Atlanta Church Bookkeeping LLC provides assistance to clients in understanding the complexities of clergy tax law, church pay & human resources. Our specialists are committed to keeping our clients abreast of tax news, developments, and trends in various specialties.
The church cannot keep its books organized by keeping a check book.
So why not consider outsourcing? Outsourcing can provide an additional link in internal controls and increase expertise and accuracy for some small- to medium-sized churches. Let's take an in-depth look at each:
You can decide whether you want to pay an independent contractor or an employee if you are unsure.
For a long time, church bookkeepers were confused with accountants. However, they have very different responsibilities. The church's financial records, including income and expense records, are maintained by bookkeepers. They keep track of all transactions and the amounts. They are also responsible for keeping track of all accounts. Accounting professionals, on the other side, do all the work of bookkeepers but also offer auditing, tax planning and financial planning, payroll processing and consulting services.
Every church must deal with finances. Every week, there are offerings and tithes. There are bills to pay, expenses to meet, and often salaries to be paid. It can be overwhelming to keep track of all this. Even if you don't know how to use Excel or distinguish a debit and credit, accounting church software programs can help.
You can find duplicates, missing transactions and bank errors by reconciling your bank and credit card statements.
Churches call the traditional balance sheet a statement of financial position. It uses the accounting equation “Assets = Liabilities + Equity” to show a snapshot of your organization's financial health. It also shows the current balance of each of your funds if you've been implementing fund accounting for your church.
Churches And Transparency
The standards of the Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability require that member organizations provide audited financial statements on request.
Churches and religious nonprofits must maintain highly accurate accounting and bookkeeping records in order to maintain their nonprofit status, budget accurately, and provide reporting to government entities and their parishoners or members.