Tech Forum Archive

Tithing/Fast Offering Direct Deposit to Church HQ

43 postsstarted by BaDD1981 42,286 viewsoriginal topic

BaDD1981
New Member
#1
I found information online about paying tithing and fast offerings directly to Church Headquarters. I am our ward's financial clerk. Our family personally pays directly to church headquarters. I see differing opinions online as to whether this is allowable for overall church membership. When I called the donations department they said they would welcome other ward members paying directly to church HQ, but, to not broadcast it to the ward.

I see a lot of upside to this method: everything's electronic, less human effort needed, less potential for human error.

I get a monthly emailed report from Church HQ with all my donations. I also have the option to have my donations be visible or not to my local unit.

Does anyone else have any more information on this subject or whether they've had any success in encouraging other "technologically minded" ward members to adopt this method.

Thank you

Church HQ Contact Info:

If you are currently or are interested in paying your tithing through this method, please contact the Church Donations Department by calling 801-240-2554 or emailing donations@ldschurch.org to see if you can continue/start using this method.
russellhltn
Community Administrator
#2
BaDD1981 wrote:When I called the donations department they said they would welcome other ward members paying directly to church HQ, but, to not broadcast it to the ward.
They told you not to broadcast it, but encouraging others is OK?
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
lajackson
Community Moderators
#3
russellhltn wrote:
BaDD1981 wrote:When I called the donations department they said they would welcome other ward members paying directly to church HQ, but, to not broadcast it to the ward.
They told you not to broadcast it, and here you are trying to encourage others?
I believe the Donation Department is willing to establish electronic bill pay for those who ask, but I do not believe they are ready to handle an influx of tens of thousands of members at once requesting the service.

It is available only to members with US funds at United States banking institutions. You cannot donate to the Ward Missionary Fund, but you can donate to almost every other category.

The process requires that the Donation Department set up a member in a database (just as any company payee would give you an account number to pay your mortgage or electric bill). If the member uses a bank that the Church has not worked with, the Donation Department would also need to contact that bank to set up the proper information for receiving the contribution electronically. To the bank, the Church is just another business being paid, but the bank needs the proper account number and information to send the payment to the Church.

The process also requires that the member set up the bill pay payees at their bank exactly according to the instructions so that the contribution will process electronically without human intervention. The Donation Department is inundated with paper checks from banks for members who have not followed the instructions as they should.

When I emailed and said I needed to order new checks and the only reason I needed them was to make contributions to the Church, I specifically said I was more than willing to order the checks and give my donations to the bishopric each Sunday as at present if that was the preferred donation method.

I received an email in return requesting the information the Church needed from me to set up donations using a bank bill pay system.

The email I received says, "You may pass along this form to others but please do not pass along the instructions since they are unique to you."

I submitted the information on Tuesday and it was processed that day by the Donations Department. By return email, I received detailed instruction on how to set up the bill pay payees at my bank. I was specifically told NOT to share that information. It is different for each bank and for each member.

At my bank, I set my first contribution to pay Friday, and the ward clerk showed me the batch report today, two days later, with my contribution. The entire donation processed electronically.

For this program to work properly, the member must contact the Donations Department first, they must make certain everything is set up properly in the database, and then the member must enter the Payee information properly at the bank so that the bank recognizes the Church and will send the payment electronically.

When all that happens, I think the Donation Department is perfectly fine with the process. They gave no indication to me at all that I should do anything else.

The entire setup process was handled by email and they said, "Please let us know if you need any further assistance" all along the way.

I would not announce it in sacrament meeting, and I didn't post the required information here. You would have to IM me for that.

But the process is in place and it works. Just don't everybody ask at once.
lajackson
Community Moderators
#4
BaDD1981 wrote:I also have the option to have my donations be visible or not to my local unit.
This option was not made available to me. I was told, "Your bishop and ward clerk will be able to see your donations and you should attend tithing settlement as normal."
johnshaw
Senior Member
#5
lajackson,

You can request to have the donations visible or not visible, the default provision is to pass the data through to the ward.
“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom.”
― Thomas Paine, Common Sense
lajackson
Community Moderators
#6
johnshaw wrote:You can request to have the donations visible or not visible, the default provision is to pass the data through to the ward.
As I said, I was not given that option. I was specifically told that the "bishop and ward clerk will be able to see your donations."

