Conduct Tithing Declaration

And it was this same Melchizedek to whom Abraham paid tithes; yea, even our father Abraham paid tithes of one-tenth part of all he possessed. Alma 13:15

The bishop holds tithing declaration near the end of each year. In urgent cases when the bishop is absent, the stake president may authorize one of the bishop’s counselors to conduct tithing declaration. However, such a need would be rare.

All members should attend tithing declaration to make sure their contribution records are correct and to declare to the bishop their status as tithe payers. If possible, all members of a family should attend tithing declaration.

In addition to reviewing records of members’ tithing, fast offerings, and other donations, during tithing declaration the bishop can discuss the principle of tithing with them, encourage them to give a generous fast offering, and discuss other relevant matters. At the time of tithing declaration, a clerk or a member of the bishopric could also review the Individual Ordinance Summary (IOS) with members.

Instructions for tithing declaration are provided by Church headquarters or the assigned administrative office.

BEFORE TITHING DECLARATION

DURING TITHING DECLARATION

AFTER TITHING DECLARATION

Finance Procedures—Before Tithing Declaration Begins

Donor Statements

Donors may print their annual statements through donations.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Clerks may also print donor statements from the Tithing Declaration menu on the Donor Statements tab.

To print these statements:

1. From Leader and Clerk Resources, click Finance, and then click Tithing Declaration. From the Donor Statements tab, print the pre-generated donor statements.
2. In the Pre-generated Donor Statements section, click the Donor Statements of Contributions link.
3. Print a Tithing Declaration Report for the bishop (if a paper copy is desired). From Leader and Clerk Resources, click Finance, and then click Tithing Declaration. From the Tithing Declaration tab, click the Print button.

Please note that if a member has not made a donation or has chosen to print his or her own statements from donations.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, a Donor Statement of Contributions will not be included in the pre-generated statement link. If necessary, individual statements may be printed using the Individual Donor Statement section.

During Tithing Declaration

Finance Procedures—During Tithing Declaration

Complete Tithing Declaration

Bishops and the ward clerk use the Tithing Declaration page to record the tithing declaration made by each member.

To record a tithing declaration:

1. From Leader and Clerk Resources, click Finance, and then click Tithing Declaration.
2. On the Tithing Declaration tab, for each member, click Full, Part, or Non, and then click Declared by Bishop or Declared by Member. By default, the member list is organized by household. Options are available to display the member list in alphabetical order and to display the donation amounts. Clicking the name of the member will display his or her MRN and (if male) whether he is a Melchizedek Priesthood holder. The Participant Information tab will take you to the member’s participant record, which will display the details of his or her donations.
3. When the declaration status and “declared by” option is completed, a check mark will appear in the Done column.
4. Declarations should be entered upon completion of tithing declaration and prior to December 15.
5. To print a copy for the bishop to use during tithing declaration, click the Print button.
   

After Tithing Declaration Has Been Completed

Finance Procedures—After Tithing Declaration

The bishop declares a tithing status for those who did not attend tithing declaration by noting the tithing status for those ward members on the Tithing Declaration Report.

When the declaration status and declared by option is complete, a checkmark will appear in the Done column. After 1 January, when all declarations are complete, a “Declarations Complete” message will display, and the information will be made available to the stake president. After completing declarations, any future changes are automatically saved.

There will be a Dashboard reminder if declarations are not complete to help leaders finalize the Declaration status of the ward.

Print and Distribute Official Tax or Annual Summary Statement

Before January 31, clerks should print and distribute the official tax or annual summary statements for each donor. To print these statements:

1. From Leader and Clerk Resources, click Finance, and then click Tithing Declaration. From the Year-End Statement tab, print the pre-generated donor statements.
2. In the Pre-generated Donor Statements section, click the link to view the pre-generated statements. Pre-generated statements will be available before January 31.

Please note that if a member has not made a donation or has chosen to print his or her own statements from donations.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, a donor statement will not be included in the pre-generated statement link. If necessary, individual statements may be printed using the Individual Donor Statement section.

Review Declaration Summary

To review the tithing declaration summary:

1. From Leader and Clerk Resources, click Finance, and then click Tithing Declaration.
2. From the Declaration Summary tab, stake and ward leaders can use this page to identify trends from tithing declaration.
3. Each value in blue is linked to the Tithing Declaration Detail. This report shows the names of members according to the selected declaration status.