Best UK Payroll Giving Agencies 2026 — Compared

If you’re setting up Payroll Giving at a UK employer, you’ll need to pick an HMRC-approved Payroll Giving Agency to administer the scheme. They all do roughly the same regulated job — but they differ on fees, reporting depth, donor experience, and the small operational details that determine whether a scheme quietly grows for a decade or withers.

This comparison is based on each agency’s published material, HMRC’s official approved-agency list, and editorial assessment of the market in 2026. No agency paid for placement and none reviewed this article before publication. All pricing figures are indicative — confirm directly with each agency for a quote based on your specific scheme size.

The UK Payroll Giving Agencies in 2026

HMRC’s official list shows 23 approved Payroll Giving Agencies as of late 2025. Most are small, faith-based, or community-foundation operated. For practical purposes, the UK market for commercial employers is dominated by three:

• Charities Trust — one of the longest-established and most widely used UK PGAs
• Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) — running the Give As You Earn (GAYE) brand; the most recognised name in UK employee giving
• Charitable Giving — a UK not-for-profit PGA with a workplace-focused offering

A note on StC Payroll Giving (which appears in some older comparison guides): StC was a Professional Fundraising Organisation, not an HMRC-approved Payroll Giving Agency itself. It promoted payroll-giving sign-ups via charity partnerships. Following its acquisition by GoodPAYE, it does not appear on HMRC’s current approved-agency list.

Other HMRC-approved agencies to be aware of include GivingForce Foundation, Intelligent Foundation (the agency operated by workplace-giving software vendor Percent), PayCaptain.org, and Co-operative Payroll Giving Limited.

How the main three compare at a glance

	Charities Trust	CAF Give As You Earn	Charitable Giving
Per-donor monthly fee	25p flat (published)	Not publicly disclosed	Not publicly disclosed
Employer setup fee	None published	None published	None published
Donor-facing portal / app	Yes	Yes	Yes
HMRC-approved agency	Yes	Yes	Yes
Quality Mark support	Yes	Yes	Yes
Charity choice	Any UK reg charity	Any UK reg charity	Any UK reg charity
Best for	Cost-sensitive employers wanting transparent fees	Brand recognition with donors	Low-friction not-for-profit option

Charities Trust

Strengths: One of the longest-established UK PGAs, in operation since 1987. The only one of the three main agencies with publicly-published fees (25p per donor per month flat). Strong support for the Payroll Giving Quality Mark application process, broad market presence, and a workmanlike donor portal.

Weaknesses: Employer reporting is functional but not the deepest in the market. If you want granular reports on uptake by team, segment, or campaign, you’ll be exporting CSVs and pivoting in Excel.

Net annual cost example (50 staff, 30% participation = ~15 donors): approximately £45/year in admin fees if the employer absorbs them.

Editorial recommendation: This is the natural default pick for any UK SMB under 100 staff — it’s the only one of the three with transparent published fees, and the operational simplicity compounds.

Visit Charities Trust →

CAF Give As You Earn (CAF GAYE)

Strengths: The most recognised brand in UK employee giving. The Charities Aid Foundation is widely associated with corporate philanthropy in the UK and the brand recognition tends to lift launch-period opt-in rates versus lesser-known agencies. Larger employers typically get a named account manager.

Weaknesses: Per-donor fees are not publicly disclosed and are negotiated with each employer. Historic published terms cited a 4% per-donation fee with a 25p minimum — confirm current pricing directly.

Editorial recommendation: The right pick when brand recognition matters — large mid-market employers, brands targeting recruitment-savvy candidates, B-Corp applicants, or any firm whose CSR comms regularly reference recognised names. Get a fee quote alongside Charities Trust and compare.

Visit CAF GAYE →

Charitable Giving

Strengths: UK not-for-profit PGA on HMRC’s approved-agency list. Workplace-fundraising integration alongside straight payroll donations. Direct, low-friction operational fit for SMBs.

Weaknesses: Lower brand recognition than CAF — you’ll likely see lower opt-in rates at launch. Per-donor fees are not publicly published; quote-driven.

Editorial recommendation: Worth a quote alongside Charities Trust if the not-for-profit positioning resonates with your CSR posture. Otherwise the fee transparency at Charities Trust gives it the edge for cost-sensitive employers.

Visit Charitable Giving →

What about StC Payroll Giving?

If you’ve seen older comparison guides featuring StC Payroll Giving, here’s the position: StC was a Professional Fundraising Organisation (PFO), not an HMRC-approved Payroll Giving Agency in its own right. PFOs work with employers to promote and recruit payroll-giving donors but the actual donation processing still has to go through one of the HMRC-approved agencies.

StC was acquired by GoodPAYE; neither name appears on HMRC’s current approved-agency list. If you want enhanced reporting and Quality-Mark-application hand-holding (StC’s traditional positioning), the modern equivalents are:

• A UK PGA paired with workplace-giving software like Percent or Benevity (see our workplace giving software comparison)
• Or a dedicated PFO that contracts you to one of the three main agencies

This is a moving market — confirm against HMRC’s current list before making a decision.

