FT Walton Church Bookkeeping LLC serves as a resource for clients to help analyze the complexity of clergy tax law, church payroll & HR issues. Our professionals are committed to helping clients stay informed about tax news, developments and trends in various specialty areas.
Since long, church bookkeepers have been mistaken for accountants. But they have different responsibilities. They maintain financial records for the church, which include income and expense records. They must keep accurate records of each transaction, including the date and amount. It is their responsibility to keep track and verify the accuracy of accounting procedures. Accountants on the other end perform all tasks of bookkeepers, but also provide accounting, tax planning, financial planning and payroll processing.
Churches can and do get slapped with devastating penalties for classifying and paying a worker with a 1099 ...that the IRS deems should have been classified as an employee.
A Certified Public Accountant with experience in religious and faith-based organizations is more important than ever.
A check register is not reliable for church bookkeeping.
The church bookkeepers are often mistaken with accountants for a long period. They have very different responsibilities. Bookkeepers are responsible for maintaining the financial records of the church. This includes income records and expense records. They are responsible for keeping records of every transaction that the church makes. It is their job to keep track all accounts. They also verify that accounting procedures have been followed correctly. Accounting, on other hand, does all the accounting work and provides auditing and tax planning as well as financial planning, payroll processing and consulting.
Your church's leadership and administrative team will be able focus on the mission of the church, not its bookkeeping.
The IRS may begin a church tax inquiry only if an appropriate high-level Treasury official reasonably believes, based on a written statement of the facts and circumstances, that the organization: (a) may not qualify for the exemption; or (b) may not be paying tax on unrelated business or other taxable activity.
Here is a quick breakdown of some of the most common tasks you will need to accomplish when doing your church bookkeeping.
Enter Income And Expenses. ...
Track Contributions And Prepare Bank Deposits. ...
Pay Bills. ...
Journal Entries. ...
Complete A Bank Reconciliation.
The biblical pattern shows without question that the pastor should be involved in the oversight of the church's finances, however, Scripture also prescribes the attitude and actions of the pastor to avoid disqualification of influence and trust.
In a non-profit organization, such as a church, the board is the bearer of this fiduciary responsibility and therefore should properly oversee all operations, including finances, to protect the members of the church.