A declaration method is how the donor gave their declaration: a paper form, a web form tick box, an email, a text message or a phone call. When someone adds a declaration, they choose from the methods your charity has set up in Gift Aid settings.

  • Permissions. Viewing the methods needs taxes:read:giftaid; changing them needs taxes:admin:giftaid.

The standard methods

Five standard methods are always listed: Written form, Verbal / phone, Web form, Email and Text message. You cannot delete them, because imported and existing declarations use them, but you can:

  • give one a different Name shown, for example “Donate page tick box” instead of “Web form”;
  • add Guidance, shown under the method when someone adds a declaration;
  • switch Offered off, so it is no longer offered for new declarations. Declarations already made with it are unchanged.

Add your own method

  1. Open Gift Aid settings and choose the Declaration methods tab.
  2. Click Add a method and give it a Name, for example “Event pledge card”.
  3. Under Counts as, choose the standard method HMRC treats it as. A pledge card the donor fills in and signs counts as a written declaration.
  4. Where the standard method allows more than one kind of evidence, choose the Evidence kept: a written method can rest on the paper form itself or a scanned copy.
  5. Add any Guidance, then click Save methods.

Your own method follows the rules of the standard method it counts as. A method that counts as Verbal / phone creates declarations that start as Pending confirmation, and you must send the donor written confirmation within 30 days.

To delete a method you added, click the bin icon beside it and save. Declarations already made with a renamed or deleted method keep the name the method had when they were made.

Imports, the API and Zapier

Your methods apply wherever a declaration comes in, not only when someone adds one by hand:

  • Imports. A Gift Aid declaration file’s Method column can hold a standard method (written, web_form, email, text_message) or the name of one of your methods. The declaration is recorded as the standard method it counts as, under your method’s name, and its Evidence Type must be the evidence your method keeps. Methods that count as Verbal / phone cannot be imported, because they need written confirmation.
  • The API. Send methodId with the id of one of your methods (from GET /v1/taxes/gift-aid/declaration-methods) alongside the standard method it counts as. An id you do not have, or one that counts as a different method, is refused.
  • Zapier. The Create Gift Aid Declaration action offers your methods in its Method Id dropdown.

A method you have switched off is not offered in the app or Zapier, but an import or API call that names it is still accepted, since the declaration was made that way.

At least one method must be offered. If two people save the methods at the same time, the second save is refused: reload the page and make the change again.