Faith-based, nonprofit & membership orgs
Books and taxes for small and mid-size churches.
Sunday offerings, online giving through Tithely, a parsonage allowance, and a benevolence fund that has to stay separate from payroll. Your own bookkeeper keeps it sorted, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
November came in at $7,600 after expenses. The building fund gift from the Hendersons is tagged separately from general giving, the way the elders asked.
- Tithely giving depositOfferings
- Henderson family giftBuilding fund
- First Baptist parsonageHousing allowance
- Sam's Club food orderBenevolence fund
- Diesel, church vanVehicles
Why your books are different
A church's books go wrong in the same handful of places.
A generalist sees deposits and a payroll run. Your congregation gives for different reasons, your pastor is paid in a way most bookkeepers have never handled, and a family in crisis needs help this week, not after a committee meets. When the books do not know the difference, the elders cannot see what they are actually free to spend.
-
1
The housing allowance gets paid like a paycheck
A pastor's housing allowance has to be designated by the elders in writing before it is paid, and it belongs in its own line on the pay stub, not folded into salary. Paid like ordinary wages, it creates a mess for the pastor's own return later.
What we doKeeps the housing allowance in its own payroll line, matching what the elders designated in writing, and flags it if the paperwork is missing. -
2
The building fund gets spent on the light bill
A member gives $5,000 toward the new roof and it lands in the same checking account as Sunday's offering. Without a separate line, that money can quietly go toward payroll or utilities instead of the roof it was given for.
What we doTags building fund and capital gifts the day they arrive so the elders always see what is set aside for the project versus what pays this month's bills. -
3
Benevolence help gets mixed with payroll
Cash or a grocery gift card handed to a family after a job loss needs its own record, both for the church's protection and the giver's. Run through the general account with no note, it looks like an unexplained withdrawal.
What we doKeeps benevolence spending in its own fund with a plain note on who it helped and why, so the church has a record if anyone ever asks. -
4
A mission trip advance never gets reconciled
The church wires $3,000 to a team leader before a trip and nobody follows up on what was actually spent, so the books carry a stale advance long after everyone is home.
What we doTracks trip advances until the receipts or a final accounting comes back, then closes the line out instead of letting it sit. -
5
A guest speaker honorarium looks like a bill payment
A visiting speaker or musician paid $400 for a Sunday shows up on the statement looking like any other vendor payment, with no record of whether they should get a 1099 at year end.
What we doFlags honorarium payments and keeps a running list of who was paid what, so the 1099 question is already answered in January.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a church.
Set up once for how your congregation gives and where the money goes. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- General offeringsSunday plate giving and online gifts through Tithely or Pushpay.
- Building and capital giftsGifts given toward the roof, a remodel, or a specific project.
- Missions and outreach giftsGiving designated toward a trip, a missionary, or a local outreach.
- Facility use incomeRent from a preschool, a community group, or an event using the building.
Money out
- Staff payrollPastoral and support staff wages.
- Housing allowanceKept apart from salary, matching the elders' written designation.
- Benevolence fundDirect help to members and neighbors, noted with who and why.
- Facility costsUtilities, repairs, and property insurance for the building.
- Missions and outreachTrip costs, supported missionaries, and local outreach spending.
- Curriculum and suppliesChildren's ministry, youth group, and Sunday school materials.
- VehiclesFuel, maintenance, and insurance for the church van or bus.
What we watch for you
- Free-to-spend cash
General offering balance apart from building and missions money already spoken for.
- Benevolence spending
How much went to direct help this month, tracked apart from operating costs.
- Facility income share
How much of the budget comes from rent versus giving, useful for planning.
- Giving trend
Whether offerings are steady, growing, or slipping, tracked month over month.
Ask Gus
Things church treasurers ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Not without the elders redesignating it. I have it tagged as building fund, kept apart from general giving, so you can see exactly what is available for payroll without touching it.
