--- title: "Getting started with Gift Aid" slug: "getting-started-with-gift-aid" updated: 2026-09-15T01:25:40Z published: 2026-09-15T01:25:40Z canonical: "help.infoodle.com/getting-started-with-gift-aid" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.infoodle.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Getting Started with Gift Aid Gift Aid lets a UK charity claim back the basic rate tax on a donation, adding 25p to every £1 given by a donor who has made a Gift Aid declaration. infoodle keeps the declarations, works out which donations qualify, builds the claim for each period, and sends it to HMRC for you. ## Before you start #### Role Permissions - Access to Finance area - Manage, Read and report on transactions - Manage finance configurations (needed for the Gift Aid Settings screen) - List all roles (needed to open the Packages & Views screen in Step 1) To learn what each of these permissions does, see [Finance Permissions](/docs/finance-permissions) and [People Permissions](/docs/people-permissions). You will also need: - The Gift Aid package active on your infoodle site. - Your charity's HMRC Gift Aid number, your regulator, and your charity number. - The HMRC Government Gateway user ID and password for your Authorised Official. - A signed Gift Aid declaration from each donor you intend to claim for. Gift Aid is a UK only scheme, so the Gift Aid package is only offered to UK sites. If you are a member of a cluster you can open **Claims** and **Summary** and review a claim, but you cannot file a claim, reset a claim, or open **Small Donation Scheme** or **Settings**. --- ## Where Gift Aid lives Everything sits under **Finance** on the main menu on the left. Click or hover on **Finance**, then click **Gift Aid** to open the four sub-items. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/d198920d-a212-4177-85f9-e1abc92e7ab3/Images/Documentation/image-2XM1C8U7.png) | Menu item | What you use it for | | --- | --- | | **Claims** | Set up your claim periods, review each claim, and file it to HMRC. | | **Small Donation Scheme** | Claim a top-up on small cash donations under the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS). | | **Summary** | See how many of your donors have a Gift Aid declaration recorded. | | **Settings** | Enter your charity details and your Authorised Official. | --- ## The order to do things in Work through the steps below in order. These are the ones that have an article of their own: - [Gift Aid Settings](/docs/gift-aid-settings), for every field on the Settings screen. - [Valid Field Formats](/docs/valid-field-formats), for the name, address and postcode rules. - [Gift Aid Approval](/docs/gift-aid-approval), for recording each donor's declaration. - [Transactions Included in a Gift Aid Claim](/docs/transactions-included-in-a-gift-aid-claim), for what goes into a claim and what is left out. - [Filing to HMRC](/docs/filing-to-hrmc), for both ways of sending a claim. --- ## Setting up Gift Aid ### Step 1: Turn on the Gift Aid package If **Gift Aid** already appears under **Finance** on the main menu, skip to Step 2. 1. Click the administration cog in the top right hand corner. 2. Click **Packages & Views**. 3. Find the **Gift Aid for UK Charities** section in the **Packages** list. 4. Click **Make Active** on the Gift Aid row beneath it. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/d198920d-a212-4177-85f9-e1abc92e7ab3/Images/Documentation/image-K3UDAIZF.png) The **Make Active** button only appears for the login your site was originally set up with. Everyone else sees **Call infoodle to make this active** in its place, so contact infoodle and we will turn the package on for you. You can review which packages you hold under **Administration → Billing** using the **Edit Packages** option. --- ### Step 2: Enter your charity details HMRC checks these details every time you file, so fill them in before you build your first claim. 1. Click or hover on **Finance** on the main menu, then click **Gift Aid**. 2. Click **Settings**. 3. Open the **Charitable Organisation** tab. 4. Type your charity's name into **Name of organisation**. 5. Type your **HMRC Gift Aid number**. 6. Choose your **Regulator**. 7. Type your **Charity number**. 8. Set **Submission mode** to **Test** while you are practising, or to **Live** when you are ready to send a real claim. Step 10 covers when to change it. 9. Choose your **Organisation type**, either **Charity** or **Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC)**. 10. Click **Save**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/d198920d-a212-4177-85f9-e1abc92e7ab3/Images/Documentation/image-AQ2MO9I9.png) Set **Submission mode** to **Live** before you file a real claim. A claim filed while the mode is **Test** goes to HMRC's test service instead of the real one, so no money is claimed, but infoodle still marks the claim **Filed to HMRC** and treats its donations as claimed. Those donations are then left out of every later claim, and the only way to get them back is to reset the claim. The File Gift Aid screen does not show which mode you are in, so check it here first. Two boxes on this tab hold numbers that look alike. **HMRC Gift Aid number** is the reference HMRC gave you, and it is the same value as **Charity number** under **Administration → System**, so it also fills the **{charity number}** placeholder on your receipts. **Charity number** on this tab is your regulator's registration number and is used only for Gift Aid. **Name of organisation** is shared with your receipts too. --- ### Step 3: Enter your Authorised Official Your Authorised Official is the person HMRC has registered to make claims on the charity's behalf. 