How to pay for Missionary Mobile Device from Ward Missionary Funds

We would like to Transfer funds from the ward missionary fund to pay for a missionary's mobile device. How would we go about that? Would we want to use the transfer options in MLS or would it be better to write a check from the ward missionary budget and submit it as a donation with the donation slip specific to the missionary's mobile device payment?

I doubt if that's permitted. Donations to Ward Missionary are tax-deductible. Donations to Missionary Mobile Device are not. To transfer is to run afoul of tax law.

If the missionary/family is unable to pay for it, talk with the Missionary Department. When the program was announced, it was stated that the church had units to loan to missionaries that couldn't pay for them. I've also seen where return missionaries sell off their used device. (Not everyone cares for or has a need for a iPad.)

Your bishop should have information on what to do if a missionary is not able to pay for the mobile device. If he does not, his stake president will.

As russellhltn has said, the transfer of funds from the Ward Missionary Fund to an Other account is not an authorized use of those funds. But there is no need to contact the Missionary Department, unless the stake president has questions.

Looks like we are going to need to contact the Missionary Department because 1) neither the bishop or the stake pres. Know the answer and 2) we wrote a check from the ward missionary account to the missionary's mobile device account which sounds like a no-no and needs to be reversed.

How is the best way to go about doing this?

Brewhaha wrote:How is the best way to go about doing this?

Speak with the Missionary Department, then follow their instructions. If they refer you to Local Unit Support afterward, follow their instructions.

I called Support and asked them what to do. They told me there were 4 options (listed below) for payment of a missionary mobile device.

1. The missionary's family can pay for the device via normal donations.
2. The missionary's family plus others (family members, friends, etc.) can pay for the device via multiple donations
3. If the family (or someone else) can't pay then the ward can give the family sufficient funds from Fast Offerings and have the family immediately turn around and pay for the device via donation.
4. If the family (or someone else) can't pay then the ward can write a check from the Ward Missionary Fund and submit that check as a donation from the ward to the missionary's Other: Mobile Device fund.

So the tax problems mentioned above don't seem to prevent us from doing what we did (#4). Thank goodness.

Brewhaha wrote:If the family (or someone else) can't pay then the ward can write a check from the Ward Missionary Fund and submit that check as a donation from the ward to the missionary's Other: Mobile Device fund.

I wonder if that's official, or if that's an error on the part of the LUS rep?

russellhltn wrote:I wonder if that's official, or if that's an error on the part of the LUS rep?

It's probably from a script. Too bad the rep I called couldn't find that option.