The CASC scheme was first introduced in April 2002 and allows for many amateur sports clubs to register with HMRC thereby benefiting from a range of tax reliefs, including gift aid.

The main conditions necessary for an amateur club to be classified as a CASC are as follows:

• The club must have as its main purpose providing facilities for and promoting participation in one or more eligible sports and at least 50% of members must take part.
• The club must be set up with a formal constitution, known as a governing document.
• The club must be open to the whole community and have affordable membership fees.
• The club must be organised on an amateur basis.
• The club must meet the necessary location requirements.
• The club must meet the necessary management conditions.

CASCs can earn up to £100,000 a year in respect of trading income from non-members and property income. There is no limit on the amount of trading income a CASC can earn from its members (except in relation to the property cap).

A CASC can also benefit from an annual tax exempt threshold of £50,000 for trading profits and £30,000 for property rental income. The list of sports clubs registered with HMRC as a CASC has been updated.

Source: New feed