What is payroll giving? Expand Payroll Giving is a HM Customs & Revenue scheme that enables employees to donate tax-free through their pay to any charity in the UK. All donations given in this way are tax-effective so the charity receives your donation and the tax you would have paid on this amount.
How does payroll giving work? Expand To donate via Payroll Giving, the first step is to fill out this online donation form. Your details will be passed on to our Payroll Giving Agency, who communicates with your employer on our behalf to set up your gift. You won’t have to arrange anything yourself.
Why is regular giving important? Expand Regular gifts enable Prisoners Abroad to save lives by ensuring British prisoners have what they need to survive. They mean we can always be there to give people money to access edible food, clean water, vitamins and basic essentials. They provide us with a reliable source of income that allows us to plan ahead with confidence. They allow us to develop and extend our core services and they also allow us to keep our administration costs to a minimum.
Is there a minimum or maximum donation? Expand No—you can give whatever amount you would like via Payroll Giving.
How does my tax rate affect my donation? Expand Donations via Payroll Giving are taken after your National Insurance contributions are removed but before Income Tax is calculated and deducted. You will receive tax relief at the highest rate of tax you pay. If you pay 20% tax, 80% of your donation amount will be taken from your salary and 20% will be taken from the tax which would have gone to HMRC. You can read more about how this works here.
When will my first donation be deducted? Expand It usually takes a couple of months to process a payroll gift, so the deduction may not appear on your payslip immediately. It can depend when you sign up and when your employer processes payroll. If it does not appear on your payslip after a couple of months, please check that your employer received your instructions.
What if my circumstances change? Expand You can change the amount of or stop your Payroll Giving donation at any time. To do this, please notify your payroll department.
What happen to my payroll giving donation when I leave this job? Expand Your donation through Payroll Giving will stop when you leave your current workplace. However, if you would like to continue donating to Prisoners Abroad, you can easily set a new one up by contacting the payroll department at your new workplace.
How is payroll giving different to donating through direct debit with gift aid? Expand Because Payroll Giving deducts your donation from your pre-tax salary or pension, we do not need to claim the tax back through Gift Aid. This not only saves us admin costs, but also ensures that we receive all the tax from donations by earners within the higher 40-45% tax bracket.
Is there an administration fee? Expand There is a small administration fee. Your employer will use a Payroll Giving Agent (like a charity bank) to distribute the donations that you and your colleagues make. The Payroll Giving Agents are charities that need to make a small charge to cover their operating costs. Some employers pay this fee on your behalf so we receive your full donation. If your employer doesn’t pay the fee, the Payroll Giving Agent will deduct it from your donation before passing it on to us. This will be between 2% and 4%. This compares favourably against the admin costs of claiming Gift Aid on a Direct Debit donation.
What will you do with my personal details? Expand To set up your donation, Prisoners Abroad need to share your personal details with our Payroll Giving agency and your employer. We will not pass your details on to any third parties. We like to keep supporters in touch with our work. If you do not want to receive any communications from us, please email us at fundraising@prisonersabroad.org.uk or call 020 7561 6820.
What is Prisoners Abroad's privacy policy? Expand Prisoners Abroad is committed to the protection of your privacy. All personal information given to us through this website will only be held and used with care and in accordance with our privacy policy and the Data Protection Act 1998. Your use of this website constitutes your agreement to the terms of this Privacy Policy. Please click here to read our privacy policy in full.
My employer does not currently have a payroll giving scheme. What should I do? Expand If your employer does not have a Payroll Giving scheme in place, refer them to a Payroll Giving Agency such as Payroll Giving in Action. Here they can find out more about the scheme and learn how to set one up.