If the option is available, they are not advertising it.
charles.r.douglas
New Member
#7
This is a great option for paying tithing. I had several members of my ward who were military using this option. I've been doing it for several years now. The only issue you will see (by default) is your donations will not show up on the ward information, so when you go into Tithing settlement you would want to bring the monthly statements the church sends to you that shows you made contributions.
lajackson
Community Moderators
#8
charles.r.douglas wrote:The only issue you will see (by default) is your donations will not show up on the ward information, so when you go into Tithing settlement you would want to bring the monthly statements the church sends to you that shows you made contributions.
This is no longer the default. I was informed that my bishop and clerk would see my donations, and they do.

Each donation I make automatically generates a batch in the local unit MLS just as if my ward had done it. The donations show up on my year to date contribution listing, and the batches show up with an indication that they were generated by Church headquarters based on bill pay.

This may be new. I can see where the feedback to the wards might not have been possible when the system was first set up for exactly the reason you mention, service members serving in areas where they are not able to write checks and pay tithing.

Earlier posters have said they were given the option not to inform the local unit of their donations.

But the default now (and I was not given an option) is that my donations flow back to the local unit and become a part of my donation record in MLS.
johnshaw
Senior Member
#9
charles.r.douglas wrote:The only issue you will see (by default) is your donations will not show up on the ward information, so when you go into Tithing settlement you would want to bring the monthly statements the church sends to you that shows you made contributions.
I've never known this to be a requirement for tithing settlement, there is a question and then there is an answer to the question.
“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom.”
― Thomas Paine, Common Sense
mschaum
New Member
#10
I believe the purpose in bringing your statements to tithing settlement (if that information is not available to your ward) may be so they could give an accurate signed statement to you for tax purposes.
garth.tingey
New Member
#11
I believe the purpose in bringing your statements to tithing settlement (if that information is not available to your ward) may be so they could give an accurate signed statement to you for tax purposes.
I have paid directly to the church headquarters for years and my donations don't show up on any of my wards records (apparently unlike other members of the forum). I have brought my statements from the finance department to tithing settlement in the past - particularly if there is a new bishop - so that I don't get a funny look when I make my tithing declaration when as far as the bishop is aware I have paid $0. Probably not required, but it makes things a little easier.

As for tax purposes, I have always received a signed form from the finance department of the church for the donations paid directly to them. The bishop doesn't sign the form because the unit never handled those funds.
jdlessley
Community Moderators
#12
mschaum wrote:I believe the purpose in bringing your statements to tithing settlement (if that information is not available to your ward) may be so they could give an accurate signed statement to you for tax purposes.
The tax valid statement the unit provides only includes those donations made to that unit. Donations made to other units are included in a tax statement provided by the finance department in a statement sent to the current unit through MLS.The tax statement for these individuals will include donations made to all units, including the current unit. Donations directly to the Church are also included in the statement from the finance department to the current unit through MLS provided the member has not requested the donations be kept private. Donations in kind are provided in a statement from the finance department directly to the individual and not sent through the current unit.

There is no requirement to bring tax statements to tithing settlement. In fact those statements are not provided until January after tithing settlement has occured in the previous year.
JD Lessley
Have you tried finding your answer on the ChurchofJesusChrist.org Help Center or Tech Wiki?
johnshaw
Senior Member
#13
The statements that come from CHQ also provide the official tax statements.
“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom.”
― Thomas Paine, Common Sense
marcytopham
New Member
#14
I don't completely understand the statement from CHQ. The first line says, "The tax valid statement the unit provides only includes those donations made to that unit". That indicates the ward will not see your donations made through direct deposit. That's just the way it is, period. But then it goes on to say, "Donations directly to the Church are also included in the statement from the finance department to the current unit through MLS, provided the member has not requested the donations be kept private." That makes it sound like, yes they are reported back to your unit/ward, but the ward won't be printing it on your receipt. So, does my ward see the amount I donated via direct deposit? I thought all donations made via direct deposit were automatically kept confidential and there wasn't a choice to have it otherwise. (Not that I want it otherwise, I just want to understand.) Also, what does MLS stand for, I'm drawing a blank on that acronym?
eblood66
Senior Member
#15
ladybuglady wrote:I don't completely understand the statement from CHQ. The first line says, "The tax valid statement the unit provides only includes those donations made to that unit". That indicates the ward will not see your donations made through direct deposit. That's just the way it is, period. But then it goes on to say, "Donations directly to the Church are also included in the statement from the finance department to the current unit through MLS, provided the member has not requested the donations be kept private." That makes it sound like, yes they are reported back to your unit/ward, but the ward won't be printing it on your receipt. So, does my ward see the amount I donated via direct deposit? I thought all donations made via direct deposit were automatically kept confidential and there wasn't a choice to have it otherwise. (Not that I want it otherwise, I just want to understand.) Also, what does MLS stand for, I'm drawing a blank on that acronym?
MLS stands for Member and Leader Services. It is the software installed on the computer in the clerk's office that clerks use to handle most of membership and financial administration matters.

