Gift Aid Pilot is a free online service designed to help UK charities organise donation records and prepare Gift Aid claim files. Created by Charity Accounting Partners in partnership with Charity Excellence Framework, it is aimed at charities with annual income below £1 million.
What does it do?
According to the provider, charities can upload existing records, such as spreadsheets, bank exports or fundraising-platform downloads, and review missing information before preparing a claim.
Features include a declaration register with supporting evidence, donation and claim history, checks intended to reduce duplicate claims, and warnings about donations approaching the claim deadline. Corrections can be saved for future use.
How claims are prepared
The service produces a downloadable claim file based on HMRC’s Charities Online schedule template, together with a report of what has been included. The charity’s authorised official must review and submit the claim through HMRC Charities Online. The service does not submit claims itself.
Cost and points to consider
The provider states that the service is free, with no subscription charge.
Gift Aid Pilot is not approved or endorsed by HMRC. Charities remain responsible for the accuracy of their claims, and figures shown by the tool are estimates until HMRC pays.
Charities considering the service can review the features and donor-data information on its website before deciding whether it suits their record-keeping arrangements.