Payroll Giving Month runs throughout February, and 2027 is a special one. In April 2027, payroll giving turns 40. Throughout February, charities, employers and payroll giving organisations across the UK are coming together to celebrate four decades of giving and to invite a new generation to start.
On 6 April 1987, a simple idea began. Employees could give to the causes they cared about straight from their pay, before income tax. In that first year, around 60,000 people gave about £1 million.
Forty years on, payroll giving has raised more than £2 billion for charities large and small. It supports causes of every kind, from medical research and hospices to animal welfare, children's services and community groups. Every UK registered charity can receive it, and every gift arrives regularly, month after month.
For many charities, payroll givers are among their most loyal supporters. Some have given every payday for decades.
Why 2027 matters
Payroll giving is still one of the simplest ways to give. But fewer employers offer it than they used to. Two in five employees don't know whether their workplace offers it at all.
This anniversary is a chance to change that. If every employer with a scheme reminded their people it's there, and more employers set one up, payroll giving could have its best years ahead of it.
How payroll giving works
You choose a charity and an amount. Your employer takes your gift from your pay before income tax and passes it to an HMRC-approved Payroll Giving Agency, which sends it to your charity. Because the tax relief is instant, a £10 gift costs a basic-rate taxpayer just £8. The charity doesn't need to claim Gift Aid, and you don't need to claim anything back.
Get involved this February
If you're an employee: ask your HR or payroll team whether your workplace offers payroll giving. If it does, choose a cause and sign up in minutes. If it doesn't, tell them you'd like it to.
If you're an employer: check your scheme is running and remind your people it's there. If you don't have one yet, find an HMRC-approved Payroll Giving Agency and set one up. Recognition is available through the Payroll Giving Quality Mark.
If you're a charity: download the Payroll Giving Month 2027 charity toolkit. Thank your payroll givers, tell your supporters how to start and talk to the employers you know.
However you take part, share it with #PayrollGivingMonth and #40YearsOfPayrollGiving.
Forty years ago, payroll giving began with one simple idea. This February, let's make sure everyone knows it's there.
