Where to get the template
HMRC publishes the Gift Aid donations schedule on GOV.UK. It is free. Use HMRC's own file rather than a copy from somewhere else, because Charities Online relies on its exact layout and worksheet name.
There are two versions, and HMRC says to pick the one that matches your software:
- Gift Aid donations schedule, Excel, if you use Microsoft Excel. HMRC also asks you to make sure Excel is set to English UK (File, Options, Languages).
- Gift Aid donations schedule, LibreOffice, if you use LibreOffice. HMRC says you must use the English (GB) version of LibreOffice (Tools, Options, Languages).
Both are .ods files. Do not download one version and convert it with the other program, as HMRC warns this can cause problems. More on this in which template to use.
The boxes at the top
| Box | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Box 1: earliest donation date | The earliest date of the donations in this claim, as DD/MM/YY. For aggregated donations, the template says this date may be earlier than any date in the donation date column. |
| Box 2: previously over-claimed amount | Only if you were overpaid on an earlier claim. Enter the tax, not the donation, with no £ sign. Leave it blank if there is none. See over-claimed amounts. |
The total of your donations is worked out by the template itself from the amounts you enter.
The columns
| Column | What the template asks for |
|---|---|
| Item | Already numbered in the template. Leave it as it is. |
| Title | Up to 4 characters, such as Mr, Mrs, Ms, Dr. See titles and names. |
| First name or initial | Up to 35 characters with no spaces, or just an initial. HMRC recommends a full name where you have it. |
| Last name | Up to 35 characters. Use a space instead of the hyphen in a double-barrelled surname. |
| House name or number | Up to 40 characters. For donors abroad, put their address here. |
| Postcode | Capital letters with a space, such as S19 2BD. Put X for donors who live outside the UK. See postcodes. |
| Aggregated donations | Only for a line of small donations added together: a short description of up to 35 characters. Do not enter "Yes" or "Not applicable". See aggregated donations. |
| Sponsored event | "Yes" or leave blank. |
| Donation date | DD/MM/YY, with no hyphens or full stops. See dates. |
| Amount | A number with two decimal places, such as 200.00. No £ sign. |
The template's own rules
- Do not change the layout or the name of the worksheet.
- Save it as a .ods file, not .xlsx.
- If a section does not apply, leave it blank. Do not enter N/A or Nil.
- No blank spaces or other characters at the start or end of boxes.
- No blank row between donations.
- No more than 1,000 rows of donations.
Donor Schedule includes both of HMRC's templates, unchanged, and fills them in for you. Next: how to fill in the schedule, step by step.
Sources: Gift Aid schedule spreadsheets on GOV.UK, the instructions inside the template, and HMRC schedule spreadsheet guidance, "Get the right software".
This page is general guidance based on HMRC's published schedule spreadsheet guidance and template, checked on 20 October 2026. It is not tax advice, and HMRC's own pages take priority if they change. Donor Schedule is not affiliated with HMRC.
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