Church bookkeepers have for a long time been confused with accountants. They, however, carry very different responsibilities. Bookkeepers maintain the financial records of the church that includes income and expense records. They are supposed to keep records of the dates and amount of every transaction of the church. It is also their task to keep track of all accounts and are the ones who verify the accuracy of the procedures used in the accounting processes. Accountants, on the other hand, perform all the tasks of bookkeepers and also provide auditing, tax planning, financial planning, payroll processing, and consulting services.
Laying all that aside....another important reason for keeping books...is to make good financial decisions. You need to be able to pull up a report and see that you are spending more on expenses than you were in prior years.
The tip to avoid this church bookkeeping error is to thoroughly look at each individual you are paying for a service they do for the church and using the IRS guidelines (link in the Misclassification article) to determine if they should be classified as an employee with all proper payroll tax withholding and matching or could be classified as an independent contractor.
There are ways to avoid making mistakes in church bookkeeping.
Would you like the youth director able to add expenses directly to your accounting program but not want her to have access payroll information? FT Walton Church Bookkeeping LLC provides all the services you need.
While you can focus on the community and growing your business, we will help with accounting functions. We'll make it easy for you to keep your financial records accurate and current.
FT Walton Church Bookkeeping LLC is able to help you prevent fraud and reduce other financial risks that could potentially affect your church or nonprofit. There are many stories about charities and other 501c3 organizations misusing funds. To help protect your organization, we will keep an eye on your books.
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.