Have you got shares that you could invest in the future of homeless young people?

Are you one of the thousands of people who own shares, perhaps from an inheritance, company privatisation or take-over? You may not have thought to do anything with them, for fear of generating more paperwork than income.

Now you can put those shares to good use by donating them to Centrepoint – we will accept all donations of shares, whatever the size.

How do I do it?

There are four simple steps to donating shares:

1. Transfer the gift of shares to Centrepoint;*
2. Keep evidence of the gift, the date it was made and Centrepoint’s acceptance;
3. Claim the appropriate tax relief;
4. Be aware that if you receive any benefit as a result of making the gift of shares, as this will reduce your tax relief.

*What you do with your shares depends on whether you have an actual share certificate, or whether your shares are held in a nominee account.

If you hold a share certificate:
Contact the company's registrar. Their details can be found on your share certificate, dividend vouchers, the company's annual report, or their website. The company's registrar will provide a stock transfer form for you to complete and return to them.

It is important that you keep a copy of this form. It is your evidence to the Inland Revenue concerning the date of the gift. The company registrar will then issue a new certificate to Centrepoint.

If your shares are held in a nominee account:
Ask your broker to transfer the shares for you. The broker might charge you for this service, but you should be able to get tax relief on this as well as the value of the shares. 

You can claim relief by:

• Completing the appropriate section of your Self Assessment form; or
• Requesting that your PAYE code is amended for the current tax year; or
• Requesting that your Self Assessment Payments on Account are reduced.

If you are not sent a Self Assessment return at the end of the tax year, or if you want to claim relief before the end of the current tax year, you should write to your Tax office, giving full details of the gift, in order to claim the relief.

If you would like further information or if the Company Registrar requires memoradum and articles of association, please email the This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or call our Donation Line on 0800 23 23 20.