Batch and combined Section 18A certificates¶
In short: A batch certificate puts several of one donor's donations onto a single Section 18A certificate. Select the receipts, open Generate Batch Certificate, check the combined amount and date range, and click Issue Batch Certificate. All donations must fall within one tax year (1 March – end of February).
Overview¶
A batch (or combined) Section 18A certificate puts several of a donor's qualifying donations onto a single tax certificate, instead of one certificate per donation. This is the usual way to certificate a donor who gave many times during the year — for example monthly debit orders — so they receive one certificate covering the whole tax year.
This article covers combining one donor's donations onto a single certificate. To issue certificates for many donors at once for a tax year (a background job that lands in Batch History), see Bulk-issuing Section 18A certificates for a whole tax year.
Before you start¶
You'll need:
- The Manage Certificates permission.
- Receipts on a Section 18A project that aren't already certificated.
- For a combined certificate, all donations within one tax year (1 March to end of February). ActiveDonor warns you if they aren't.
- Your PBO number set, or the certificate is marked invalid (see Section 18A eligibility and required donor tax details).
Combining several donations for one donor¶
Step 1: Select the donations¶
Open the donor and select the donations (receipts) you want to combine, or start a certificate for a tax year so ActiveDonor gathers that donor's uncertificated Section 18A receipts for the period.
Step 2: Review the combined certificate¶
ActiveDonor opens the modal titled Generate Batch Certificate for N Receipts (where N is how many donations are selected). Check that:
- The combined amount is the sum of the selected donations.
- The donation date shows the range from the earliest to the latest donation.
⚠️ Important: If any selected donation falls in a different financial year, an Invalid Date Range warning appears: "Batch certificates should only contain donations received within one financial year." Remove the out-of-year donations and issue them on a separate certificate.
Step 3: Check the donor and donation details¶
Check the donor and donation details as you would for a single certificate — see Issuing a single Section 18A certificate (the same donor/donation fields apply).
Step 4: Issue¶
Click Issue Batch Certificate for N Receipts. ActiveDonor assigns one certificate number, attaches all the selected receipts to it, generates one PDF, and opens the certificate page.
Why one financial year matters¶
SARS reports donations by tax year. A certificate that mixed donations from two tax years couldn't be reconciled cleanly against the IT3(d) file, so ActiveDonor keeps each batch certificate within a single 1 March–end-of-February year. Issue one batch certificate per donor per tax year.
Bulk issuing for a whole tax year¶
To certificate many donors at once for a tax year — a background job from 18A Management → Pending Certificates that lands in Batch History — see Bulk-issuing Section 18A certificates for a whole tax year.
Field reference (batch modal)¶
| Item | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Generate Batch Certificate for N Receipts | Modal title; N is the number of donations being combined. |
| Amount | The total of all selected donations. |
| Donation date | The range from earliest to latest selected donation. |
| Invalid Date Range warning | Shown when selected donations span more than one financial year. |
| Issue Batch Certificate for N Receipts | The button that creates the combined certificate. |
Common issues & solutions¶
| What you see | What it means | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| "Batch certificates should only contain donations received within one financial year." | Your selection spans two tax years. | Remove the donations outside the year and issue them separately. |
FAQ¶
Can I put a donor's whole year of debit orders on one certificate? Yes — that's exactly what a batch certificate is for, as long as all the donations fall in the same 1 March–end-February tax year. See How do I issue one Section 18A certificate for all of a donor's donations in a year? for the steps.
What if a donor gave across two tax years? Issue one batch certificate per tax year. ActiveDonor blocks mixing years with the Invalid Date Range warning.
How do I certificate everyone for the year in one go? That's bulk issuing across many donors — see Bulk-issuing Section 18A certificates for a whole tax year (18A Management → Pending Certificates, choose the tax period, and the job runs in the background).
Related¶
- How do I issue one Section 18A certificate for all of a donor's donations in a year?
- Bulk-issuing Section 18A certificates for a whole tax year
- Issuing a single Section 18A certificate
- Section 18A eligibility and required donor tax details
- Refreshing a certificate and removing SAMPLE text
- Regenerating certificates after changing details
- Generating the IT3(d) file for SARS
- Section 18A issued and revoked reports