Gift Aid mistake

On a recent trip to the London Zoo I was asked if I would like my ticket purchase to be considered a donation through Gift Aid. I normally decline because I thought I couldn't as a non-citizen (I'm a USC on a Tier 4 visa, working very part time hours) but they said that since I'm working and have a NIN I qualified. I agreed and gave them my name and address.

Looking at the receipt now, I see that your donation can't be larger than the amount of money you pay in taxes. I'll be making under £10,600 which, apparently, is the max Personal Allowance.

Is there a chance I might get in trouble for Gift Aid-ing an <£30 ticket when I pay £0 in tax? I know it's a fairly small amount but I'll be extending my visa soon and hope to stay after my studies, so I don't want to break any important rules along the way.

I made this mistake once when I was on my tier 4. Nothing happened.

I assume that the organization claiming doesn't get the money. Of course, once I figured out what happened I didn't claim gift aid again until I could.

The charity gets your donation, plus the tax relief at source it reclaims from HMRC.  If you have not paid sufficient tax through withholding to cover the tax relief that the charity will reclaim, you are required to register yourself with HMRC for self-assessment and self-assess the tax liability that you now owe. 

The charity gets your donation, plus the tax relief at source it reclaims from HMRC.  If you have not paid sufficient tax through withholding to cover the tax relief that the charity will reclaim, you are required to register yourself with HMRC for self-assessment and self-assess the tax liability that you now owe. 

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about doing a SA return for a one-off ticket purchase! Just don't make the same mistake again.