There are two different statements involved here. One is the statement printed from the data in MLS. This statement only includes donations made in the unit itself using the MLS software. The other is a PDF file that gets sent from headquarters through the MLS software. This statement is generated at headquarters. MLS is just used as a kind of email system in this case. The clerk simply prints this PDF and distributes the statement. I'm pretty sure these statements already have a signature so the bishop doesn't have to go through and sign them. This statement contains all charitable donations made to any unit or to headquarters. Technically the clerk can look at this statement but I would expect most clerks just print it and put it in an envelope to mail or give to the recipient.

Based on jdlessley's statement (note that jdlessley is not a church representative--he's just another forum member who is relaying what he was told by CHQ--I don't know if he was giving a direct quote or paraphrasing), the second statement will contain direct deposit donations unless you've requested that they be private. It sounds like the option to choose whether they are private or not is recent. jslessley's statement doesn't really address whether direct deposit which was set up some time ago is automatically considered private. Unless he has additional information on that and responds, you may have to contact the finance department to find out.
johnshaw
Senior Member
#16
It sounds like the option to choose whether they are private or not is recent.
It is only after the Church designed their systems to pass-through to MLS (around aug 2013 IIRC) did the online payments become exposed to MLS. The option to keep it private must be executed separately for each individual.
jslessley's statement doesn't really address whether direct deposit which was set up some time ago is automatically considered private. Unless he has additional information on that and responds, you may have to contact the finance department to find out.
Not sure why he needs to address it with further information, but I can testify before all the earth that This is correct, as someone who has been paying this way for almost two decades my statements have never transferred to MLS - They were grandfathered in, meaning that the Church assumed, for those already paying prior to the change, that they be kept private, unless the individual specifically asked that they be transferred to the local unit. This was based on a phone call I made to the Finance Department (I was a stake clerk at the time) regarding my own personal situation, and online conversations with copies of email addressed to others indicating the same thing.
“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom.”
― Thomas Paine, Common Sense
lajackson
Community Moderators
#17
I set up donations directly to Church headquarters using bank bill pay several months ago. I was not given the option to keep them hidden from the local unit. They all began immediately appearing in MLS along with all of the donations I directly handed to a member of the bishopric.

In reading this topic (and others), it appears that those who set up direct payment to the Church some time ago, or who were given the option, do not have those donations included in the regular MLS financial reports. This still appears to be true.

As was mentioned earlier, the Church will send a pdf file to each unit via MLS with statements to print out and give to the members of that unit. The pdf file will include statements prepared for each member who donated to more than one unit during the year, and will include donation information for all of the units to which they donated.

