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Gift Aid explained

You can increase the value of your support to MSF UK, at no cost to yourself, by allowing us to claim the tax back on your donations.

If you are a UK taxpayer, simply 'Gift Aid' your donations and increase your support of MSF's medical work. For every £1 given, MSF can receive an extra 25 pence.

You can use Gift Aid if the amount of tax you've paid in the tax year of the donation is sufficient to cover the amount of tax the charity will reclaim against the donation.

The tax paid by the donor may be Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax or tax credits on UK company dividends. Tax years start on the 6th April and run until 5th April the following year.

UK residents can pay tax in many ways. Either you:

  • Pay tax from your salary before you receive your wages
  • Have to fill in a self-assessment tax return form each year
  • Have taxable savings, maybe a pension plan or income from investments
  • Have had to pay capital gains tax recently

You must pay at least the same amount of tax as the MSF will reclaim in Gift Aid in any tax year.

For example, if you make a donation of £10, MSF will reclaim £2.50 in tax from HMRC so you must have paid £2.50 in tax during the tax year.

All you need to do is make a Gift Aid declaration including your name and full residential address including postcode.

This will cover all donations that you have made to MSF in the last four years and any that you choose to make in the future.

Download a Gift Aid form, fill it in and return it to us at the address provided on the form.

If you're setting up a direct debit or making a donation online or by telephone, a clear gift aid option will be provided.

Gift Aid works by allowing charities to reclaim tax on a donation's ‘gross’ equivalent (its value before tax was deducted) at the basic rate. This is 20 percent.

In practice this means that for every pound donated to MSF using Gift Aid we can claim an additional 25 pence from HMRC.

Whether you're paying tax at the basic rate of 20 percent, or the higher rate of 40 percent, MSF still benefits from an extra 25 pence for every pound given.

A higher rate taxpayer who makes donations to MSF through Gift Aid can claim back the difference between the higher rate of tax at 40 percent and the basic rate of tax at 20 percent on the total value of their donation (the ‘gross donation’). This can be claimed back on a Self Assessment tax return. 

Donors who do not complete a Self Assessment tax return can call their tax office and have the higher rate relief reflected in their PAYE tax code.

Read more about Self Assessment Donations on the HMRC website.

If you do not pay tax, you should not use Gift Aid.

If your circumstances change and you no longer pay enough income or capital gains tax to cover the amount claimed by the MSF you can cancel your declaration by contacting the Fundraising team.

Your declaration will then not apply to donations you make on or after the date of cancellation or such later date as you specify.

Please also contact the Fundraisi​ng team if you've moved address.

Thank you for donating under the Gift Aid scheme. As a UK taxpayer, you have agreed that Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) may reclaim the tax on donations you have made in the last four years, this donation and all future donations.

You must pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains tax for each tax year that is at least equal to the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all your donations in that tax year; and if you have paid less tax it is your responsibility to pay the difference.

If in the future you are no longer paying enough tax equal to the tax MSF is reclaiming, or if you wish to cancel your declaration, please notify us and we will take your donations out of the scheme.

Please let us know if your name or address details change so we can update our records.