Gift Aid 2015 Changes

We’d like to update you on submitting Gift Aid online via The Raiser’s Edge. On April 6^th this year, HMRC updated the Gift Aid submission standards to a slightly updated format.  This is new format is supported in the latest version of The Raiser’s Edge.  If your Raiser’s Edge database is hosted by Blackbaud, you will already have been upgraded to the latest version - version 7.94 patch 2 – and so can claim Gift Aid with confidence.

Version 7.94 contains a few key improvements designed for organisations which claim Gift Aid:

• 
  
• Updated donor validation process. Just before your GenerateR68 (New Gift Aid) Report is generated, The Raiser’s Edge will check that the donor’s details meets HMRC name and address minimum requirements. You’re then able to easily access the Constituent to edit it before the report is generated.
  
• Ability to select address to be used in claim. The Submit Gift Aid Claim to HMRC function now sends whichever address you specified in the R68 Report.
  
• Support for submitting Gift Aid claims for donors with non-UK addresses.
  

You hopefully will have seen our communications about other aspects of version 7.94, and that we are reviewing the release date of that version to the remainder of our users.

If you on an earlier version of The Raiser’s Edge and try to submit a Gift Aid claim, you will likely receive an error including the phrase “Unrecognized namespace”. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this has caused with Gift Aid claims.

We have decided to react to this by releasing a patch for users of version 7.93 that updates the Submit Gift Aid Claim to HMRC feature so that users on version 7.93 can also send claims to HMRC.  It will also support submitting Gift Aid claims for donors with non-UK addresses, but not include the other new Gift Aid features in 7.94.

This patch – Patch 12 - is available for download today here

To summarise: To do Gift Aid Online Submissions to HMRC, your organisation:

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• If on The Raiser’s Edge 7.94, needs to be on Patch 2 or later
  
• If on The Raiser’s Edge 7.93, needs to be on Patch 12 or later
  

Thank you