by beth jeffs
HMRC’s latest guidance on Gift Aid quietly introduces a major shift: charities are expected to track donor details every two years – something many charities are unprepared for.
In April 2026, HMRC published their most recent updates to the HMRC guidance on Gift Aid. These recent changes have implications for the relationship between charities, HMRC and donors, and how charities manage their internal Gift Aid process.
Tucked into HMRC’s detailed guidance on Gift Aid donor addresses (item 3.9) is a new ‘recommendation’ for updating donor details to ensure charity best practice. The recommendation states:
“We recommend charities check personal details of active donors every two years, including confirming their UK taxpayer status.”
According to the guidance, this can be met in two ways:
1) Having an updated Gift Aid declaration from within the last two years.
2) Sending out a newsletter asking donors to contact the charity if their status (or details) have changed.
What Does this Mean?
When donors make a Gift Aid Declaration (GAD), these can apply to single donations, past donations (up to four tax years), future donations, or a combination of these.
Unless a donor contacts a charity to say they can no longer claim Gift Aid, charities typically treat declarations as ongoing. The best declarations remind donors to contact charities if their status changes. The likelihood that donors will do this is low.
The updates reveal a clear direction of travel: greater accountability sits with the charity to ensure claims are valid and auditable. Charities need to be able to track declarations, know when a declaration was made, and be able to follow up with donors.
So, what can your charity do next?
Having a CRM process that can track Gift Aid declarations easily and set reminders to clarify donor details will become even more important. Streamlining this process now is important. It will save your charity considerable time and reduce your manual workload!
Here are some steps you can take to streamline your process:
1. Review all active Gift Aid Declarations
In your CRM you can flag GADs so that you are notified when a declaration passes the two-year point. You can also flag records missing a declaration, or records with incomplete information.
2. Set up a two‑year verification workflow
Create an automated reminder or workflow in your CRM to prompt a check‑in with donors every 24 months.
3. Strengthen your GAD wording
Use the HMRC guidance to strengthen your wording, so that you are not caught out by the recent updates – and your donors are clued in.
What Other Changes Have Been Made?
The HMRC has updated its guidance on Gift Aid for non-UK donors and membership subscriptions. There is information on how charities can ensure that donors understand the tax implications of Gift Aiding. There is more emphasis on wording of GADs for charities, and the importance of keeping your donors aware.
Get in Touch!
Updates can be difficult to keep track of and challenging to know how to configure in your CRM, but our team of consultants are happy to help. We have experience in Gift Aid, setting up workflows and automations, and providing training and expertise.
If you would like to get in touch with Productle to discuss how we can help you streamline your Gift Aid process and get the best out of your CRM, please do get in touch!
