Best Church Accounting Software for Bookkeeping & Finances

accounting program for churches

I’ve also noted pricing and free trial information when available. You can also use our in-depth requirements template to draft ideal software modules and compare them to this product list. Your church has an important mission, and doing your bookkeeping shouldn’t get in the way. Using the accounting for churches right church accounting software helps you get your church bookkeeping done quickly and accurately, so you and your administrative staff can get back to the things that matter most to your ministry. Here’s all the info you need to choose the best accounting software option for your church.

It includes typical features like the ability to balance the books, create reports, and pay vendors and staff. But it can also track tithes and offerings, organize funds, and more. With ShelbyNext Financials, the general ledger is able to operate true fund accounting that meets the specific needs of churches. The ledger will simplify the budgeting process because departments and staff can view reports and track how finances are compared.

Expenses

Finally, Realm’s church accounting and payroll reporting software allows churches to select standard accounting reports, then customize them based on time periods, funds, core accounts and departments. Church Pro software is a comprehensive fund accounting software for churches developed to help non-profit organizations manage their accounting procedures and handle tithes and donations more efficiently. The software, with its comprehensive features and user-friendly interface, provides a solid platform that simplifies financial management responsibilities, increases transparency, and helps religious institutions simplify operations. Bookkeeping means recording these actions to allow churches to pull reports to inform donors and the government on their financial history easily. Its free plan offers unlimited income and expense tracking, key reports such as Profit and Loss reports, the ability to add unlimited collaborators, cash flow tracking and an intuitive dashboard. It also offers automated payment reminders, credit card, bank and Apple Pay payments or donations acceptance and a mobile app for depositing checks and finance tracking.

Choosing an accountant software for your church can be stressful. You know you need to organize your financials so you can best meet the needs of your clergy and congregation, but it’s difficult to find a solution that meets your church’s unique needs without being too expensive. Fortunately, we designed our DIY app to be an affordable solution for every church and every budget, large or small. These packages are designed for churches that prefer an offline experience. Desktop users will not be able to take advantage of cloud features like online giving and accessing the program from anywhere. Free up your time from business and money matters so you can focus on helping the less fortunate in your community.

How Much Do Church Accounting Software Programs Cost?

You should also allot extra funds for unforeseen fees like implementation costs, maintenance, training and more. The idea is to find a solution that meets your needs and doesn’t make your wallet cry. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. “We have been very satisfied with Aplos as our main accounting software. The customer service has been top notch and many of our suggestions about improving the software have been implemented into new versions.”

  • And under the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), specific accounting principles are in place for non-profits.
  • Free up your time from business and money matters so you can focus on helping the less fortunate in your community.
  • Financial reports are critical for businesses and churches alike.
  • It is similar to traditional accounting software, but it’s built to handle everything related to church finances.
  • MIP Fund Accounting can also handle complex financial reporting, including government and grant reporting, as well as the flexibility to customize reports to meet the specific needs of their organization.
  • Accommodates multiple cost centers, so pay is charged to appropriate areas.
  • For tax reasons, everyone would love to declare their business a nonprofit, but there are strict rules around that designation.
  • A balance sheet is a financial statement that provides a snapshot of a company’s financial position at a specific point in time, including its assets, liabilities, and net assets.

It can help you streamline processes, save time and money, and provide an overall better experience for everyone involved. By leveraging these benefits, church accounting software helps religious organizations efficiently manage their finances, enhance stewardship, and focus more on their core mission and ministry. Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT is an accounting software specifically designed for non-profit organizations, providing tools for financial management, donor management, grant management, and reporting. PowerChurch Plus is a comprehensive church management software that provides a wide range of features to help churches manage their operations—not just accounting.

Best for Church-Specific Features

The system provides general ledger monthly standard reports along with an easy-to-use, custom presentations report builder. The major general ledger reports also provide drill-down functionality back to a single application entry. Once you receive a payment, the program moves the money into the correct Church Windows account. With features like dedicated funds, projects, and built-in controls, it’s easy to safeguard your finances and keep your books in good working order.

  • However, the main difference is that the majority of what churches receive comes from contributions, like tithes and monetary donations.
  • Church Pro as its name indicates is an excellent church bookkeeping software free to use in its first tier.
  • In this post we will talk about what church accounting software is and the differences between churches and for-profit businesses.
  • You’ll also experience peace of mind of knowing your church’s information is backed-up and secure.
  • Upgrade for more granular reporting so you can harness the ability to see the exact data
    you need across your funds, departments, projects, and locations.
  • ACS Church Accounting Software is a comprehensive church management solution that provides accounting, bookkeeping, membership management, and other managerial solutions for churches and non-profit organizations.

Sage Intacct is a cloud-based financial management software designed for small to medium-sized businesses, that offers features such as accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, and revenue recognition capabilities. PowerChurch is a complete church accounting software, membership management, and recordkeeping system for your growing church. If you need more functionality than the core program offers, you can purchase additional add-ons, such as to handle check-ins or mass mailings.

Work with Church accounting software that eases fund management and the burden of accurate day-to-day bookkeeping of donations. One of the best ways to get the answers to all these questions is to look for church accounting software reviews from real ministry leaders. Small and mid-sized ministries run very differently than mega-churches and non-profits. They need the right tools to track their finances that are powerful, but not overly complex for volunteers to understand. This is especially true for accounting software for small churches.

“I looked at other options – some were too much for my need (both cost and complexity) and some could be made to work (Quickbooks for example) but were not really designed for a church. This is PERFECT for us.” Leverage your dynamic donor database to view the details you
need to know about your people, including communication activity, notes, relationships,
and giving history all in one place. One more notable feature is FreshBooks’ highly customizable invoices.

Having access to financial reports is extremely important for churches because they have a wide range of donors, pastors, and financial councils that need to view such reports. Your payroll system should automatically be tracked in your general ledger, so you don’t have to duplicate data entry or do special imports. Many churches use a cash basis—recording income and expenses when they are received and paid—or a combination of both accrual and cash approaches. Get a clear view of your church’s financial position with customized reporting.

accounting program for churches

Churches and businesses have very different goals, including financial goals. For religious organizations and non-profits, their intention is to achieve their organization’s mission. Of course, both need revenue to reach their goals, but faith-based entities use it to serve the people around them, rather than simply trying to increase their wealth. From payroll services, to unlimited bank connections, online donation processing, and more, Wave has a variety of features to help you keep your church running smoothly and cost-effectively. We use this historical data of donations, pledges, programs, and funds to help predict your future income and cash flow.