Giving shares

A few shares could make a big difference

Have you got a few windfall shares from a privatisation or demutualisation gathering dust? Or a small parcel of shares you inherited? They can be expensive to sell and create more paperwork than income, but they could make a big difference to Humanists UK.

How to give shares

How the tax relief works

If you give shares to Humanists UK, you can claim tax relief on their full value. Tax relief is available to UK taxpayers giving shares and securities listed on the UK Stock Market, the Alternative Investment Market, and recognised stock exchanges overseas. It also covers units in a UK unit trust, shares in a UK open-ended investment company (OEIC), and some similar foreign investments.

You can claim relief on the market value of the shares on the day you give them, together with any costs such as brokers’ fees. You don’t pay capital gains tax on any rise in value since you bought them. But if your shares have fallen in value, you can’t use the loss to offset other capital gains tax.

There’s more on the GOV.UK website, or call the HMRC helpline on 0300 123 1073.

How to give shares

The simplest way is to transfer the shares to us, keep evidence of the gift, the date it was made and our acceptance, and claim the tax relief on your self-assessment tax return.

Please put our registered name, British Humanist Association, on the transfer documents. Our registered charity number is 285987.

If you have a share certificate

Contact the company’s registrar. You’ll find their details on your share certificate, dividend vouchers, the company’s annual report, or its website.

The registrar will give you a stock transfer form to fill in and return. Keep a copy: it’s your evidence to HMRC of the date of the gift. The registrar will then issue a new certificate to us.

If your shares are in a nominee account

Ask your broker to transfer the shares for you. Your broker may charge for this, but you should be able to get tax relief on the fee as well as on the value of the shares.