1. Open the **Authorised official** tab. 2. Enter their Government Gateway **id**. 3. Enter their Government Gateway **Password**. 4. Enter their **Title**, **Firstname** and **Lastname**. 5. Enter their **Phone** and **Postcode**. 6. Click **Save**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/d198920d-a212-4177-85f9-e1abc92e7ab3/Images/Documentation/image-M657ZUU4.png) The **Password** box shows the password as ordinary text rather than as dots, so anyone looking at your screen can read it. Close the tab when you have saved, and avoid sharing your screen while it is open. For a full description of every field on this screen, see [Gift Aid Settings](/docs/gift-aid-settings). If your site is connected to Xero there is a third tab, **Xero settings**, holding a **Xero contact name** and an **Account code**. Both are needed before infoodle can raise a Xero invoice for a claim. See [Generate Xero Invoice For Gift Aid Claims](/docs/generate-xero-invoice-for-gift-aid-claims). --- ### Step 4: Mark the account codes you can claim on infoodle only includes a donation in a claim if the account code it was given to is marked as reclaimable. 1. Click or hover on **Finance** on the main menu, then click **Account Codes**. 2. Look at the **Tax reclaimable** column. 3. Click **Edit** beside any code that should say **Yes** but does not. 4. Set **Tax reclaimable** to **Yes**. 5. Click **Save**. See [Editing account codes](/docs/editing-account-codes) for more about the other settings on an account code. --- ### Step 5: Get your donors and donations in There are three ways to bring donors and donations into infoodle. Most charities use more than one. - **Add them by hand:** use the **+** icon at the top of any page to add a person, then add their donations one at a time. - **Import a file:** load a spreadsheet of people or of bank transactions. See [Starting your Import](/docs/starting-your-import). - **Connect Xero:** infoodle imports your Xero contacts and transactions on a schedule, and creates any contact it needs. See [How to connect to Xero](/docs/how-to-connect-to-xero). Whichever way you choose, every UK donor needs a house name or number and a valid postcode on their address. infoodle will not let you finalise a claim while any UK donor is missing them. If your donations come from Xero, set **Process UK address formats** on the Xero settings screen so infoodle can separate the house name or number from the rest of the address. Without it, every UK donor arriving from Xero lands on the **Errors** tab of your claim. See [How to connect to Xero](/docs/how-to-connect-to-xero). The rules HMRC applies to names, addresses and postcodes are set out in [Valid Field Formats](/docs/valid-field-formats). --- ### Step 6: Record each donor's Gift Aid declaration A donation is only claimable if the donor has a Gift Aid approval covering the date it was given. 1. Search for the donor using the search box at the top of the screen. 2. Open their profile. 3. Scroll to the **Finance** panel. 4. Open the **Gift Aid** tab. 5. Click **Add**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/d198920d-a212-4177-85f9-e1abc92e7ab3/Images/Documentation/image-XAVIEZ5K.png) 6. Enter the **Date approval signed**. 7. Enter the **Date approval starts (inclusive)**. 8. Leave **Date approval ends (inclusive)** empty if the declaration is open ended. 9. Enter the **Oldest date for historic transactions** to claim on donations given before the declaration was signed. HMRC allows four financial years. 10. Upload a scan of the signed declaration under **Evidence of approval**. 11. Click **Save**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/d198920d-a212-4177-85f9-e1abc92e7ab3/Images/Documentation/image-TK6783I9.png) Every field on this form is explained in [Gift Aid Approval](/docs/gift-aid-approval). To load approvals for many donors at once, choose **Gift aid approvals** as the import type and follow [Importing Gift Aid Approvals](/docs/importing-gift-aid-approvals). If your contacts come from Xero, the Xero settings screen also has **Add Gift aid approval to all contacts added this way**, which records an approval for every contact Xero brings in. To see how far you have got, go to **Finance → Gift Aid → Summary**. It counts your donors, and how many of them have a current approval. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/d198920d-a212-4177-85f9-e1abc92e7ab3/Images/Documentation/image-QDFUKQ56.png) --- ### Step 7: Set up your first claim period The first time you open **Claims**, infoodle asks you to choose the period your claiming starts from. 1. Click or hover on **Finance** on the main menu, then click **Gift Aid**. 