GiftAider separates access to the system from authority to submit a Gift Aid claim. A user can be allowed to work with claims without automatically becoming the charity’s HMRC-authorised official.

Before you start

You need an administrator account and the correct name and contact details for each user. You should also know who your charity recognises as its HMRC-authorised official.

Understand the four responsibilities

• Administrator: manages organisation settings and users.
• Normal user: works in the areas made available to their account.
• Claim preparer: can open the claim workflow and prepare eligible records where the relevant claim permission is enabled.
• HMRC-authorised official: is the named person whose identity is used when the prepared claim is signed and submitted.

One person may hold more than one responsibility, but GiftAider should still be configured to reflect what that person is allowed to do.

Add or update a user

1. Sign in as an administrator.
2. Open your profile menu and select User Management.
3. Add a user, or open the existing user you need to update.
4. Enter the person’s own name and email address.
5. Set their user type and the permissions required for their work.
6. Enable Allowed to submit claims only where the person is expected to take part in the claim workflow.
7. If the person is the charity’s HMRC-authorised official, record that separately in the relevant charity or user configuration.
8. Save the user.
9. Ask the user to sign out and sign in again before checking changed permissions.

Expected result

The user can see only the areas and actions allowed by their account. A restricted user should not be able to prepare or submit a claim by navigating directly to a claim page.

The claim permission does not, by itself, replace the selected HMRC-authorised official or their authentication. The official’s details must match the charity’s approved setup.

If the user cannot see a permitted action

• Confirm the change was saved against the correct user.
• Ask the user to sign out and sign in again.
• Confirm the charity has an HMRC-authorised official configured.
• Check whether the action belongs to an administrator rather than a normal user.
• Contact GiftAider support if the permission and visible action still disagree.

Related guidance

• Configure your charity and HMRC details before the first claim
• Prepare, sign and submit a Gift Aid claim
• Is your charity’s authorised official up to date?

Last updated on: October 5, 2026