Working with an expert can help in this process, as church payroll has unique laws, benefits, and exemptions that make best payroll service for churches it different from corporate payroll. Our clients often find it difficult to maintain the internal knowledge needed to ensure compliance with these unique rules. Most churches will never need a full-time Controller on staff, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need “big picture” financial advice. We can set up a plan that gives you the Controller services and guidance you need to steer your church’s financial future, all at a price you can afford. Our turnkey Controller services enable you and your staff to focus on the things that best serve your church and your faith community while trusting our experienced team with your financial needs. With a robust set of church accounting features such as donation tracking, event management, and reporting, Desktop Premier Nonprofit Edition makes for the perfect fit for a church in need of financial organization.
Should church employees be paid?
We believe in connecting church leaders to information and resources that will empower them to successfully grow their ministries. “Payroll for Pastors makes doing payroll easy! Their site is easy to navigate. When we have any questions come up, their staff is quick and responsive with assistance. We appreciate the clear and open communication.” If you have a mix of hourly and salaried employee, you only need to submit hours, the salaried employees will be paid automatically unless you tell us not to. At Payroll for Pastors, our goal is to keep our services at a price that your budget can handle. Our quotes aren’t complicated, they’re transparent so you know exactly what you need to budget for. Experience the Paylocity difference in this interactive tour through some of our time-saving features and innovative employee tools.
Payroll + HR to support your cause
If your software includes employee self-service portals, ensure all staff understand how to log in, update personal information, view pay stubs, and download tax documents. This not only reduces administrative work but also promotes transparency. However, many church-specific features can be a bit difficult to use. Also, the live support from the platform’s HR team is only available as a paid add-on. And for many ministries, this is why they turn to a church payroll services provider. When a new church is founded, there’s less need for a human resources department- you and your congregationalvolunteers are your HR department.
Payroll Taxes
The restricted fund dashboard gives the name of the donor, the ministry or project the donation is intended for, the donor’s contact information and the donation amount. Donors can send restricted funds via credit or debit card, ACH transfers, online or off-line. Expense tagging then allows churches to account for where donor dollars are spent. It’s easy to update personal details, view pay stubs, and access important tax documents at any time through the employee portal. This is a huge benefit for ministers, and your payroll software must handle it flawlessly. Use our unified platform to manage payroll across all your ministry’s operations and campuses.
Payroll software for churches often integrates with Outsource Invoicing nonprofit accounting tools, enabling seamless reporting and budget tracking. This integration helps church leaders make informed financial decisions, demonstrating accountability and stewardship. A proper church payroll system is a must for any church administrator who wants to make their job easier.
of the Best Church Payroll Services
For clergy members, Gusto accommodates tax exemptions and special payment considerations like housing allowances, which can be difficult to manage in general payroll systems. The platform also offers a secure self-service portal where employees can view pay stubs, tax forms, and benefits information. This feature reduces administrative overhead by empowering staff to access their payroll details independently.
Beyond numbers and compliance, a well-managed payroll system plays a key role in building trust within a church community. Leadership gains confidence knowing that finances are handled with integrity. Donors and congregants see their contributions supporting a stable and well-managed institution. For churches already using QuickBooks for accounting, QuickBooks Payroll offers a streamlined solution that integrates directly with existing bookkeeping data.
Why Church Payroll Is a Totally Different Ballgame
This ensures a consistent and efficient experience as the team grows. Using your payroll system’s built-in analytics can inform strategic decisions, such as budgeting for future hiring or adjusting benefit plans. Once the church selects its payroll platform, the actual implementation begins with system setup and data migration. Most payroll software providers offer onboarding support, either through detailed step-by-step tools or direct assistance from a specialist.
- We choose to make payroll as affordable as possible for our clients.
- Its Features unique to the church, like multiple pay types for housing allowances, also make it a good option.
- Payroll management may not be the most visible component of ministry work, but it’s essential to sustaining staff, complying with legal requirements, and maintaining transparency with congregants and donors.
- Conduct background screenings, track hours, certifications, benefits, and performance for paid employees and volunteers.
- Non-clergy staff must be properly classified as exempt or non-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
- Churches must also maintain records for ACA (Affordable Care Act) reporting if they offer group health plans and have 50 or more full-time equivalent employees.
- This modular platform handles payroll processing alongside workforce management and IT workflows, such as device provisioning and app management.
Best for Easy Restricted Fund Management
- In the first month, we’ll request your recent bank statements, credit card statements, and any contribution data.
- There are a variety of church payroll options to pick from, depending on your budget.
- You want to make sure employees receive their money on time and ensure the process is as efficient and practical as possible.
- Using Aplos’ CRM tools, you can create a member and donor database with profiles.
- However, this complexity means Rippling may have a steeper learning curve compared to simpler payroll-only platforms.
To sum it up, church payroll services can be a bit different than regular business payroll, due to tax exemptions and other factors. The five companies listed above are all highly rated and offer excellent customer service. If you’re looking for payroll software that will make your life easier, any of these providers would be a great choice, but please be sure to do your due diligence and research to ensure the company meets all your needs. Financial Resources for Clergy is a great option for ministries as an all-inclusive church payroll software that provides HR and clergy tax guidance. It runs unlimited payrolls, files quarterly and year-end tax reports, and calculates and pays both federal and state taxes electronically.
QuickBooks Payroll
This will help you decide which accounting software meets your needs best. Other features you may want to consider include whether the software has a mobile app, how good its customer service is and how well it does with accounts receivable (A/R) and financial reporting. We balance sheet love churches, church staff, and church missions, and we want to help make everything your church is doing as effective as possible. That’s why we’re here to offer church accounting services, church payroll services, and church accounting software services that help tell your church’s story well so that every dollar stays on mission.