Tithing/Fast Offering Direct Deposit to Church HQ

[aebrown]

please contact the Church Donations Department by calling 801-240-2554 or emailing donations@ldschurch.org

So is this the same contact information members should use if they would like to pay using stock? I had a member question me about that and how they do it. I was told they need to do it through HDQs but was wondering if this is the same contact that can help them.

I know that there are specialists for donations in kind, but I'm sure that if you contact the Donations Department you'll quickly be able to get to someone who can help you.

[scottmarcie]

I recently became the Finance Clerk for my ward. The church does not discourage direct payment but they are not making any annoucements. My Bishop has been making donations ddirectly to HQ and told me there is a blog that gives instructions on how to set it up.

[lajackson]

My Bishop . . . told me there is a blog that gives instructions on how to set it up.

If a member is interested in paying tithing and other contributions through bank bill pay, have them send an email to donations@ldschurch.org. The member will receive instructions by return email.

It is important at this point that the member contact the Church first, before trying to set up their bank bill pay to contribute. Each bank is different, and each member uses different information to set up their payment, so a blog would not be able to give accurate instructions in this case.

It may be different and more simple next year, but for now, go with the email first. The process moved very quickly for me and was not difficult, but does require attention to detail.

[mevans]

I just stumbled across this thread; unfortunately I don't often have time to make it to all the forums. Here are a few comments about some things I've seen in the thread:

• I've been paying by bill pay for quite some time. For a while I used to receive separate donation statements (one from CHQ and another from my ward). Each statement only reflected what was contributed to that location. Maybe 2 years ago CHQ started sending me a combined donation statement that included what I contributed locally. However, the local unit's donation statement has not (yet?) included the contributions I have made directly to CHQ, nor is this amount shown on the summary the bishop receives at tithing settlement; I don't know if the numbers show in the financial system. This seems to go with someone's observation that those who set it up a while ago don't have it included.
• A few years ago, someone in the donations department told me they were working on new donation technology. It was nice to see someone mention in this thread that it might see the light of day in 2015.
• You can only donate to certain categories with the online bill pay. As others have mentioned, you receive specific instructions. In particular, all local donations (ward mission, local fast offerings, "other") must be made to your local unit. Some categories we can donate to have been added over time. Maybe there's a way to pay them with bill pay, but if there is, the donations people have not updated me with instructions. In particular, I haven't received instructions that I can donate to the temple construction or temple patron assistance funds via bill pay.
• I get an email with a PDF attachment every month from CHQ summarizing my donations.
• Whereas donations locally are subject to human error, the ones I've sent by bill pay are completely accurate (as long as I send it correctly). Numerous errors in recording local donations where one thing that led me to go will the bill pay solution long ago. When the new system is ready to go, I think it will be a great relief bishopric members, clerks, church members, and CHQ.
  

[lajackson]

• A few years ago, someone in the donations department told me they were working on new donation technology. It was nice to see someone mention in this thread that it might see the light of day in 2015.

I have reason to believe that a totally online system is near completion that will allow a member to go to LDS.org and contribute to the Church by completing a donation form online and identifying a checking or savings account at a U.S. Bank from which the funds will be remitted to Church headquarters by an ACH transfer. The new system will allow contributions in nearly every category, including the Ward Missionary fund.

This post includes a link to an article that explains how the system is anticipated to work, although the system is not yet available for use. Because the help instructions are ready, I suspect that the system is almost ready, although as is noted in the linked post, there is no telling exactly when that will be.

[aebrown]

You can only donate to certain categories with the online bill pay. As others have mentioned, you receive specific instructions.

True.

In particular, all local donations (ward mission, local fast offerings, "other") must be made to your local unit.

That's correct for Ward Missionary and Other. However, there really is no concept of "local" fast offerings, and hasn't been for many years. There is no connection between the level of fast offering donations in a particular ward/branch or stake and the level of fast offering assistance provided. All donations are swept to CHQ, and all payments are automatically reimbursed. Yes, some wards/stake like to take note of those relative levels, but that is not anything that CHQ asks for or even encourages.

Note also that this may be a difference between the older and newer systems. Because all newer Bill Pay donations are recorded in the local unit as well as at CHQ -- transactions credited to the donor by category are sent to the local MLS system. So even for those units that are trying to track the relative levels of fast offering donations and payments will have all that data locally for members who use Bill Pay and signed up more recently.

Some categories we can donate to have been added over time. Maybe there's a way to pay them with bill pay, but if there is, the donations people have not updated me with instructions. In particular, I haven't received instructions that I can donate to the temple construction or temple patron assistance funds via bill pay.

I make regular donations to the Temple Patron fund via Bill Pay, so I am certain that it is possible. That option was specifically mentioned in the instructions given to me, but my instructions were more recent than yours. So if you'd like to donate to that category, I'd recommend that you contact the Donations Department for updated instructions.

[gerbmeister]

The end of year form received from CHQ (the PDF document) is signed and is your accurate statement for tax purposes.

[drohkar]

How do I pay my tithing online?

[russellhltn]

How do I pay my tithing online?

https://www.lds.org/donations/

[drepouille]

You can click the Help link on the donations page, which will bring you here:
https://www.lds.org/donations/#/help