Frequently Asked Questions
Questions
How long does it take for deductions from my salary to be credited to my Freedom Account?
Can a charity claim Gift Aid on my Freedom Account donation?
What happens if I write a voucher for more than the funds available in my account?
Are there any charges for having a Freedom Account?
How quickly will the charity receive my donation?
Can I put completed charity cheques into charity collection tins and envelopes?
Why does my statement balance not reflect every transaction I have made?
When will Gift Aid be added to my account?
Can I set up regular donations to be made quarterly or annually?
How does Charities Trust pass my donations to my chosen charities?
Can I make donations from my Freedom Account to charities outside the UK?
Answers
How long does it take for deductions from my salary to be credited to my Freedom Account?
This is a variable time frame. Donations are usually sent to Charities Trust by the employer during the month following the deduction from pay. Charities Trust will process the payroll donations during the month following receipt and Freedom Accounts are credited as soon as the payroll has been processed.
Is there a minimum donation?
The minimum monthly donation to a Freedom Account is £10 However if this is done via payroll giving this will only cost you £8.00 (or £6 if you are a higher rate tax payer)
Can a charity claim Gift Aid on my Freedom Account donation?
All of the donations into your Freedom Account are tax effective where possible so there is no further tax to be claimed by your charity.
What happens if I write a voucher for more than the funds available in my account?
Charities Trust will only make payments to charities where there are sufficient funds in your Freedom Account. We'd prefer you not to do this as it is easy to check your balance either on line or by telephoning us on 087070 87878 but if you do the voucher will be held until there are funds available to make the payment. Due to our very low administration charges we are unable to inform either you or the charity of the delay.
If you make an online donation out of your account and you have insufficient funds you will receive an e mail and the transaction will be cancelled and not stored.
Are there any charges for having a Freedom Account?
Charities Trust charge a low administration fee of 25p for processing most donations into the account and this is deducted before your balance is updated. We charge 4% for credit or debit card payments due to higher processing costs for us and also 4% for Gift Aid claims. There are no other charges either for the processing of the donations, for statements or for charity cheque books. Charities Trust does not charge charities for receiving donations from Freedom Accounts nor for having a donation page on this site.
Payments into a Freedom Account are charged at the following rates:
- Payroll Giving - 25p per donation (some employers pay this on behalf of their employees)
- Credit or debit card - 4%
- Gift Aid (claimed by Charities Trust and added to the account) - 4%
- Direct bank transfer - 25p per transaction
- Cheque (made payable to Charities Trust) - 25p
There are no other charges either to the Account Holder or to the charities for donations out of the account whether made online or by paper cheque.
I have seen charities ask for donations by CAF vouchers - is this the same as Charities Trust vouchers?
There are a number of Payroll Giving Agencies. CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) is one of them. They offer a voucher account facility which is similar to Charities Trust's. You can use your Charities Trust voucher to make payments to any registered charity.
How quickly will the charity receive my donation?
You send the voucher to the charity who complete their bank details and then send it to us. Voucher payments are made at the end of each month together with other payroll giving donations. Making an online donation from your Freedom Account is the fastest way for your charity to receive your donation.
Can I put completed charity cheques into charity collection tins and envelopes?
Yes - in that way they are the same as a cheque written on your normal bank account.
Why does my statement balance not reflect every transaction I have made?
The most likely reasons for any differences are:
- Your employer has not sent the relevant payroll or it has not yet been processed by Charities Trust – there is usually at least a month’s delay from when the money is deducted from your salary to it appearing in your Freedom Account
- The charity has not forwarded your charity cheque to Charities Trust - we process charity cheques in the month that we receive them
What if I want to donate to a charity that does not appear in the Charities Trust database of charities?
Send a e mail to myfreedomaccount@charitiestrust.org Include the details of the charity: name, address, contact details and charity registration number if known. We will let you know when they have been added to our database so that you can go ahead and make the donation.
If you have written a Freedom Account cheque to a charity not on our database we will add the details when we receive the cheque from the charity.When will Gift Aid be added to my account?
Charities Trust makes a Gift Aid claim every month. We will credit your account in the month we receive the money from HM Revenue & Customs - this is usually the following month but can take longer at times.
Can I set up regular donations to be made quarterly or annually?
We are only able to process regular monthly donations from a Freedom Account. However the request for alternative scheduling of donations (e.g. quarterly or annually) has been logged and when we upgrade the service we hope to add this facility.
As a charity we have limited funds to invest in system developments so are unable to give an indication of likely time scale for this.How does Charities Trust pass my donations to my chosen charities?
Every month Charities Trust processes thousands of donations to charities. Most of these donations are transferred electronically by BACS as this is the most efficient and cost effective way to process multiple transactions. Donations arrive in the charity's bank account on the last working day of the month.
Cheques are sent out at the same time by 2nd class mail so this process adds at least a week to the time when the charity has your donation in their account.
Online donations from Freedom Accounts are processed immediately and the charity will receive the donation in the next available monthly payout.
Charity cheques are processed in the month that they are received at Charities Trust.
Can I make donations from my Freedom Account to charities outside the UK?
Because the Freedom Account is a tax effective way of donating to charity we can only send your donations to charities and recognised good causes registered in the UK.
This does not mean that you cannot support charitable causes overseas as many UK registered charities operate in other countries. The Charity Commission website has a search facility which may be useful Click here to search the Charity Commission register of charities by area of operation