2. Click **Claims**. 3. Enter the date you want to start claiming from into **Period start**. 4. Choose how many months each claim covers under **Claim period**. Choose 3 to file quarterly, 12 to file yearly. 5. Click **Save**. infoodle takes you straight into that first claim, and uses the same length for every claim after it. The setup screen says transactions before your chosen date are assumed to have been claimed already. Your first claim will still pick up every donation that has not been claimed yet, up to the end of the claim period and back as far as four financial years. So expect to see older donations on the **Claimable** tab, and check them before you finalise. To change how often you claim later, open **Finance → Gift Aid → Claims** and click the pencil beside **Gift Aid claim frequency** at the top right of the list. --- ### Step 8: Review the claim The **Claims** screen lists every period. **Value** is the total of the donations in the claim, and **Claim** is the 25% of that value you are asking HMRC for. 1. Click **Action** beside the period you are working on. 2. Click **Review ...**. 3. Open the **Errors** tab and fix anything listed there. A claim cannot be filed while errors remain. 4. Open the **Claimable** tab to see the donations going into the claim. 5. Open the **Not claimable** tab to see what has been left out. Each row gives the reason. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/d198920d-a212-4177-85f9-e1abc92e7ab3/Images/Documentation/image-SFHCV43N.png) On the **Claimable** tab, the **Claiming from** column shows the earliest date infoodle can claim from for that donor, and says which rule set it: **(Approval)** for the date their declaration starts, **(Historic)** for the oldest date for historic transactions on their approval, and **(4 Years)** for the four financial year limit. For the full list of what makes a donation claimable, see [Transactions Included in a Gift Aid Claim](/docs/transactions-included-in-a-gift-aid-claim). --- ### Step 9: Save the claim as final 1. Click **Save** on the review screen. 2. Click **as Final**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/d198920d-a212-4177-85f9-e1abc92e7ab3/Images/Documentation/image-I6UXOJHO.png) The claim status changes to **Finalised**, and **File to HMRC ...** appears on its **Action** menu. To come back to the claim later instead, click **Save** and then **as Draft**. The claim keeps the donations you have reviewed and stays editable. If **as Final** is not on the **Save** menu, work through these two checks: 1. Open the **Errors** tab and clear every record listed there. The review screen also shows a message when errors are present. 2. Check the claim's **Period end** date has already passed. A claim covering a period that has not finished yet cannot be finalised, and the claim screen shows **With these dates, this claim cannot be filed yet**. Either wait for the period to end, or change the dates using the pencils beside **Period start** and **Period end**. **Delete claim** sits directly beneath the **Save** button on the review screen, and it removes the claim straight away with nothing to confirm first. If you click it by mistake, see [Deleted Draft Gift Aid Claim? How to recover](/docs/deleted-draft-gift-aid-claim-how-to-recover). --- ### Step 10: File the claim Start by checking you are set to send a real claim. 1. Go to **Finance → Gift Aid → Settings**. 2. Open the **Charitable Organisation** tab. 3. Set **Submission mode** to **Live**. 4. Click **Save**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/d198920d-a212-4177-85f9-e1abc92e7ab3/Images/Documentation/image-ZF2CBQ3X.png) Do this before every real claim. If **Submission mode** is still **Test**, infoodle sends the claim to HMRC's test service using HMRC's own test credentials, so HMRC receives nothing and you are paid nothing. The claim is still marked **Filed to HMRC** and its donations are treated as claimed, which leaves them out of every later claim. Only a reset puts them back, and the File Gift Aid screen does not tell you which mode you are in. Then open the claim: 1. Go to **Finance → Gift Aid → Claims**. 2. Click **Action** beside the finalised claim. 3. Click **File to HMRC ...**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/d198920d-a212-4177-85f9-e1abc92e7ab3/Images/Documentation/image-RYSLGZ31.png) ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/d198920d-a212-4177-85f9-e1abc92e7ab3/Images/Documentation/image-FRLEQQWK.png) **To file straight from infoodle** 1. Under **File this claim**, choose **File electronically direct to HMRC**. 2. Click **Submit to HMRC**. **To file on HMRC's website instead** 1. Under **File this claim**, choose **File by manually submitting an excel file**. 2. Click **Download**. 3. Submit the downloaded spreadsheet on HMRC's own website. 