GIVING TO THE CHURCH
Funding Mission and Ministry
There are several ways for you to give financially to the Church that allows your giving to be maximised. Whether it is by Standing Order or cash, we want to help you give well:
CASH
Giving cash suits lots of people so to help anyone who wants to give in this way a plate collection is available at all services. We also provide small envelopes for those who wish to donate on a regular basis i.e weekly. This helps to plan giving through consistent weekly amounts. Different envelopes are used by taxpayers and non-taxpayers (see Gift Aid below).
ONLINE
Single or repeating payments may be made through the website
STANDING ORDER
This allows you to set up a regular payment to come out of your bank account and be sent directly to St. Thomas’ bank account. You are always in control of this method of payment as you can cancel, amend, suspend or increase your giving at any time by simply contacting your bank. We encourage you to use this method if possible as it is more secure and allows the church to budget more effectively if it is known how much will be received on a weekly basis. You can also gift aid by this method (see below).
GIFT AID
If you are a tax payer, by simply signing a Gift Aid declaration and returning it to our Gift Aid Secretary (currently Alvin West) we can collect tax back from HMRC on your identifiable gifts. This can increase our income by 25p for every pound you give. All the Government asks is that you have paid an equivalent amount of tax in each tax year. We encourage people to pay their gift aided donation by Standing Order, however, for those who wish to pay by cash we have weekly envelopes available for this purpose.
White Gift Aid envelopes are available in pews for one-off gift aided donations. Please ensure all details are completed to enable gift aid to be claimed. Do not use for any other purpose.
GIFT AID FOR HIGHER RATE TAXPAYERS
If you pay tax at a higher than standard rate, you can reclaim the difference between the standard rate of tax claimed by the church in Gift Aid and the highest rate you pay on the gross gift, e.g. if you pay tax at 40%, you can claim 20% of the value of your charitable donations yourself. This means that, in order for your giving to remain proportionate to your income, you should either increase the amount you give upfront or you should donate the tax you can reclaim back retrospectively. Both are tax-effective methods of giving which will enable you to give more to the church at no additional cost to yourself.
PAYROLL GIVING/COMPANY OR PERSONAL PENSION
This is a scheme that enables you to give to the church straight from your gross salary/pension (before tax is deducted). If you give in this way you will receive immediate tax relief at the rate of tax you pay i.e. 20%, 40% or 45%.
CHARITY ACCOUNTS
Using organisations such as Charities Aid Foundation or Stewardship you can set up your own charity account and make tax efficient donations to the church and your chosen charities.
LEGACIES
St. Thomas’ Church welcomes gifts in wills, however large or small. We promise to use such gifts to make a difference to the work of the church and ask that to enable us to do this they not be restricted in any way. You can be confident your gift will be used to make a real difference to our future mission and ministry.
All gifts in your will to charity are free of Inheritance Tax.
GIFTS IN MEMORIAM
If you would like to make a gift to our church in memoriam, please discuss this with our Vicar or our Finance Manager. It can be a wonderful and appropriate way to remember a loved one.
Find out more details on:
http://www.tax-effective-giving.org.uk/
http://www.churchlegacy.org.uk/
Payment details:
Cheques can be made payable to: St. Thomas’ Church PCC
Bank details for Standing Orders can be obtained from Alvin West, our Finance Manager.