Give As You Earn (GAYE) - Employers Information Page

What is Payroll Giving?
Payroll Giving is a simple, tax-effective way for your employees to give to charity from their pay. Over 9,000 businesses already offer the benefits of Payroll Giving to around 5 million employees.

Why should I offer Payroll Giving to my employees?
Running a Payroll Giving scheme can be good for your business. It shows that you are committed to working in partnership with the community something that is increasingly important to customers and staff. It shows that you care about your staff – offering them the benefits of Payroll Giving can help to build better employee relations and attract the right people to come and work for you. It is easy and inexpensive to run. And you get a deduction against your profits for your costs.

Why is now the time to start?
If you do not already offer Payroll Giving to your employees, there has never been a better time to start. And if you already run a scheme, there has never been a better time to promote it. From 6 April 2000, for three years, the Government will add 10 per cent on top of all Payroll Giving donations. So, until 5 April 2003 every £10 donated will be worth £11 to charity.

How does Payroll Giving work?
Simple. Your employee asks you to deduct regular charitable donations from their pay. You make the deduction from before-tax pay – in other words, after calculation of National Insurance Contributions but before deduction of Pay As You Earn tax. This way your employee gets tax relief straightaway at their top rate of tax. For example, giving £10 a month costs a basic rate taxpayer only £7.80 because they save £2.20 tax. For a higher rate taxpayer the cost is only £6 because they save £4 tax. And remember – until 5 April 2003 the Government will add 10 per cent to all Payroll Giving donations. So every £10 donated will be worth £11 to charity – at a cost of as little as £6 to your employee. You pay over all the money you deduct to an Inland Revenue-approved Payroll Giving agency. And they do the rest – distributing the money to the charities nominated by your employees.

Isn’t it complicated?
No. Most of the administration is carried out by Payroll Giving in Action and your chosen Agency. All modern payroll systems can handle Payroll Giving. There are no tax forms to complete. And the records you need to keep are straightforward.

What records will I need to keep?
You will need to keep
•a copy of your contract with the Payroll Giving agency
•the forms completed by your employees authorising you to make deductions from their pay
•a record of the deductions made from each employee’s pay
•receipts from the Payroll Giving agency.

Who pays for the administration?
Most of the administration cost is incurred by the Payroll Giving agency. They normally make a small charge which they deduct from donations before distributing them to charity. The charge is normally no more than 4 per cent of the donation, or 25p per payroll deduction, whichever is the greater. Your administration costs should be very small and are likely to be absorbed in your existing payroll costs. In any event, any costs of running a scheme will be allowed as a deduction against your profits.

Can I pay the agency’s charge?
You can if you want to. Many employers like to do this so that the full amount of their employees’ donations go to charity. If you pay the agency’s charge this will be allowed as a deduction against your profits.

Can anyone who works in my business join the scheme?
Any employee or pensioner from whose pay or pension you deduct Pay As You Earn tax may join the scheme. Is there a limit on how little or how much an employee can give? From 6 April 2000 there are no limits. Most employees give at least £5 a month.

Can I match the donations made by my employees?
You can if you want to. This is an excellent way of demonstrating your commitment to the community and building good relations with your employees. Any matched donations you make will be allowed as a deduction against your profits.

I want to run a Payroll Giving scheme. How do I get started?
Contact any of these Payroll Giving Agencies, mentioning that you wish to set up a system to support People for People:

All About Giving (Charities Aid Foundation) at http://www.allaboutgiving.org/other/getintouch.cfm?gtfrom=GAYE

Charities Trust at http://www.charities-trust.org.uk/

South West Charitable Giving at http://www.swcg.co.uk

Further information about Payroll Giving.
Visit the Inland Revenue site at http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/payrollgiving/employers/