A clerk or the bishop would be able to read those statements. It is more likely that the clerk will read the name and place them into an envelope to give to the member, and the bishop will never see them.
johnshaw
Senior Member
#18
To clarify even more. When you setup your online bill pay and don't want the info to transfer to your local ward you must CALL or email The Church Finance department to opt out.
“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom.”
― Thomas Paine, Common Sense
steele7
Member
#19
BaDD1981 wrote:please contact the Church Donations Department by calling 801-240-2554 or emailing donations@ldschurch.org
So is this the same contact information members should use if they would like to pay using stock? I had a member question me about that and how they do it. I was told they need to do it through HDQs but was wondering if this is the same contact that can help them.
joshuaworkman
New Member
#20
In case anyone is curious, when I signed up a couple months ago to pay tithing via bill pay, the person at Church Donations told me that next year they will be rolling out a payment system through lds.org to simplify the process for people.
aebrown
Community Administrator
#21
steele7 wrote:
BaDD1981 wrote:please contact the Church Donations Department by calling 801-240-2554 or emailing donations@ldschurch.org
So is this the same contact information members should use if they would like to pay using stock? I had a member question me about that and how they do it. I was told they need to do it through HDQs but was wondering if this is the same contact that can help them.
I know that there are specialists for donations in kind, but I'm sure that if you contact the Donations Department you'll quickly be able to get to someone who can help you.
Questions that can benefit the larger community should be asked in a public forum, not a private message.
scottmarcie
New Member
#22
I recently became the Finance Clerk for my ward. The church does not discourage direct payment but they are not making any annoucements. My Bishop has been making donations ddirectly to HQ and told me there is a blog that gives instructions on how to set it up.
lajackson
Community Moderators
#23
scottmarcie wrote:My Bishop . . . told me there is a blog that gives instructions on how to set it up.
If a member is interested in paying tithing and other contributions through bank bill pay, have them send an email to donations@ldschurch.org. The member will receive instructions by return email.

It is important at this point that the member contact the Church first, before trying to set up their bank bill pay to contribute. Each bank is different, and each member uses different information to set up their payment, so a blog would not be able to give accurate instructions in this case.

It may be different and more simple next year, but for now, go with the email first. The process moved very quickly for me and was not difficult, but does require attention to detail.
mevans
Senior Member
#24
I just stumbled across this thread; unfortunately I don't often have time to make it to all the forums. Here are a few comments about some things I've seen in the thread:
  • I've been paying by bill pay for quite some time. For a while I used to receive separate donation statements (one from CHQ and another from my ward). Each statement only reflected what was contributed to that location. Maybe 2 years ago CHQ started sending me a combined donation statement that included what I contributed locally. However, the local unit's donation statement has not (yet?) included the contributions I have made directly to CHQ, nor is this amount shown on the summary the bishop receives at tithing settlement; I don't know if the numbers show in the financial system. This seems to go with someone's observation that those who set it up a while ago don't have it included.
  • A few years ago, someone in the donations department told me they were working on new donation technology. It was nice to see someone mention in this thread that it might see the light of day in 2015.
  • You can only donate to certain categories with the online bill pay. As others have mentioned, you receive specific instructions. In particular, all local donations (ward mission, local fast offerings, "other") must be made to your local unit. Some categories we can donate to have been added over time. Maybe there's a way to pay them with bill pay, but if there is, the donations people have not updated me with instructions. In particular, I haven't received instructions that I can donate to the temple construction or temple patron assistance funds via bill pay.
  • I get an email with a PDF attachment every month from CHQ summarizing my donations.
  • Whereas donations locally are subject to human error, the ones I've sent by bill pay are completely accurate (as long as I send it correctly). Numerous errors in recording local donations where one thing that led me to go will the bill pay solution long ago. When the new system is ready to go, I think it will be a great relief bishopric members, clerks, church members, and CHQ.
lajackson
Community Moderators
#25
mevans wrote:
  • A few years ago, someone in the donations department told me they were working on new donation technology. It was nice to see someone mention in this thread that it might see the light of day in 2015.
I have reason to believe that a totally online system is near completion that will allow a member to go to LDS.org and contribute to the Church by completing a donation form online and identifying a checking or savings account at a U.S. Bank from which the funds will be remitted to Church headquarters by an ACH transfer. The new system will allow contributions in nearly every category, including the Ward Missionary fund.

This post includes a link to an article that explains how the system is anticipated to work, although the system is not yet available for use. Because the help instructions are ready, I suspect that the system is almost ready, although as is noted in the linked post, there is no telling exactly when that will be.
aebrown
Community Administrator
#26
mevans wrote:You can only donate to certain categories with the online bill pay. As others have mentioned, you receive specific instructions.
True.
mevans wrote:In particular, all local donations (ward mission, local fast offerings, "other") must be made to your local unit.
That's correct for Ward Missionary and Other. However, there really is no concept of "local" fast offerings, and hasn't been for many years. There is no connection between the level of fast offering donations in a particular ward/branch or stake and the level of fast offering assistance provided. All donations are swept to CHQ, and all payments are automatically reimbursed. Yes, some wards/stake like to take note of those relative levels, but that is not anything that CHQ asks for or even encourages.

