Missionary donations

I have a question that arises more out of curiosity than a clerical need, but I figure someone here might know and it might be useful for someone looking for information in the future. The Missionary Handbook (2006) states the following:

You are not expected to pay tithing on funds you receive for your mission. You should pay tithing through your home ward on any other income. Contribute fast offerings each fast Sunday in the ward where you serve.

If missionaries receive income in, say Euros, but their home ward is in a country that uses Dollars, how does paying tithing to the home ward work? Do they have to calculate the conversion rates and convert their euros to dollars before sending it home to be entered? Or do they just pay to their mission ward in that situation?

How does an average 18 or 19-year-old missionary have any personal "income" during full-time missionary service? It seems like it would be rare enough that I'll let the few who have this problem figure it out but I'm not going to lose any sleep worrying.

Depending on your interpretation of income (which is not defined specifically in official church sources, to allow each his own interpretation according to the Spirit), it could be money received for your birthday from family members, or interest accrued in a bank account, or money you find on the side of the road. Any of those could be interpreted as income by a missionary... If it were not possible to have income as a missionary, it wouldn't be mentioned in the handbook

mrrad wrote:How does an average 18 or 19-year-old missionary have any personal "income" during full-time missionary service? It seems like it would be rare enough that I'll let the few who have this problem figure it out but I'm not going to lose any sleep worrying.

Websites, Apps they develop, partnerships in family businesses, trust funds, there's all sorts of reasons....

The individual figures out how much to pay and pays to their home ward (because that is where their membership records are located).

If a missionary earns money on his mission as johnshaw indicated above, it would all go to his parents house in his home ward. The easiest thing to do would be to deposit it in the missionary's bank account and let him figure it out when he gets home. The last thing he needs to worry about on his mission is his trust fund.

Second, if he receives 10 euros from a ward member for his birthday, I would tell him to keep track of it in a ledger in his journal, spend the money where he wants, and pay tithing on it when he gets home....

... out of his trust fund.

We need to remember not to over-regulate these things. Missionaries can work with their parents or other trusted folks back home if they need to figure these things out.

Missionaries with income still need to fill out Tax Returns, Sign up for classes at BYU, etc... life still happens even on a mission, they have time to make sure tithing is going to the right place without causing too much distraction from their work.

You mean I should quit working my my "missionary income app" they can load on their newly issued i pads?

sbradshaw wrote:Depending on your interpretation of income

There seems to be a fair amount of interpretation required - not only what is income but what is "for your mission". I'd suggest it's between the missionary and his mission president. We just process the donation.

sbradshaw wrote:If missionaries receive income in, say Euros, but their home ward is in a country that uses Dollars, how does paying tithing to the home ward work? Do they have to calculate the conversion rates and convert their euros to dollars before sending it home to be entered? Or do they just pay to their mission ward in that situation?

Since the money is being sent to the home ward that uses dollars the money would have to be converted into dollars and then sent. This conversion should come after they calculated what 10% of the euros received is. You would not convert the whole amount to dollars and then pay 10% on the dollar conversion, although I guess you could if you wanted to.