Submitting a Gift Aid claim is one part of the process. Your finance team also needs to follow the claim through to the records used in its accounts.
A clear handover helps answer three different questions: what donations were included, what Gift Aid was claimed and what money has been received. Keeping those questions separate makes it easier to investigate a difference without changing the wrong record.
Start with the submitted claim
Keep the claim reference, submission date, donations included and claim total together. Record who reviewed the batch and where the supporting information can be found. Use the final submitted record as your starting point, rather than an earlier spreadsheet or an estimate from before corrections were made.
Entries excluded from the claim should remain visible in your working process, with a reason and an owner for any follow-up. Do not assume an excluded donation has been resolved simply because the rest of the batch has been submitted.
Keep submission, response and receipt distinct
Evidence that a claim was sent is not the same as evidence that a repayment reached the bank. Record the response or correspondence you receive, then match the relevant receipt through your normal finance process. Use references and supporting records rather than an amount alone.
For the meaning of labels inside GiftAider, use the current guide to donation claim statuses. Internal workflow labels should not be treated as bank-payment confirmation unless the supporting evidence establishes that.
A simple example
| Claimed | Alternative receipt | Difference to investigate |
|---|---|---|
| £250 | £225 | £25 |
Illustrative example only: a charity’s reviewed claim record shows £250 claimed. Finance identifies a bank receipt of £250 and checks that its reference and supporting information relate to that claim. The team records the match and retains the evidence.
If the receipt were £225 instead, the £25 difference would need investigation. It would not, by itself, tell the team which donation was affected or whether the receipt related to the whole claim. The starting point is to compare the submitted record, any response and the bank information.
Use a repeatable reconciliation checklist
- Confirm the final claim reference, date and amount.
- Locate the relevant response and any subsequent correspondence.
- Identify the bank receipt being matched.
- Record any difference or missing information.
- Assign an owner and next action for unresolved items.
- Keep the review evidence with the finance records.
Where more than one claim or payment is involved, document how the amounts connect. Follow your charity’s accounting policy for recognising income and handling adjustments; the claim software is not a substitute for those accounting decisions.
Investigate differences without losing the trail
Check that you are comparing the same claim and period. Then review amendments, excluded records and any information received about the claim. Avoid overwriting source records simply to make totals agree. Keep a note of what was checked and the reason for any authorised correction.
If a software report or status is unclear, contact GiftAider support with the relevant reference and a description of the issue. Use an agreed secure route for any necessary supporting information and avoid sending passwords or unnecessary donor data.
Connect GiftAider to your finance routine
GiftAider’s donation and claim information can support the handover to finance. Your accounting system remains the place for your accounts and accounting controls.
See the reporting guide and our explanation of how GiftAider complements charity accounting software. For general claim information, refer to HMRC’s Gift Aid guidance.
Make the next handover easier
Agree the report, references and review steps your finance team needs before the next claim. A small, consistent checklist is usually easier to maintain than reconstructing the process at the end of the year.
Related reading: How HMRC processes Gift Aid claims