Paying Tithing Using LDS Online Donations

For years now we’ve been using BPAY in Australia to pay tithing. Was very quick and simple and allowed money to be transferred from my account immediately. We’ve been notified that BPAY will be discontinued and we have to start using donations.lds.org to pay our tithing.

Personally, I find this way of paying tithing challenging. I submit a donation online and it’s sometimes taken a week for the payment to be processed. We’ve been counseled to always pay our tithing first yet I feel like the system doesn’t make this possible. I’m stuck having to wait for donations to be processed with my bank and in some cases I have a flood of bills come through during the week and then there isn’t enough funds left in my account to have my donation processed.

I’m really hoping there is a faster and easier way to processing online donations...

deano27xx wrote:I’m really hoping there is a faster and easier way to processing online donations...

The Church credits you with having made the donation on the day you submit the donation for processing. That is about as fast as it gets, in my opinion.

Now I can see where there may be some confusion because the amount does not immediately come out of a bank account. But that just means that person is managing the bank account based on the actual reported bank balance instead of keeping track of pending charges that have been authorized to be paid by the account. Even many electronic payments do not immediately get charged to an account.

I am old enough to remember needing to keep a ledger of checks I had written, because at some point they were going to be presented to the bank and taken out of my account. I would never dream of writing a mortgage check, mailing it, and then spending the money because the check has not cleared the account. I deducted the amount of the payment from my bank ledger and did not spend the money again.

That seems to me to be a pretty basic accounting responsibility for anyone using a bank account. Even in today's electronic age, there are many transactions that take a few days to process and do not immediately come out of an account. It would be no different than if you set a bank bill pay payment to take place a week or so later. You wouldn't spend the money again just because it wasn't going to come out of your account until a number of days in the future.

But as for when you have paid your tithing using the Church site, you have paid when you submit, as long as you do not spend the money again for something else while the Church is processing the actual transaction through the bank clearing house system (ACH in the U.S., and probably something similar in Australia). It is no different than writing a check.

I am with you!
I am beyond frustrated right now.
Paying via Bpay was so much easier and the funds left your bank account immediately!

Now you have to wait for the church to take it out which could take 2-3 or more days.

Cheques are not a big thing here (in Australia) like they are in the USA .. only business' use them, people don't use them for personal use.

My pay was always the same, so with Bpay I could set it up to come out each fortnight when my pay came in and I didn't have to 'remember' to pay it, it just came out ... now I have to physically go and pay it each fortnight and then wait for a few days for the money to come out - this new way needs to be instant like Bpay was!

tadams1977 wrote:I am with you!
I am beyond frustrated right now.
Paying via Bpay was so much easier and the funds left your bank account immediately!

Now you have to wait for the church to take it out which could take 2-3 or more days.

Cheques are not a big thing here (in Australia) like they are in the USA .. only business' use them, people don't use them for personal use.

My pay was always the same, so with Bpay I could set it up to come out each fortnight when my pay came in and I didn't have to 'remember' to pay it, it just came out ... now I have to physically go and pay it each fortnight and then wait for a few days for the money to come out - this new way needs to be instant like Bpay was!

None of the decision makers visit this user-to-user help forum. If you want your request/concern to be considered, you need to provide feedback on the page where you donate online. You will likely not receive an individualized response, but others on the forum closer to this than I am have provided assurance that every feedback is read and passed to those who consider the priorities of the programmers.

I totally agree too. This is my 2nd time using it.
It takes time to sign in. Send it off, then wait for a few days for it to go out.
Its simple, but not the processing part of it. ( my took at least 4 days even when banking on Monday)
I think the fastest way is to pay via bishop? But still not quite convenient as bpay.
It’s a bit frustrating to be honest, BPay was so much quicker, withdrew from your account instantly. (Which is what I prefer, instantly)
Sometimes i used to pay via bpay on the weekend, due to hubby working Saturdays, and I had no problem it been withdrawn immediately.
I hope they reconsider tithe paying for us in Australia.

Hi, I’m from Nz. I’m quite disappointed with the new online donations system that the church has in place. It was quite the task trying to set it up for my elderly in-laws as they can barely remember usernames or passwords to actually get onto their lds accounts. Also, there is no option to delete an account or reuse and amount I’ve made in the past? I’ve looked up FAQ and these options are meant to be available. Can someone please help? I’m quite frustrated with the whole thing quite frankly. Now I’m having to go into the bank today to see if I can open a second chequing account for our donations only as the delay in clearing the funds is so slow. Can we please go back to the old way of doing it via our own bank AP’s?

EllyCooper wrote:Hi, I’m from Nz. I’m quite disappointed with the new online donations system that the church has in place. It was quite the task trying to set it up for my elderly in-laws as they can barely remember usernames or passwords to actually get onto their lds accounts. Also, there is no option to delete an account or reuse and amount I’ve made in the past? I’ve looked up FAQ and these options are meant to be available. Can someone please help? I’m quite frustrated with the whole thing quite frankly. Now I’m having to go into the bank today to see if I can open a second chequing account for our donations only as the delay in clearing the funds is so slow. Can we please go back to the old way of doing it via our own bank AP’s?