4. Come back to infoodle and click **Mark this claim as filed**. Either way the status becomes **Filed to HMRC**, and infoodle records the date and who filed it. The next period opens for claiming. Both filing methods are covered step by step in [Filing to HMRC](/docs/filing-to-hrmc). If you use Xero, **Create Invoice** appears once the claim is filed, so you can raise an invoice in Xero for the amount HMRC will pay you. See [Generate Xero Invoice For Gift Aid Claims](/docs/generate-xero-invoice-for-gift-aid-claims). --- ## What each claim status means | Status | What it means | | --- | --- | | **Waiting for previous claim to be filed** | The period exists but you cannot work on it yet. File the claim before it first. | | **Started** | The period is open and you can review it. | | **Draft** | You have saved a set of donations to come back to. | | **Finalised** | The claim is complete and ready to file. You can still delete it or change its dates until it has been filed. | | **Filed to HMRC** | The claim has gone to HMRC. | --- ## Small cash donations Cash gifts of £30 or less can be claimed under the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme without a declaration from the donor. These are handled separately, under **Finance → Gift Aid → Small Donation Scheme**, and are organised by UK tax year. You can add the current tax year and the two before it. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/d198920d-a212-4177-85f9-e1abc92e7ab3/Images/Documentation/image-F95OYLAS.png) Start with [Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS)](/docs/gift-aid-small-donations-scheme-gasds). --- ## Common questions #### Why is a donation showing as not claimable? Open the claim, then the **Not claimable** tab. Each row shows one of these reasons: - **No Gift Aid approval:** the donor has no approval covering the date of the gift. That covers a donor who has never given you a declaration, and a donor whose declaration started after the gift or ended before it. - **Gift Aid approval starts [date]:** the gift is earlier than the oldest date for historic transactions on the donor's approval. - **Account code [X] not refundable:** the account code the gift went to is not marked **Tax reclaimable**. - **In kind donation:** the gift was recorded as goods rather than money. - **Amount not positive:** the transaction is zero or a refund. #### A donation is on neither the Claimable nor the Not claimable tab. Where has it gone? A donation is removed from both lists, without a reason being shown, when any of these apply. Only the first and the last mean the tax has actually been reclaimed. - It is already attached to a claim you have filed. - It is sitting in another claim that is still open, so finish or delete that claim to release it. - It is older than the four financial years HMRC allows, so it can no longer be claimed at all. - It has been claimed under the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme instead. #### Can I claim on donations given before the donor signed their declaration? Yes. Set **Oldest date for historic transactions** on the donor's approval. HMRC allows up to four financial years. #### I changed my mind about the period length. Can I change it? Yes. Open **Finance → Gift Aid → Claims** and click the pencil beside **Gift Aid claim frequency** at the top right. #### I deleted a claim I still needed. What now? See [Deleted Draft Gift Aid Claim? How to recover](/docs/deleted-draft-gift-aid-claim-how-to-recover). #### I need to start a claim again from scratch. Click **Action** beside the claim and choose **Reset Claim ...**. Reset only works on a claim that has already been filed. On a draft or finalised claim the option still appears on the menu, but choosing it returns you to the claims list and changes nothing. See [Resetting a Claim](/docs/resetting-a-claim). #### Who can see the Gift Aid screens? - **Claims:** the **Claims** menu item appears for people with **Manage, Read and report on transactions**. Someone with only **Read and Report on Transactions** can open the claims screens by their address, but has no menu link to them. - **Summary:** needs **Manage, Read and report on transactions**, the same as **Claims**. - **Small Donation Scheme:** needs **Access to Finance area** and either **Manage, Read and report on transactions** or **Read and Report on Transactions**. Cluster members do not see it. - **Settings:** needs both **Manage, Read and report on transactions** and **Manage finance configurations**. Cluster members do not see it. --- ## Next steps Once your charity details are saved, go on to [Gift Aid Approval](/docs/gift-aid-approval) and record a declaration for your first donor. **Related articles** - [Gift Aid Settings](/docs/gift-aid-settings) - [Gift Aid Approval](/docs/gift-aid-approval) - [Transactions Included in a Gift Aid Claim](/docs/transactions-included-in-a-gift-aid-claim) - [Valid Field Formats](/docs/valid-field-formats) - [Filing to HMRC](/docs/filing-to-hrmc) - [Resetting a Claim](/docs/resetting-a-claim) - [Deleted Draft Gift Aid Claim? How to recover](/docs/deleted-draft-gift-aid-claim-how-to-recover) - [Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS)](/docs/gift-aid-small-donations-scheme-gasds) - [VIDEO: Gift Aid](/docs/video-gift-aid) ## Related - [Gift Aid (UK only)](/gift-aid-uk-only.md) - [VIDEO: Gift Aid](/video-gift-aid.md) - [Transactions Included in a Gift Aid Claim](/transactions-included-in-a-gift-aid-claim.md) - [Filing to HRMC](/filing-to-hrmc.md)