Join us in making a difference through tax-efficient donations straight from your pay, this Payroll Giving Month. We hope you find all the information you need about payroll giving on this page, but if you have any questions or require further assistance, please contact us at fundraising@reengage.org.uk.
What is payroll giving?
Payroll giving, sometimes called give as you earn, lets you donate to your chosen charity directly from your wage or pension before tax is deducted.
Who qualifies for payroll giving?
Anyone who is paid through PAYE (Pay As You Earn) is eligible. So, if you receive a pay slip from your employer, it’s likely you can donate money to charity through payroll giving.
How do I set up payroll giving?
If your employer already offers a payroll giving scheme, all you need to do is contact your HR department to let them know you’d like to donate to Re-engage, and the amount you want to give each month.
If they need to know our registered charity number, it’s 1146149 for England and Wales, and SC039377 in Scotland.
If your employer doesn’t have a payroll giving scheme in place, they can find information about how to set one up on the GOV.UK website.
What are the benefits of payroll giving?
Your donation is taken before you pay tax, so your take home pay will be reduced by less than the amount you give to Re-engage.
For example, if you’re a 20% taxpayer, and donate £10 through payroll giving, your take home pay is only reduced by £8. If you’re taxed at a different rate, there are calculators on payroll provider websites to show you how much your take home pay will be reduced by.
Some employers also offer to match donations, doubling your gift to Re-engage.
Payroll giving gifts help isolated older people, like Rosemary.
Rosemary has had Parkinson’s for three years and finds weekends very long and lonely.
“I’m on my own from Friday evening until Monday morning and I don’t like it,” said 85-year-old Rosemary from Chelmsford, Essex.
“I have helpers on weekdays and so time doesn’t seem to drag so much. I can talk to someone and occasionally I manage to get out for a short walk, with assistance. But the weekends just aren’t very nice when you’re on your own.”
But things have recently picked up for Rosemary, whose husband William died in 2022. After being referred to Re-engage she now has a call companion, Bernadette who makes a particular point of ringing on Sunday afternoons.
“I can deal with the practical things,” she said. “But I need support and a comforting voice, which is what I get from the phone calls. It really is a good service and transforms my weekends.
“It’s good to know that someone will give up their time to make contact with you. That’s really what I want – the contact.”
Your donations could help to train more volunteers like Bernadette, to connect with more older people and provide the human contact they so desperately crave, and that they deserve.
Louise shares the benefits of payroll giving
We asked one of our long-term supporters, Louise, why they chose to switch their monthly gift to payroll giving and how they’ve found the process.
“It made sense to switch to payroll as there is a tax benefit for me AND most importantly my company match funds so that meant Re-engage getting double bubble!
“We use Benevity so it was super simple, just select the charity, amount, salary sacrifice and all sorted! Takes about a month to kick in depending on payroll runs.
“Payroll giving means you get a little tax relief and it just happens automatically.
“If you asked me what I’d say to someone who’s thinking about setting up a payroll gift, I’d say why haven’t you done it already? It’s such a great way to make a difference and so simple to do!”