Q&A: How Can Churches Get Staff to Turn Credit Card Receipts?

Why one church has only one credit card.

Church business administrators are sometimes given the responsibility of asking pastors or other church staff for receipts from purchases for the church that they made on church credit cards. Some have found that using phone apps has helped, but what have you found to be the most helpful?

We are a church of about 200, so what works for us may not work for a larger church, but we keep it very simple—only I, the church business administrator, have a credit card. We do allow people to make purchases on their own credit cards, and then I will reimburse their expenses. This assumes that they either have a budget for the expense or that they check with me first before spending the money.

In accordance with our accountable reimbursement plan, we require a receipt for their purchases before approving the reimbursement. I do encourage people to have me place their orders, especially for large purchases, and over time more people have begun to do this. Very importantly, all my charges on the church credit card are governed by our accountable reimbursement plan, too, and must be supported by receipts, and the charges are approved by someone other than me before the monthly statement is paid.

These procedures work very well for us for the following reasons:

  • They simplify my accounting.
  • I always get receipts (or else there is no reimbursement—a real incentive).
  • I am often aware of special deals and discounted pricing, sometimes resulting in significant savings (a very good argument for centralizing the purchasing function even in a larger church).
  • For purchases I make, we avoid paying sales tax on those purchases that would otherwise be subject to tax.
  • The church gets most of the charge card rewards.

For more information on this, Vonna Laue offers important considerations and guidelines for churches wondering if they should issue corporate cards to pastors and staff. Richard Hammar shares four reasons a church should think twice before providing a personal credit card to a pastor.

Ed Marino has 14 years of experience as a church business administrator.

This content is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. "From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations." Due to the nature of the U.S. legal system, laws and regulations constantly change. The editors encourage readers to carefully search the site for all content related to the topic of interest and consult qualified local counsel to verify the status of specific statutes, laws, regulations, and precedential court holdings.

ajax-loader-largecaret-downcloseHamburger Menuicon_amazonApple PodcastsBio Iconicon_cards_grid_caretChild Abuse Reporting Laws by State IconChurchSalary Iconicon_facebookGoogle Podcastsicon_instagramLegal Library IconLegal Library Iconicon_linkedinLock IconMegaphone IconOnline Learning IconPodcast IconRecent Legal Developments IconRecommended Reading IconRSS IconSubmiticon_select-arrowSpotify IconAlaska State MapAlabama State MapArkansas State MapArizona State MapCalifornia State MapColorado State MapConnecticut State MapWashington DC State MapDelaware State MapFederal MapFlorida State MapGeorgia State MapHawaii State MapIowa State MapIdaho State MapIllinois State MapIndiana State MapKansas State MapKentucky State MapLouisiana State MapMassachusetts State MapMaryland State MapMaine State MapMichigan State MapMinnesota State MapMissouri State MapMississippi State MapMontana State MapMulti State MapNorth Carolina State MapNorth Dakota State MapNebraska State MapNew Hampshire State MapNew Jersey State MapNew Mexico IconNevada State MapNew York State MapOhio State MapOklahoma State MapOregon State MapPennsylvania State MapRhode Island State MapSouth Carolina State MapSouth Dakota State MapTennessee State MapTexas State MapUtah State MapVirginia State MapVermont State MapWashington State MapWisconsin State MapWest Virginia State MapWyoming State IconShopping Cart IconTax Calendar Iconicon_twitteryoutubepauseplay
caret-downclosefacebook-squarehamburgerinstagram-squarelinkedin-squarepauseplaytwitter-square