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130 Wood Street, London, EC2V 6DL
enquiries@buzzacott.co.uk    T +44 (0)20 7556 1200

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Tax planning and advice for charities

We understand you want to direct the greatest possible funds towards the causes you care about. Make sure you’re claiming all the relevant tax reliefs and exemptions by taking advantage of our sector experience.

As a charitable organisation, there are a wide range of exemptions you can make the most of for taxes, including corporation tax, income tax, stamp duty and business rates. You can also benefit from tax reliefs such as Gift Aid and Social Investment Tax Relief,  which provide further opportunities for charities to thrive. 

Our not-for-profit tax team help to ensure your charity is fully tax-compliant and structured optimally to make the best use of the reliefs you’re entitled to.

What sets our charity tax services apart?

Unlike others, we have separate dedicated tax specialists who work within our charity and not-for-profit team. Having chosen to specialise in the sector, most have trained as charity experts from day one. This means you have a team of experts at your disposal who really understand your sector and needs.

You can count on regular tax communications on developments and insights relevant to your industry, including our annual charity tax updates after the Chancellor’s Autumn and Spring Budgets. We also offer topical tax update seminars and bespoke fundraising workshops, keeping you up to speed with the latest requirements and opportunities.

View our upcoming events and webinars

Sectors we work with

Sectors we work with

The Buzzacott charity and not-for-profit tax team work across all not-for-profit sectors, providing personalised advice and support to our clients. Our experience spans:

We also support various other sectors, including research organisations, membership organisations, city livery companies, hospital charities, and welfare, health, and care organisations.

If your organisation falls within one of these sectors, please get in touch using the contact form below, and one of our TAX consultants will reach out to discuss your requirements.

Our services

Tax advice to help charities and their trustees

All of our advice is totally bespoke to your charity or not-for-profit organisation’s individual needs. Along with our charity audit specialists, our not-for-profit tax team also works closely with our specialist charity VAT consultancy team to give you a complete service.

Some examples of the common tax advice and support we offer are:

Reviewing your use of Gift Aid and other tax-efficient ways of boosting income

We want to make sure all available opportunities for Gift Aid are being utilised by reviewing your Gift Aid processes to ensure that Gift Aid claims are eligible and being made correctly, along with the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme and other forms of tax-efficient giving that you might use.

Find out more about our Gift Aid services and how we can help ensure you're maximising on claims.

Reviewing your charitable activities and new contracts for tax risks and advising on tax-efficient structures

Trading and other activities carried out by your charity can come with a risk of an unexpected tax liability if not planned correctly. Working with other organisations, or what often seems like a simple commercial sponsorship arrangement, can give rise to tax risks. We’ll review your activities to comb for any risks or opportunities and help you structure them efficiently.

Providing guidance on property transactions 

There’s a minefield of tax risks when you carry out transactions involving land and buildings for your charity. Careful planning and structuring are essential to ensure your available tax reliefs aren’t compromised. We’ve dealt with lots of different charity property transactions and so our experienced team can advise on the best structure for you.

Advising on employment tax issues

Employment tax issues are really common for not-for-profit organisations due to the use of volunteers and consultants as well as employed staff. We advise on all areas of employment tax, staff benefits, IR35 and also wider employment issues by teaming up with our HR Consultancy team.

Assisting with corporation tax returns and trust tax returns

Our team have extensive experience with the preparation of tax returns for charities and the necessary supplementary charity disclosures. We’re also well-versed in the preparation of tax returns for membership associations, which are often complex because of mutual trading status and a variety of sources of income.

Providing VAT advice 

We have a dedicated team of charity VAT experts who are on hand to ensure you’re maximising any reliefs and exemptions available as well as keeping you up to date with the VAT changes you need to be aware of. Visit our VAT for Charities page for more information.

Additional tax information for charities and not for profits

If you’re looking for further information about charity and not for profit tax matters, or there’s a specific aspect of charity tax you want to learn more about, please download the relevant resource below.

Calculating partial exemption

Partial exemption refers to a situation in which a business or individual is partially exempt from paying taxes on certain goods, services, or income. To help charities understand this, we've created a helpful diagram to help you understand the calculations and the benefits it can bring.

For a comprehensive understanding, download the diagram below.

View and download

Fundraising events: VAT and Direct Tax

One of the significant benefits charities enjoy is the ability to exempt income generated from fundraising events from Value Added Tax (VAT). This exemption, known as a "one-off fundraising event", is widely utilised. However, many charities face challenges when applying for this relief due to strict conditions.

This insight explores potential issues and uncertainties surrounding the implementation of this relief. For a comprehensive understanding, download the full insight below.

View and download

Top 10 tips for fundraising events

Fundraising events are the lifeblood of charitable organisations, allowing them to raise crucial funds to support their missions. However, in the world of fundraising, tax and VAT issues can sometimes create unexpected challenges.

To empower your organisation with the knowledge and strategies to overcome these hurdles, we've compiled our top 10 tips for hosting tax-efficient fundraising events. These invaluable insights can help you optimise your fundraising efforts, ensuring that more of the funds you raise can directly impact your cause.

For a comprehensive understanding, download the full insight below.

View and download

Pros and cons of using a trading subsidiary

There are a number of considerations charities and their trustees need to make in deciding whether or not to set up and use a trading subsidiary company to carry out certain trading activities that the charity might otherwise carry out.

In most cases, it will depend on the type of charity, its charitable objects, the proposed activity, and the expected level of income. For a comprehensive understanding, download the full insight below.

View and download

Tax efficient giving

When it comes to tax-efficient giving, there are several strategies to consider. These strategies offer tax-efficient ways to support charitable causes, but it's crucial to understand and meet the specific requirements associated with each approach.

For a comprehensive understanding, download the full insight below.

View and download

Additional information

Have a question on tax planning for charities or not for profits?

If you have a query about tax planning for charities, fill in the form below and one of our experts will be in touch.

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