Gift Aid Management made easier.
On 12 July 2023 the HMRC software team removed support for TLS (Transport Layer Security) versions 1.0 and 1.1 to improve the security of the connection with their servers.
It is possible that when you try to make a reclaim you will see the message "Received an unexpected EOF or 0 bytes fromm the transport stream." This indicates that the communication with HMRC is attempting to use a less secure protocol than TLS 1.2.
Windows 7 machines only support TLS 1.1 unless they're updated to Windows 7 Service Pack 1.
Windows 8.1 and later natively support TLS 1.2 but may choose not to use it.
Version 9.1.1109.20 of G-Porter and after forces the use of TLS 1.2 and should solve the issue.
You are probably looking at this site after looking at the list of software providers on the HMRC web site. We have the simple cost effective solution that you're looking for.
The new Charities Online service makes it quicker and easier to process Gift Aid claims. The average time between making a submission and receiving the reclaim in the charity account has been reduced from weeks to days. However, the new submission process involves sending the information in a completely different format from that used to date.
I offer two solutions to make the transition as easy as possible without using cumbersome spreadsheets.
Both these solutions contact the Charities Online service directly using the HMRC logon credentials stored in the system.
Under the reclaim process before 2013 the solution to sending large volumes of information to HMRC was to send a CD containing simple comma delimited files in the post along with supporting documentation.
The option to send information in the old format ceased on 30 September 2013. The new direct submission process involves:
The good news is that there a simple cost effective solution. "G-Porter" is a tool that takes a simple comma separated file like the files sent to HMRC in the past. It then cleans the data, rejects any information that cannot be sent and formats a message that it sends to HMRC.
See the "G-Porter" page for more information or just download and run G-Porter against the HMRC test server at no cost. The download includes full documentation and example test files. If you want more information, please use the Contact page and I will do my best to answer any queries.
For charities that are currently not using a database, or would like to migrate to a new solution, I have a complete Gift Aid management system. This is the "Max My Gift" application.
This enables a charity to maintain data for all donations and gifts along with details of donors. It can also produce letters and reports and will submit the reclaim directly to HMRC.
See the "Max My Gift" page for more details.
The above tools are freely available to download and test without any obligation before committing to buying them. G-Porter requires a licence to submit information to the live Charities Online service, but it can be used without a licence to test integration using the Charities Online test server.
MaxMyGift also requires a licence to submit to the Charities Online service, but is otherwise fully functional for a period of 60 days. This should be enough time to get a feel for whether it will meet your requirements.