account, so you can focus on your mission rather than paperwork.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up and claim Gift Aid with HMRC, explain the rules, and show you how KindLink’s automation makes it easier than ever.
KindLink’s Gift Aid Claim Software
KindLink is a holistic solution for charities to help you run your operations. With us, your non-profit has access to a fundraising platform, project management system, charity CRM and much more. KindLink will help you engage with your supporters and make your impact more transparent.
One of the key features of KindLink is the Gift Aid claim functionality integrated with HMRC.
Claiming Gift Aid on KindLink is safe and completely free of charge. As one of the approved HMRC Gift Aid software suppliers, we integrate directly with HMRC so that you can claim Gift Aid on donations any time you want and as simply as possible. This also means that the Gift Aid funds do not go through our bank account; the money is paid by the HMRC directly into your account.
Through KindLink, you can process your charity Gift Aid automatically. We will not only record the Gift Aid from a donor but also automatically file it for you with HMRC. Your charity can determine how often we process Gift Aid.
Thanks to KindLink, the process of making a gift aid claim becomes effortless and can be done even daily. We recommend you claim it once a week so that you don’t miss out on the valuable cash flow.
Don’t Take Our Word for It
“KindLink has a very user friendly interface, which aids even the most non tech of our team! The system has spurred our charity on to implement Giftaid which is seamlessly managed through KindLink.”
Kim Cowman, Administrator, Trustee
The Alkham Valley Community Project
How To Set Up Gift Aid Claim With KindLink
There are two ways to set up your Gift Aid through KindLink.
Automated Process Using Your Current HMRC Gift Aid Credentials
Once you complete your charity registration with KindLink, you can set up your Gift Aid settings using your HMRC login details directly from here.
You will only need to do this once, as we will store them securely in our database and use them over a secure channel only to report Gift Aid. This will allow us to automatically generate and file your Gift Aid reports to HMRC for the contributions recorded in the database.
Filing the report directly to HMRC is easy and effortless. It only takes a click of a button. You can find a video tutorial on our YouTube page.
Filling the ChV1 Form to HMRC
The idea of filing a ChV1 form to HMRC is to inform them that you authorise KindLink to deal with HMRC regarding Gift Aid processing for your charity. Once the form is filled and submitted, HMRC will send us via mail unique login credentials (username and password) to your HMRC Gift Aid portal, which we will manually enter into our system for you (please note these credentials will be different from the ones you are currently using).
A detailed guide on how to complete the Chv1 form can be found here.
Please note that we are not a collecting agency. We are an organisation that you are nominating to submit Gift Aid reports on your behalf, and we won't collect the funds on your behalf. HMRC will still send them to you directly. With that said, when filling out the form, you should fill in box #36 with our details and leave box #38 empty.
All the information related to KindLink for filling the ChV1 form is publicly available for you here.
Why is KindLink’s HMRC Gift Aid Software Beneficial for Charities?
If you can conventionally claim Gift Aid, why should you make the switch to KindLink’s free Gift Aid tool? Here are some of the benefits:
Automate Gift Aid Claim
With a single click, your Gift Aid claims are generated and compiled, with an instant confirmation receipt provided. Funds are paid directly into your charity’s bank account - no intermediaries, no delays, and no deductions. Because we believe every penny counts in a charitable cause.
Available for Both Online and Offline Donations
As a charity, you cannot limit the funding sources. Allowing patrons to donate through multiple channels like debit/credit card, cash, cheque, or even mobile wallets keeps the funds flowing. Our HMRC gift aid software integrates record-keeping across all channels into one single report.
Automated Donor Consent
To be eligible to make a Gift Aid claim, the donor must be a UK citizen and not an organisation and must have paid enough tax to the HMRC to deduct the 25% Gift Aid claim on their total donation.
Donors must also provide a signed Gift Aid declaration. With KindLink’s CRM, once a donor has shared their initial declaration, it’s recorded and linked to their profile, allowing you to automate Gift Aid claims, while reducing oversights and increasing returns.
Secure and Compliant Solution
As a fully-certified Gift Aid claim software, we strictly follow GDPR. Our payment processes, whether for Gift Aid claims or raising funds, are PCI-DSS-compliant. We are also registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office, utilise SSL certification and follow the regulations of the Data Protection Act.
This ensures that both charity and donor data are completely safe and secure on our platform.
Get Started for Free With KindLink
Now that you’ve learnt how to set up Gift Aid claims with KindLink, it should only be a matter of time before you switch to our effortless, compliant solution.
Our platform not only helps automate Gift Aid claims but also allows charities to create donation pages, build outreach with fundraising, streamline volunteer management, improve donor engagement, and more!