If she is paid $2,000 or more this year and is not on staff payroll, yes, a 1099-NEC by January 31. I am keeping that total as it comes in.
The elders need to designate the new amount in writing before it takes effect, not after. Get me the board minutes once it is signed and I will update payroll.
The tax side
The tax side of running a church.
Most of what matters here is designation and timing, not a form nobody has heard of. Get the housing allowance and the benevolence records right and the rest is manageable.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Housing allowance and dual statusA properly designated housing allowance is usually excluded from a minister's income tax, but it still counts toward self-employment tax, currently 15.3 percent. The designation has to happen in writing before it is paid, not after.
- Guest speaker and musician 1099sAnyone not on staff payroll who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for a Sunday fill-in, a concert, or a special event gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- No standard annual filing requirementChurches are generally not required to file the standard annual information return that most other nonprofits file. That does not remove other obligations, like payroll tax filings and the housing allowance paperwork, which still need to be right.
- Worker classification for staffA youth pastor, worship leader, or office assistant who works your schedule is usually an employee, even part time. Treating that role as a contractor to skip payroll taxes is a common way churches get into trouble.
Deductions small and mid-size churches miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Church van fuel and repairs
- Sound and streaming equipment
- Children's ministry curriculum
- Guest speaker honorariums
- Bulletin and newsletter printing
- Background check fees for volunteers
- Liability insurance
- Nursery and kitchen supplies
- Mission trip team gear
- Office and copier supplies
- Lawn care and building repairs
- Bank and card processing fees
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A church year, kept every month.
Giving swings with the calendar and the congregation's own season, but the books stay steady all twelve months. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Set the year's giving plan
Last year's records are wrapped up, the 1099 list for guest speakers and contractors is finalized, and payroll for the new year, including any updated housing allowance, is set.
- April
Offerings tallied, filed
Whatever filing your church's structure requires is ready to hand off, with housing allowance and benevolence records already in order, not assembled at the last minute.
- July
Halfway through the giving year
Where general giving stands against the building fund and missions money, and whether summer's usual dip needs a plan before fall.
- October
Before the giving season
A look at the budget before year-end giving picks up, so building fund and general offerings are both ready to be tracked from day one of the surge.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for small and mid-size churches. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions church treasurers ask first.
Can Gus keep our building fund separate from general giving?
Yes. Every gift given for a specific purpose, a building project, a mission trip, a memorial, gets tagged the day it comes in and stays visible apart from general offerings.
We give occasional cash help to families in need. How does that get recorded?
Send the amount and who it went to. Gus logs it in its own benevolence line with a plain note, kept separate from payroll and vendor bills.
Our treasurer changes every couple of years. Will the books still make sense to the next one?
Yes. The categories and designations stay consistent regardless of who holds the treasurer role, and your bookkeeper can walk a new treasurer through anything that looks unfamiliar.
Do you file our church's annual return with the IRS?
No. Churches generally are not required to file the standard annual information return other nonprofits file, and preparing or filing any exempt organization return is not part of this subscription. Your books stay clean and organized for whoever handles that filing if it ever applies.
We use Tithely for online giving. Do we need to change how we collect offerings?
No. Keep collecting giving the way your congregation is used to. Gus works from your bank and processor statements and asks when a deposit needs a designation clarified.
Our books have not been reconciled in over a year. Can you still help?
Yes. Send what you have, even if it is incomplete. Gus sorts through it, the accountant checks it, and most churches know where they stand within a week or two.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in faith-based, nonprofit & membership orgs
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Animal rescues & shelters
- Arts nonprofits
- Chambers of commerce
- Christian camps & retreat centers
- Church plants
- Community foundations
- Food banks & pantries
- Fraternal lodges & clubs
- Homeowners & civic associations
- Ministries & mission organizations
- Nonprofit thrift stores
- Private family foundations
- Private social clubs
- Trade & industry associations
- Veterans organizations
- Youth sports nonprofits
- Charter schools
- Christian schools
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever