Tax-efficient charity donations straight from staff payslips.
Payroll Giving — also called Give As You Earn — was created under the Charitable Deductions (Approved Schemes) Regulations 1986 and went live in April 1987. It is run jointly by HMRC and the approved agencies, costs the employer nothing, and works almost identically across every UK firm that offers it.
What does a donation actually cost?
Show staff exactly what their donation costs after tax relief at their tax band. No sign-up, no email gate.
National Insurance is not affected by Payroll Giving deductions.
Everything we've written on Payroll Giving.
- 01 Best UK Payroll Giving Agencies 2026 — Compared
An independent 2026 comparison of the main UK Payroll Giving Agencies — Charities Trust, CAF Give As You Earn and Charitable Giving — fees, reporting, and how to choose.
- 02 How Payroll Giving Works in the UK (2026 Step-by-Step Guide)
A plain-English walkthrough of how UK Payroll Giving (Give As You Earn) works for employers, employees, and HMRC — from sign-up to first donation.
- 03 Payroll Giving Policy Template — Free UK Example
A practical UK payroll giving policy template for HR and finance leads, with clauses, eligibility rules, matched giving options and HMRC compliance notes.
- 04 The UK Payroll Giving Quality Mark Explained
What the Payroll Giving Quality Mark is, the five award tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond), the participation thresholds, and whether it's worth pursuing.
- 05 Payroll Giving Tax Relief UK 2026 — How It Actually Works
How HMRC tax relief on UK Payroll Giving actually works, with worked examples for basic, higher, and additional-rate taxpayers.
- 06 Payroll Giving vs Direct Debit (with Gift Aid) — UK 2026
Two routes to the same charity. Why higher-rate UK taxpayers leave money with HMRC every year by picking Direct Debit + Gift Aid over Payroll Giving.
- 07 Setting Up Payroll Giving in a Small UK Business: A Guide
A practical, step-by-step guide for UK SMBs on setting up payroll giving — from choosing a PGA to payroll setup, costs, and HMRC compliance.
It works best when paired.
The strongest workplace-giving programmes layer two or three pillars together. Start here, add as you grow.
The questions HR keeps emailing us.
How long does Payroll Giving take to set up?+
Most UK Payroll Giving Agencies onboard a small employer in 1–2 weeks. The longest part is usually waiting for payroll to slot the deduction into the next pay run.
Does Payroll Giving cost the employer anything?+
The scheme itself is free. Charities Trust publishes a flat 25p per donor per month admin fee; CAF Give As You Earn and Charitable Giving negotiate fees per employer. Many employers absorb the fee so 100% of the donation reaches the charity.
Is Payroll Giving better than Gift Aid?+
For higher and additional-rate taxpayers, comfortably yes — the higher-rate relief lands automatically through PAYE rather than requiring a Self Assessment claim.
What's the maximum amount an employee can give?+
There is no statutory cap. Some agencies set internal limits, but most accept any amount from £1/month upwards.
This pillar is editorially independent — and underwritten by Leavely.
Leavely is leave management for UK SMBs. It's most relevant to the Employee Volunteering pillar, where it tracks paid volunteer days as a separate leave type — but it's where most of our HR readers come from, so we link it up here too.