Pay tithing online

Discussions about the Online Donation system.
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nola
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Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2013 3:55 pm

Re: Pay tithing online

#11

Post by nola »

unable to print 2016 tax statement in donate lds
russellhltn
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Re: Pay tithing online

#12

Post by russellhltn »

The statement is not ready yet. If last year is a guide, it won't be ready until the 19th or so.
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
RobbinsR
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Re: Pay tithing online

#13

Post by RobbinsR »

Here is a question that may not have been considered by those who developed the online tithing system.

What about expats whose money and banking is all in the United States, but who are living abroad and need to pay tithing using their bank accounts in the US?

I moved with my family to Costa Rica for a year, but we have our bank accounts in the United States, and we'd like to be able to use those accounts to pay tithing. There are several reasons why it does not make sense to pull out cash to pay tithing here, including lots of fees incurred by ATMs, which only allow you to pull out up to $400 in each transaction, and the potential issue of paying significant amounts of cash to bishopric members who may not be used to that and who might find themselves tempted.

Is there some way to get an exception in the case where you've temporarily left your real life in the United States, but you still do your banking there?
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aebrown
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Re: Pay tithing online

#14

Post by aebrown »

RobbinsR wrote:Is there some way to get an exception in the case where you've temporarily left your real life in the United States, but you still do your banking there?
There are indeed other options for people with special needs in this regard. Contact donations@ldschurch.org and explain your situation.
davemc
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Re: Pay tithing online

#15

Post by davemc »

I would really like to set up a recurring payment. This currently is not possible. The FAQ says:

Q15. Why can’t I set up a recurring donation using the system?
A15. Recurring donations are not allowed online.

So, why can’t I set up a recurring donation using the system? Does anyone have an actual answer?

In lieu of having a donation initiated on the church's side does anyone have experience with bank-initiated online bill pay? The FAQ alludes to this being possible, but I'd like to know what the pros and cons are. For example, would fast offerings be credited to my ward? They're not with in-kind donations like stock.

Thanks.
russellhltn
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Re: Pay tithing online

#16

Post by russellhltn »

davemc wrote:but I'd like to know what the pros and cons are. For example, would fast offerings be credited to my ward?
One "con" is that donations are not refundable. If something should happen, such as you lose your job, you'd have to modify the payment quickly.

Depending on how it's set up, the fast offering may or may not be visible to your ward, but there is no "crediting". It does not change how much money is available to help others in the ward.
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
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aebrown
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Re: Pay tithing online

#17

Post by aebrown »

davemc wrote:I would really like to set up a recurring payment. This currently is not possible. The FAQ says:

Q15. Why can’t I set up a recurring donation using the system?
A15. Recurring donations are not allowed online.

So, why can’t I set up a recurring donation using the system? Does anyone have an actual answer?
The simple answer is that the Church has not done the programming to allow recurring donations. That would take time and money, and would have to be a priority over the other uses of that time and money. Are there other reasons? That I don't know.
davemc wrote:In lieu of having a donation initiated on the church's side does anyone have experience with bank-initiated online bill pay? The FAQ alludes to this being possible, but I'd like to know what the pros and cons are.
I have used my bank's bill-pay. It requires initial setup with the Donations department, which required a couple of email exchanges.

The pros:
  • Automatic recurring payments are easily done. Of course the "easily" part depends on your particular bank's interface, but once it is set up, you don't have to remember to make the donations each month or week or whatever.
  • Different categories can have different recurring periods. For example, fast offerings might be done on a monthly basis, but you get paid every two weeks, so you set up your tithing to be done on a biweekly basis.
  • If your bank's BillPay system can be connected to your personal financial software (such as Quicken), then you can maintain your BillPay settings from the same software you use to manage the rest of your banking.
  • As with all donations made via Online Donations or in person to a bishopric member, donations made via BillPay are also included in statements you generate using the Online Donations tool on LDS.org.
The cons:
  • Extra effort to set up the system is a bit of a hassle (but just a one-time hassle).
  • Donations to Ward Missionary on behalf of a specific missionary are not possible (neither within your ward or in another ward), as they are with Online Donations.
  • The automatic nature of recurring payments can make it easy to overlook the need to make adjustments when your situation changes. Your bank will blindly send the payments as you specified, even if your income changes.
davemc wrote:For example, would fast offerings be credited to my ward? They're not with in-kind donations like stock.
As RussellHltn noted, this is a very minor point that people generally shouldn't worry about. But yes, such fast offering donations are credited to your ward, exactly as with Online Donations.
drepouille
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Re: Pay tithing online

#18

Post by drepouille »

Very good answers. We have one sister in my ward who has her bank's bill-pay mail a check to the bishop's house. We find that solution impractical for a few reasons. First, the bishop and his wife have to hold the check and remember to bring it to church. Second, we have to fill out a donation slip for each check. Third, we just had a change of bishop, and I don't know where she is mailing those checks now.
Dana Repouille, Plattsmouth, Nebraska
zkbawden
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Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:06 am

Re: Pay tithing online

#19

Post by zkbawden »

I try to go to the donations page and I get

Donations
Uh oh! We're Sorry...
It looks like something went wrong which prevented the page you requested from displaying. Sorry for any inconvenience that this may have caused!

Any idea what is going on?
rmrichesjr
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Re: Pay tithing online

#20

Post by rmrichesjr »

I do not have answers for that question, but I have a few questions that might help someone else find an answer:

What browser, browser version, operating system, and operating system release are you using?

Is your LDS Account connected to your Church membership record?

Are you able to see your ward/stake directory and calendar?

Have you previously used the online donation functionality?

Okay, the answers to the above questions might help someone find an answer to the original question.
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