The process below specifically details how to check and make a claim when parishes have been using the gift aid module.  However, parts of this guide can be used if using admin gift aid module internally.

The beauty of the integrated system is that the majority of the work has already been done for you in the respect of checking to ensure the right conditions are met for a claim.

However, although there is no specific need to check each individual transaction, a checking processes should be initiated to ensure you have fully claimed all donations (it’s virtually impossible to claim for a donation that should not be claimed)

The first checks should be at the parish level

Parish Level Checking

As mentioned assuming the parish uses the accounts system then donations will only be claimed once the amount is reconciled in the account.   Therefore, please ensure that the parish has reconciled all bank and CASH accounts where donations have been entered, otherwise they will not be shown (or claimed).

Please refer to the follow article which will explain how parishes should check to ensure all donations that are claimable can be claimed e.g. to ensure donations are fully allocated and approved for claim

http://help.3rdsectordigital.com/entries/60914-gift-aid-general-housekeeping-of-donations-guide

1. Once happy that donations are correct navigate to Gift Aid > Reports > Year End Declaration Report
2. Enter the Date Range either a full tax year or part tax year
3. Click on “Generate Report”

A Gift Aid Declaration report is generated providing a summary of all parishioners, totals against each donor and date of last claim (which are all important required fields that are used on the final gift aid claim)

1. Print out the report, sign it and send the first few pages to Diocese (up to and including the signed declaration).  The detailed report can be kept at parish.

Once this action has been completed then there is no further involvement from the parish.

Admin Level Checking

Once the declaration is received then this should prompt admin to double check against their admin system.

Again, although the admin figures will usually match up against the parish figures, it’s always advisable to double check before completing the claim.

It could be that Admin want to go through the “parish level checking” process as well to ensure all donations are claimable and double check what the parish has done.

1. Navigate to Admin > Gift Aid > Reports > Checking Report
2. Enter the date of the claim either year or date and enter parish reference
3. Click on Generate Report

This report shows exactly what will be claimed when you run the gift aid claim process.  It should match up against the year end declaration report that was sent in by the parish.

If the two reports do not match, then you will need to find the reason.

Once verified, you can either move onto the next parish to check or move onto process the claim either on a parish basis or for all parishes.

Select which Parishes to Claim

The system will allow you to claim for a specific, range or all parishes on the system.

1. Navigate to Admin > GA > Summary.
2. On the left hand side against each parish is a “claim” tick box.  If ticked the parish will be claimed.
3. Go through the list and select/deselect those parishes you do not wish to claim for on the next claim.

Make the Claim

Once all cross checks are made you can continue to process the claim

1. Navigate to Admin > GA > Claim Gift Aid
2. Enter the year you wish to claim for (one year per claim) or enter the date up to (this will cover from 6^th April to the date entered)
3. The totals will change and a final good check is to make sure the total for “total amount” equals the totals on all checking reports / year end declarations
4. Click on “Print a Preview Claim Form”

Printing a preview claim form is good practice as it will give you a change to scan down the claim to ensure there are no anomalies or all data is present and correct.  The preview claim form is sorted by parish to make it easier to view.

You can print or save the preview claim form if desired.

Once happy with the preview claim, continue

1. Click on Claim Gift Aid
2. A new screen will load giving you options to either

“Print and mark all donations as claimed”  - this will generate a pdf claim form and will allow you to save and print.

Export to CSV and mark as claimed” – This will generate a CSV file that can be saved onto disk and sent to HMRC if required.

Please note that once the two links are clicked on this will mark all donations as being claimed and you will no longer be able to claim for these in the future.

Post Claim Forms

Once the claim is processed you will now be able to generate post claim reports:

On the reports page of the admin section there are a variety of reports:

Parish Claim Summary:  Will generate a summary of all parishes that were included on the claim with various information such as donation amount and tax to claim back.

Bank Reimbursement Summary:  Can be generated in pdf or CSV format and will calculate the exact amount of reimburse you should pay to the parish.  This includes (currently) tax rebate, transitional relief and any commission deducted from the parish

Parish Remittance Report:  A report that can be sent to the parish to confirm which donations have been claimed and the amount they should expect to receive back.