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Gift Aid Finder Guide

Follow these simple steps to use Swiftaid’s Gift Aid Finder and get your charity on the way to finding more Gift Aid.

Please make sure you complete each step before submitting your file.

For any queries or additional information, we encourage you to visit our FAQs section on The Gift Aid Finder.

Step 1

Complete the Gift Aid Finder questionnaire

Use our quick questionnaire to find out if your charity is ready to use Swiftaid and has all the necessary information to process donations efficiently.
Click here to begin the questionnaire
Step 2

Register your charity with Swiftaid

Registration is free and provides access to your personalised Swiftaid charity dashboard. This process will also designate Swiftaid as a nominee to manage and submit your Gift Aid claims to HMRC. Please note, an HMRC-authorised official from your charity is required to complete the registration process.
Click here to register with Swiftaid
A visual showing a Swiftaid charity dashboard
Step 3

Download your spreadsheet template

Once your charity is registered with Swiftaid, you can download the spreadsheet template directly from your charity dashboard. The template is available in both CSV and ODS formats. To access it, log in to your account and select the Gift Aid Finder option.
Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
If your charity requires a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) for compliance purposes, you can download the latest version here . Once signed, please return it to Swiftaid via email at info@swiftaid.co.uk .
Login to your charity dashboard
An illustration of the spreadsheet template
Step 4

Enter donation information into your spreadsheet

After downloading your template, carefully review the donation rules below and enter as much information as possible about each eligible donation. While not all columns need to be filled, providing detailed information increases the chances of successfully finding a match.
Include only current tax year donations
Ensure you include donations received by your charity in the current tax year, which runs from 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027. Donations outside this period are not eligible for Gift Aid claims.
Exclude the following donations
  • Donations that already had Gift Aid claimed on them.
  • Donations that fall under the Gift Aid Small Donation Scheme (GASDS).
  • Donations included in claims made by third parties, such as JustGiving or other fundraising platforms.
Follow HMRC Requirements
Only include donations that meet the Gift Aid qualifying requirements as defined by HMRC. For detailed information, refer to the HMRC guidelines on GOV.UK (opens in new tab) .
Step 5

Upload your spreadsheet before the deadline

Once you have successfully completed your spreadsheet in accordance with the guidelines provided in step 4, you can securely submit it by logging into your charity dashboard and submitting through there.
Login to your charity dashboard
Best time to submit 🎯

We recommend submitting your spreadsheet after 5 April 2027 to cover the full tax year. While you can submit it sooner, please note that processing won’t begin until the tax year has ended – that’s when Swiftaid donor numbers peak, maximising your chance of matching Gift Aid.

Step 6

Swiftaid will start matching donations to Swiftaid users

Upon receipt of your spreadsheet, Swiftaid will commence the process of matching your donations against our extensive network of UK taxpayers. Here is an outline of the key steps that follow:
Processing of donations
We will do an initial check to make sure the spreadsheet is suitable for processing and let you know if any changes need to be made.
We will calculate the total Gift Aid amount found and will inform you of the initial result.
Email notification to Donors
Donors are notified of their matched donations. Donors then have 21 days to communicate changes or cancellations to Swiftaid.
Email Gift Aid statements to Donors
We then send donors their end-of-year Gift Aid statement and leave a 30 day period for any additional changes.
Step 7

Final results, invoicing and reporting

After a 30-day period, we will email you the final amount of Gift Aid that will be claimed for your charity.

Once you receive notification of the final claimable amount, an invoice will be issued. Upon receipt of payment, we will promptly submit your Gift Aid claim to HMRC. HMRC will then pay your charity directly, and you can expect to receive the funds within approximately 4 weeks.

Your charity can log in to your Swiftaid dashboard to access a detailed report of all the donations included in the claim. This report will include donation IDs, allowing you to cross-reference each donation with the original spreadsheet you provided.

Swiftaid deletes all non-claim-related data within 30 days of submitting a claim to HMRC.

For any queries or additional information, we encourage you to visit our FAQs section on The Gift Aid Finder .

Timeline

Here's how the Gift Aid matching process works

Timeline showing the Gift Aid matching process Timeline showing the Gift Aid matching process
Click on the image to enlarge.