Note also that this may be a difference between the older and newer systems. Because all newer Bill Pay donations are recorded in the local unit as well as at CHQ -- transactions credited to the donor by category are sent to the local MLS system. So even for those units that are trying to track the relative levels of fast offering donations and payments will have all that data locally for members who use Bill Pay and signed up more recently.
mevans wrote:Some categories we can donate to have been added over time. Maybe there's a way to pay them with bill pay, but if there is, the donations people have not updated me with instructions. In particular, I haven't received instructions that I can donate to the temple construction or temple patron assistance funds via bill pay.
I make regular donations to the Temple Patron fund via Bill Pay, so I am certain that it is possible. That option was specifically mentioned in the instructions given to me, but my instructions were more recent than yours. So if you'd like to donate to that category, I'd recommend that you contact the Donations Department for updated instructions.
Questions that can benefit the larger community should be asked in a public forum, not a private message.
gerbmeister
New Member
#27
The end of year form received from CHQ (the PDF document) is signed and is your accurate statement for tax purposes.
drohkar
New Member
#28
How do I pay my tithing online?
russellhltn
Community Administrator
#29
drohkar wrote:How do I pay my tithing online?
https://www.lds.org/donations/
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
drepouille
Senior Member
#30
You can click the Help link on the donations page, which will bring you here:
https://www.lds.org/donations/#/help
Dana Repouille, Plattsmouth, Nebraska
papacleo
New Member
#31
johnshaw wrote:lajackson,

You can request to have the donations visible or not visible, the default provision is to pass the data through to the ward.
lajackson
Community Moderators
#32
papacleo wrote:
johnshaw wrote:lajackson,

You can request to have the donations visible or not visible, the default provision is to pass the data through to the ward.
That is an old quote that may no longer be true.
carchibald20
New Member
#33
I have been paying my tithing online but don't seem to get to the right place today - any special reason?
carchibald20
New Member
#34
I am not interested in "posting" - just want an answer/
russellhltn
Community Administrator
#35
Seems OK to me. https://www.lds.org/donations
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
bd_arent@yahoo.com
New Member
#36
I cannot figure out how to pay our tithing online. It keeps asking me to supply an email account which I already have. What should I do next?
russellhltn
Community Administrator
#37
bd_arent@yahoo.com wrote:I cannot figure out how to pay our tithing online. It keeps asking me to supply an email account which I already have. What should I do next?
Go to ldsaccount.lds.org, go to "Contact Settings" and fill in your email there. Having your email as your user name doesn't meet that requirement.
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
Ricksgrad80s
New Member
#38
Back in the early 1990s I found myself in the awkward position of living in a ward where my brother was the financial clerk. We both worked for the same company, but there was a large difference in our salaries. I didn't want him to know how much I made, since I felt it might cause some envy or resentment.

My bishop called CHQ and received a phone number for me to call. Over the phone they set up an account in my name for record keeping purposes, then gave me the the address at CHQ where I should mail checks with a standard donation slip to pay my tithing. Every January they mailed a receipt of my total donations to my home address. My local ward was never told how much I donated, which avoided any bad feelings that might have resulted if my brother had known my salary.

Even with the online payment system we have today, there's still times when it's best that one's donation data not be shared with his local ward. I haven't needed that option lately, but I certainly hope it's still available.
janicekayr
New Member
#39
Where do I send a check to Church Headquarters for a tithing payment? We have an annuity and this year the entire amount will be used as tithing, and the check is made out to the Corporation of the President. I do not know where to send it, but my clerk says it has to be mailed directly to SLC. I can't find any details or address on where to send this check so it will be applied to our tithing record.
lajackson
Community Moderators
#40
janicekayr wrote:We have an annuity and this year the entire amount will be used as tithing, and the check is made out to the Corporation of the President.
The first set of instructions at the Qualified Charitable Distribution page from Philanthropies covers your situation.
janicekayr
New Member
#41
Thank you. Our check is written out to: Corporation of the President, LDS Church 87 0234341

Do I need to get another check made out to: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints??
lajackson
Community Moderators
#42
janicekayr wrote:Do I need to get another check made out to: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints??
I do not believe so, but if you are concerned, use the phone number or email at the very bottom of the Philanthropies page to inquire. But in my opinion the check you have should work.
janicekayr
New Member
#43
thanks, I will call that number when they are open on Tuesday.