A simple decision framework

For a UK employer choosing a Payroll Giving Agency:

• Under 50 staff, low budget, just want it set up cleanly → Charities Trust (transparent published fees, proven operational simplicity)
• Under 50 staff, want recognised brand on payslips → CAF GAYE
• Want a not-for-profit operator → Charitable Giving
• Want enhanced reporting + Quality Mark hand-holding → A PGA paired with workplace-giving software (Percent, Benevity)

The fee differences are real but modest in absolute pounds for any employer under ~200 staff. Pick on operational fit and donor experience, then negotiate.

What about switching agencies?

It happens — typically driven by:

1. Reporting frustration — employer outgrows their PGA’s dashboard
2. Cost optimisation at scale — large employer wants better fee terms
3. Account-management dissatisfaction — no named contact, slow response

Mechanics: donors re-authorise via the new agency’s form, the new PGA handles HMRC notification, and there’s typically a 4–6 week overlap during which both agencies are processing donations. Allow for that in comms.

Where this fits with the rest of your giving programme

Picking a Payroll Giving Agency is the single biggest operational decision in setting up payroll giving, but it’s not the most consequential decision in your overall workplace-giving programme. The bigger levers are:

1. Whether you match donations (matched giving tends to roughly double engagement)
2. Whether you offer paid volunteer leave (the time half of giving)
3. How you communicate the scheme — a one-line internal email rarely shifts behaviour; a thoughtful launch campaign tied to a Charity of the Year does
4. Whether you absorb the agency fee — employees notice the deduction line on payslips if you don’t

The agency choice mostly affects the back-office mechanics. Get any of the three main agencies right and the scheme will run; the rest is on internal comms and leadership endorsement.

How we wrote this

Based on each agency’s public fee schedules, employer-facing material, HMRC’s approved-agency list, and editorial assessment. Pricing figures are indicative — every employer should get a direct quote before deciding. Last reviewed against agency websites in May 2026.

Disclosure

Workplace Giving is sponsored by Leavely, a leave-management product unrelated to Payroll Giving Agencies. Leavely doesn’t pay for placement and doesn’t see articles before publication. None of the agencies above paid for inclusion, were given a preview, or sponsor this site.

Sources

• HMRC: List of approved Payroll Giving Agencies
• HMRC Chapter 4: Payroll Giving (Charities Detailed Guidance Notes)
• Charities Trust — published donor terms (25p/donor/month flat fee)

Related reading

• How Payroll Giving works in the UK (step by step)
• Payroll Giving tax relief in the UK
• Payroll Giving vs Direct Debit (with Gift Aid)
• Setting up Payroll Giving in a small business
• Pair it with matched giving and paid volunteer leave for a complete programme

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FAQs — JSON-LD enabled

Questions HR keeps asking.

How many UK Payroll Giving Agencies are there?+

[HMRC's approved-agency list](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/payroll-giving-approved-agencies/list-of-approved-payroll-giving-agencies) shows 23 Payroll Giving Agencies as of late 2025. Most are small, faith-based, or community-foundation operated. The commercial UK market for general employers is dominated by three: Charities Trust, Charities Aid Foundation (running CAF Give As You Earn), and Charitable Giving.

Do all UK Payroll Giving Agencies charge the same fees?+

No. Of the three main agencies, only Charities Trust publishes a clear per-donor fee (25p per donor per month, flat). CAF Give As You Earn and Charitable Giving negotiate fees with each employer and don't publish a public schedule, so confirm pricing directly. Some employers absorb the fee so the full donation reaches the charity; others let it come out of the donation.

What about StC Payroll Giving — is it still an agency?+

StC Payroll Giving was a Professional Fundraising Organisation (PFO), not an HMRC-approved Payroll Giving Agency. It promoted payroll giving sign-ups via charity partnerships and contracted donations through a separate approved agency. Following its acquisition by GoodPAYE, neither name appears on HMRC's current approved-agency list.

Can an employer switch Payroll Giving Agency?+

Yes. Donors re-authorise via the new agency's form and the new PGA handles HMRC notification. Allow 4–6 weeks of overlap to avoid donation gaps. Switching is most often driven by reporting limitations or service quality rather than fee level.

Which UK Payroll Giving Agency is best for a small (under 50 staff) employer?+

For small employers, Charities Trust is the natural default — it's the only agency of the three with publicly-published fees and operational simplicity is a real benefit at small scale. Get a quote from CAF Give As You Earn for comparison if brand recognition matters to your staff.

Which Payroll Giving Agency is the cheapest?+

Of the agencies that publish their fees, Charities Trust is the lowest-cost choice (25p per donor per month). CAF Give As You Earn and Charitable Giving don't publish public fee schedules, so direct comparison requires getting a quote.

Does the Payroll Giving Agency choice affect tax relief for employees?+

No. Tax relief is determined by HMRC PAYE rules, not the agency. All HMRC-approved UK PGAs deliver identical tax outcomes for employees — relief at marginal rate, automatic, no Self Assessment required.