Every surplus
has a purpose.
We find it.

No. NGO access is free — always, with no time limit and no feature restrictions. sur.plus is funded by the corporate side; NGOs are the reason the platform exists, not a revenue source. If an NGO benefits from sur.plus and has the means to give something back, we welcome a voluntary KOHA contribution (the Māori principle of giving without expectation). Suggested €20/month, 100% of which goes directly into the Impact Pledge pool. But there is no paywall, no tier, no pressure.

In at least 12 EU member states, donating surplus goods to NGOs triggers VAT liability — making disposal cheaper than giving. The most affected countries include:

• Germany — §3 Abs. 1b UStG treats in-kind donations as taxable supplies
• Austria — near-identical rule to Germany
• Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia — no general exemption for in-kind donations
• Belgium — taxable unless food-related
• Portugal, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria — very limited exemptions

sur.plus is structured to facilitate in-kind donations compliantly across Europe. We also campaign actively for EU-level reform — sign our petition.

sur.plus commits to a dynamic impact contribution model: a base commitment of 3–5% of net revenues, with the potential to scale up to 10% based on quarterly profitability and margin profile. This structure ensures long-term sustainability of the business while maintaining a strong and credible impact commitment. The three uses of the pool are: (1) NGO Emergency Fund — direct support for NGOs with urgent needs and no matching partner yet; (2) Surplus Rescue Grants — covering transport costs when logistics would otherwise prevent a match; (3) Independent Impact Audit — external academic verification of our impact data so “100% audit-ready” is never just a claim. The exact quarterly contribution rate and full breakdown are published publicly each quarter.

All plans are billed monthly via Stripe — the same infrastructure trusted by Shopify, Notion and thousands of B2B SaaS companies. You can pay by credit card or SEPA direct debit. No annual commitment, no hidden fees. Invoices are generated automatically and include your impact metrics for the billing period, so they double as a compliance-ready record.

Yes to both — any time, with no penalty. Plan upgrades (e.g. Seed → Tree) take effect immediately. Downgrades or cancellations take effect at the end of the current billing period. Your impact data and reports remain accessible for 30 days after cancellation, and you can export everything before then. There is no lock-in by design.

Yes. If your organisation operates across multiple sites, divisions or subsidiaries, we offer consolidated enterprise pricing. Each location can have its own surplus listings and NGO matches, all reporting into a single group-level impact dashboard. Chat with us about group pricing →

Yes — sur.plus falls under the minimal to limited risk category of the EU AI Act and is not classified as high-risk AI (Annex III). High-risk systems include AI used in credit scoring, hiring decisions, or critical infrastructure — surplus matching is none of these.

As a deployer (not a provider) of general-purpose AI models, sur.plus benefits from significantly lighter obligations than AI model developers. In practice, this means:

• Transparency (Art. 50) — users are informed when AI is involved in match recommendations
• No autonomous decisions — all matches are recommendations; humans confirm every donation
• CSRD documentation — framed as decision-support, not automated assessment
• Full compliance timeline — AI Act obligations phase in through August 2026; sur.plus is structured to be ready

For Enterprise customers requiring formal AI Act documentation, sur.plus can provide a deployer compliance summary on request.

sur.plus is built and operated within the EU. All data is stored and processed within the EU. We comply with GDPR (EU 2016/679), apply data minimisation principles, and never share data with third parties without explicit consent. If you cancel, your data remains accessible for 30 days for export. After that, all personal and company data is permanently deleted on request. We do not sell, rent or use your surplus data for any purpose outside the platform.

sur.plus operates across Europe and beyond — EU member states, the UK, Norway, Switzerland, and as we expand, Global South markets. Cross-border shipments within the EU are straightforward — no customs declarations required for intra-EU transfers.

For non-EU countries (UK, Switzerland, Norway, and globally), customs declarations are required on both sides. The principles are similar regardless of country:

Non-EU shipments (UK, Switzerland, Norway and beyond): These countries are third countries for EU customs purposes. Shipments require declarations in both directions. Key points:

• UK imports: UK Global Tariff applies; simplified procedures available for humanitarian shipments under HMRC charitable relief provisions
• EU imports from UK: EU customs law applies; NGOs with recognised charitable status may qualify for duty relief
• sur.plus provides all documentation needed for customs filing: item description, declared value, recipient details and donation certificate

Our recommendation: For cross-border shipments involving the UK or non-EU countries, work with a specialist freight forwarder. DHL GoGreen, Flexport and DSV all offer end-to-end customs handling for humanitarian shipments. We are happy to connect you with the right logistics partner — reach us on WhatsApp.

sur.plus is not a customs broker or legal advisor. Always confirm specific customs treatment with your logistics partner or legal counsel.

sur.plus does not run its own logistics. In most cases, the donating company arranges and covers transport — this is typically still cheaper than commercial disposal, and the cost is offset by savings on storage and disposal fees. We provide guidance on suitable carriers and, for Tree plan customers, can facilitate introductions to partners offering preferential rates for surplus transport. For very local matches (same city or region), NGOs often arrange collection themselves. Transport costs can in some cases be covered by our Surplus Rescue Grant pool for matches that would otherwise not happen.

We are not tax advisors — please consult your tax counsel for your specific situation and jurisdiction. That said, here is what is commonly used in practice across markets:

Common donation structures:
• Fully depreciated goods — items with a book value of zero can often be donated without triggering VAT.
• Permanent loan (Dauerleihgabe) — company retains ownership, NGO has full use. Avoids VAT on ownership transfer.
• Structured via sur.plus — sur.plus is built to facilitate in-kind donations compliantly across EU member states, addressing the VAT complications that make disposal cheaper than giving.

Tax deduction on donations:
In many EU countries, documented in-kind donations to registered NGOs are tax-deductible — up to 20% of annual profit in Germany (§9 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 KStG). sur.plus generates a pre-filled (donation certificate) automatically after every match. The NGO confirms it digitally via one click — the signed document lands in your dashboard, ready for your tax advisor. This applies similarly in Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and other EU markets. Specific limits and conditions vary by country.

Countries where VAT on in-kind donations is a known challenge:
• Germany — §3 Abs. 1b UStG: donations treated as taxable supplies if input VAT was previously deducted
• Austria — near-identical rule to Germany
• Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia — no general exemption for in-kind donations
• Belgium — taxable unless food-related
• Portugal, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria — very limited exemptions

Countries with more straightforward frameworks: France, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark — general NGO donation exemptions exist.

We actively campaign for EU-level reform of this structural barrier. Sign our petition →

All NGOs go through a structured verification before going live: (1) Legal entity check — charity registration, EU VAT or equivalent nonprofit status; (2) Needs assessment — documented resource requirements and organisational capacity; (3) Geographic and category alignment — ensuring the NGO can realistically receive and use the surplus matched to it. Verification takes 3–5 business days. NGOs are re-verified annually. Corporate customers can view the verification status and full profile of every matched NGO at any time.

Yes — as a Founding Member. The 10 founding member slots include a personal onboarding, direct access to the team, and a custom impact report before any subscription starts. No fixed timelines, no artificial limits. If you want to see sur.plus work for your specific surplus before committing, that’s exactly what the Founding Member programme is for. Apply as Founding Member →