In this guide · 8 sections
Short answer
For most small charities, start with Giving.sg monthly giving (1.8% plus GST) for simplicity, add card subscriptions through Stripe or HitPay on your own site for control, and offer GIRO for donors who prefer bank debits. IPCs must collect NRIC, FIN or UEN and send records to IRAS by 31 January.
Three ways to take monthly donations
If you have not yet set up any online giving, read our charity donation website guide first. This page focuses on the recurring part.
Giving.sg monthly giving
Simplest1.8% + GST
- Donors manage or cancel recurring gifts themselves
- Tax deduction details collected on the platform
- No payment account to set up
- Donor relationship sits partly with the platform
Best for: Small charities starting monthly giving.
Card subscriptions on your site
Most controlAbout 2.8% to 3.4% + S$0.50
- Your branding and your donor list
- Automatic retries and card updates
- You collect NRIC/FIN/UEN yourself
- Needs set-up and some upkeep
Best for: Charities with an active website and newsletter.
GIRO direct debit
Low failure rateBank charges vary
- Debits the donor's bank account each month
- No card expiry problems
- Paper forms are slow; eGIRO where available
- Bank arrangement needed as a billing organisation
Best for: Older donors and fixed monthly pledges.
Fees compared on a S$50 monthly donation
Fees come from each provider's published pricing: Giving.sg's FAQ, Stripe Singapore pricing and HitPay pricing.
- Giving.sg (1.8% + 9% GST on the fee)Per S$50 giftAbout S$0.98
- HitPay card (2.8% + S$0.50)Domestic online cardsS$1.90
- Stripe card (3.4% + S$0.50)Domestic cardsS$2.20
- GIROSet by your bank's billing organisation termsAsk your bank
Yearly fee on S$600 of giftsAbout S$12 to S$26 per donor
Approximate, as of October 2026. Card fees exclude any subscription tool fees. International cards cost more.
Fees are only part of the comparison. A platform that keeps more donors giving for longer, through easy card updates and good reminders, can be worth a higher fee.
Setting up card subscriptions for monthly giving
Create donation plans
Set up monthly amounts such as S$20, S$50 and S$100 plus a custom amount, in Stripe Billing or HitPay recurring billing.
Build the sign-up page
Ask for name, email, amount and, for IPCs, whether the donor wants a tax deduction and their NRIC, FIN or UEN. Make the ID field optional for donors who do not need a deduction.
Get clear consent for recurring charges
State the amount, that it repeats monthly, the charge date and how to cancel, next to the pay button and in the confirmation email.
Give donors a self-service portal
Let donors update their card, change the amount or cancel without emailing you. Stripe's customer portal does this.
Connect records to your donor list
Send each successful payment to your donor database or spreadsheet, with the tax deduction details IPCs need for IRAS.
PayNow is a push payment, so it does not work for automatic monthly pulls in the same way as cards or GIRO. Offer it for one-off gifts and use cards or GIRO for monthly pledges.
GIRO for recurring donations
The Association of Banks in Singapore describes GIRO as an electronic direct debit set up in 1984, a tripartite arrangement between billing organisations, customers and banks, especially useful for regular payments of a fixed amount. Its eGIRO page notes that paper applications take an average of 3 weeks to set up, and eGIRO moves the authorisation online.
For a charity, that means arranging with your bank to act as a billing organisation, collecting direct debit authorisations from donors and submitting a debit file each month. It suits charities with many long-term pledgers who prefer not to use cards. For a handful of donors, the admin rarely pays off.
Tax deduction records for IPCs
IRAS's donations and tax deductions page says donors get deductions of up to 2.5 times the qualifying amount when they give to an approved IPC. Deductions appear automatically in the donor's tax assessment based on information the IPC sends; IRAS does not accept claims based on receipts.
IPC records for monthly donations
IRAS's submission page says IPCs must submit all tax-deductible donation records received in the previous calendar year by 31 January each year. Giving.sg collects these details on its platform for donations made there.
Donor data and failed payments
NRIC numbers, bank details and giving history are sensitive. Keep them in your payment platform and a secure donor database, not in spreadsheets emailed between volunteers, and limit access to the staff who prepare IRAS submissions. This is general information, not legal advice.
A good failed-payment flow
- Automatic retries over several days
- Email with a one-click card update link
- A personal thank-you when they update
- Pause option instead of cancel
What loses donors
- No retries; the pledge just stops
- Generic payment failed emails with no link
- Asking donors to fill in a new form
- No one checking failed payments monthly
Our failed payments and dunning guide explains retry schedules and email wording.
Do it yourself or get help?
Giving.sg monthly giving needs no technical set-up. Card subscriptions on your own site need plans, a sign-up page, a portal and IPC record keeping that all line up.
Our Subscriptions & Recurring Billing (S$490) sets up plans and prices in Stripe, a sign-up page or payment links, a customer portal and failed-payment retries with reminder emails. Online Payment Setup (S$290) adds PayNow and card payments for one-off gifts on your website.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Giving.sg's FAQ explains how donors manage or cancel monthly recurring donations from the My Activities page. Charities pay a fee of 1.8% of the donation amount plus prevailing GST, which Giving.sg says covers bank charges and site maintenance. Tax deduction details can be provided on the platform.
As of October 2026, Stripe's Singapore pricing page lists 3.4% plus S$0.50 per successful transaction for domestic cards, with higher rates for international cards. Stripe Billing features for subscriptions may add a separate fee. Check Stripe's page for current rates and any nonprofit pricing before you start.
Not automatically in the way cards and GIRO work. PayNow is a push payment, so the donor has to initiate each transfer. You can remind PayNow donors monthly, but for reliable recurring income, offer card subscriptions or GIRO direct debit, and keep PayNow for one-off gifts.
No. For donations to approved IPCs, IRAS automatically reflects deductions in the donor's tax assessment based on records submitted by the IPC, and does not accept claims based on receipts. Donors must give their NRIC, FIN or UEN, and the IPC must submit the previous year's records by 31 January.
Only if you have many donors pledging fixed monthly amounts who prefer bank debits. GIRO avoids card expiry problems, but you need a bank arrangement as a billing organisation, and paper authorisations take about three weeks. For a small donor base, card subscriptions or Giving.sg are usually simpler.