You might ask your clerk for assistance. Perhaps your clerk can explain the nuances in the NZ system that will make sense.

I am in the USA so can't speak for what you see in NZ, but I have accounts in two different institutions saved so I can choose from either for my online donations. It is very easy on the US system to add a new account (or delete an old one) and the accounts added are available to choose from for a future donation. I can select any recent donation and "reuse" it (I don't know how far back I can go to reuse a prior donation, but at least several of the most recent). I can reuse a prior donation and then make any changes I want (including the account used) before submitting it.

I understand the challenge for some in remembering user names and passwords, but when dealing with financial information that is not a trivial matter. Passwords can be changed if the ones they have are too difficult.

How do i get to the donation form to make donations. It seems like it is a different route every month

That's one way. Another is to go to the main page at churchofjesuschrist.org, go to "my account and ward". If you're on a big screen, it will be in the upper right. On a small screen, you have to touch the "three bar" icon on the left.

From there, select "donations".

keep it simple! What happened to just having the old donation form available online to fill out? Good night! Why make it complicated?

workj wrote:keep it simple! What happened to just having the old donation form available online to fill out? Good night! Why make it complicated?

That's exactly what it is right now (at least in the US). Perhaps I don't understand your comment because when I go to online donations, I see the old donation form with blanks to fill it out just like the paper version.

workj wrote:What happened to just having the old donation form available online to fill out?

Are you seeing something besides the old donation form? That's what I see. It even has the holes at the top, and it turns yellow when you submit the donation.

do we have to start paying with paper checks again? what is going on? Please talk to us, we are over 70 years old and not computer gurus, what do we have to do?

mtcottage2 wrote:do we have to start paying with paper checks again? what is going on? Please talk to us, we are over 70 years old and not computer gurus, what do we have to do?

I recommend you speak with your ward/branch clerk about your specific circumstances. You can still pay using the old method of putting cash/check in an envelope and giving it to a bishopric member. Your clerk can assist you with the process to doing it online if you would prefer. No one who visits this user-to-user help forum knows your specific situation and will be able to help you other than very general advice. Your clerk is in a position to provide you the individualized help you desire.

mtcottage2 wrote:do we have to start paying with paper checks again? what is going on? Please talk to us, we are over 70 years old and not computer gurus, what do we have to do?

It sounds like you had it and then you lost it. At this point I agree that it wise to find someone local who can help you out.

I want to pay my tithing
My usual way on line

I cannot pay my tithing where can I get in to pay

Online donations is not available in every country. Your ward clerk will be able to tell you if it is available in your area and provide any assistance you need to set up your account for donations.
If it is active in your country it is available in the menu at My Account and Ward on the https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org home page. Click on Donations found in the middle column titled My Ward.

Hello! from Australia,

Why was b/pay removed from the system that worked really well for people? The payments were immediately done, and one did not have to wait 4-5 days to have the donation taken from their account? Can this donation system be returned to all people? As some people may not have access to any technology, let a lone a place of worship.
Please! Consider all Heavenly Father`s children, as I read reviews sent to this site.
Thank you.

Why was b/pay removed from the system that worked really well for people?

As this is a user-to-user forum, you likely won't get any authoritative response from forum members. We generally help each other figure things out where possible, but we're (almost all of us) just members like yourself, and all the time we wonder ourselves why different changes are happening. But perhaps somebody here does have info, we'll see if anyone responds

I'd think that you might try using the local leadership chain there in Australia. It sounds like there might be a number of members there who previously used this system (including Bishops, Stake Presidents and Area Authorities who also pay tithing), and if there's feedback from all of you through your leaders, that might have a better chance of (a) determining why this change happened, and (b) seeing if either there's an alternative or if there's a possibility of getting it returned.

Hello!
Thank you for your response. I will help this good person with their inquiry , through their Ward bishop.
Appreciate your time and effort. Have a nice day.

Why won’t this let me go to the page to pay my tithing

3dogsnight wrote: Sun Feb 13, 2022 5:32 pm Why won’t this let me go to the page to pay my tithing

You'll need to provide further information. Describe what you tried and any messages you may have received or what happened when links or buttons were clicked.

jdlessley wrote: Sun Feb 13, 2022 6:08 pm

3dogsnight wrote: Sun Feb 13, 2022 5:32 pm Why won’t this let me go to the page to pay my tithing

You'll need to provide further information. Describe what you tried and any messages you may have received or what happened when links or buttons were clicked.

And what country you're in. Online donations are not available in all countries.

I have had to change my account number due to theft from old account. Somehow got mixed up and it says new account deleted

NanK wrote: Wed Dec 27, 2023 10:31 am I have had to change my account number

The process expects that you will Add a new Donation Account in the Settings section with the required new bank and account information. Then you will select that account for your donations. Finally, you will delete the old Donation Account.

There is not a way to change the information on an existing Donation Account. Just enter the new information as a new account and then delete the old one that will no longer be used.

Online donation slip

Donations form

DonPEmmett wrote: Sat Feb 10, 2024 11:06 am Donations form

lpate91960 wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 5:07 pm Online donation slip

The donation form is available at the online donation site.