The accounting software for churches on the market today is so advanced that it can manage budgets, track past giving, and even send emails to remind members about upcoming pledge drives. If you are in charge of a church’s finances, then you owe it to yourself to find the best option for your needs.
Although there are many different programs to choose from, you will have to consider many different things before finding one that is the most suitable. Below you can find the list of the best accounting software for churches with their pros and cons and consider while choosing this software for your needs.
Our Top 5 Best Accounting Software For Churches
1. Best Overall: Aplos
For any church, owning and operating a nonprofit organization is both exciting and challenging. Challenges arise in many different areas, including the time it takes to stay up-to-date with current tax laws. Thankfully, there are software solutions that can help lead churches through the process of running a successful nonprofit enterprise. One such solution is Aplos Accounting software for Churches.
Most churches have at least one volunteer treasurer or an accountant on staff accounting for them. With Aplos Accounting software for Churches, you can offload some of the tedious tasks and focus on other high-level activities important to your church mission but not necessarily tax-related. Aplos is more than just an accounting program; it’s a complete integrated system that connects with your church’s other software applications to keep them in sync.
The following benefits are generated by using Aplos Accounting software for Churches.
- Quick and Easy Setup. Setup is easy because Aplos accomplishes this task through a wizard-driven installation process that guides you through every step of the process.
- Easy to Use. The Aplos Accounting software for Churches is straightforward to use. There are only a few basic commands that you have to learn. The real power in the Aplos system is its ability to enable your accounting staff and department heads to spend more time on productive activities than traditional worksheet-driven systems.
- Flexible, User-Friendly Reporting Tools. Reports can be run in various ways, so there’s no need for users with specialized skills or training just because they need specific reports.
- Integrated, Streamlined Information. Because Aplos has so many different features, it is possible to integrate information from many different sources. For example, you can create a report to show the receipts and expenses of individual employees on their expense reports and provide an overview of the entire department’s activity around inventory management.
2. Best for New Bookkeepers: QuickBooks Online
The church accounting software QuickBooks Online review is a beautiful way to streamline the church administration. It’s a complete program that will provide you with all of the tools you need to handle every aspect of your financial records.
It includes features like invoicing, payroll, reports and data analysis, and more. It even integrates with other top programs like MailChimp and Eventbrite. More importantly, it’s designed for churches just like yours. Church accounting software should be based on the needs of your particular organization – not one-size-fits-all services – so the software has been designed specifically for nonprofits just like yours.
Benefits of using QuickBooks Online
You can save some money using QuickBooks online in your church. And you won’t have to worry about searching for and purchasing software. This program is loaded with the features your church needs. In addition, it’s easy and flexible. That means that you don’t have to spend time (or money) on complicated training or risky hardware installations, plus it’s easier to learn, use and maintain than desktop software.
Start working in minutes. QuickBooks Online is designed for nonprofits, so setup takes just minutes. You don’t have to worry about training or risky hardware installations because it’s all done online (in the cloud).
3. Best Integrated Double-entry Bookkeeping System: PowerChurch Plus
We want to introduce you to a new software company that we feel has a fantastic product for churches and other organizations. They are called PowerChurch Plus. They have been in the industry for over 30 years, and their mission is “To empower every church to succeed with technology.” This company has developed the best church accounting software on the market today. Let us talk about some of the features that make this program so great for churches.
PowerChurch Plus Benefits:
- Fast and easy setup
- Easy expense tracking
- Convenient credit card processing
- Reports can be customized by period, payee, etc.
Features of the PowerChurch Plus Software
- Basic church accounting
- Leadership reports
- Кeports by category (e.g., Daily Attendance)
- Prints checks
- Generates balanced budget reports
- Manages contributions, pledges, and accounts receivable.
- Maintains balances for multiple checking accounts, each with a separate check signer.
- Manages bank statements importing and categorizes transactions electronically.
- Integrates with most major credit card processors
- Provides reconciliation capability to compare transactions from various sources (checks, cash receipts, cash disbursements, etc.)
4. Best User-Friendly: ChurchTrac
ChurchTrac Accounting Software is designed to be intuitive and straightforward for any church to use. Whether you’re a pastor or a treasurer, ChurchTrac provides tools that will make it easy to record transactions, analyze your budget and give you tips on spending wisely.
This church accounting software is so easy to use that you can set it up in just 10 minutes, upload a bank statement and start reconciling. It’s free for churches of any size, no credit card requiredю Plus, we’ll show you how to save money with ChurchTrac Accounting Software.
Analyze your church finances with budget reports, year-to-date comparisons, and graphical charts. Plus, with the ways to save time and money, you can spend more time doing what you love: caring for your congregation.
Categorize your financial statements, categorize your contacts and categorize your expenses. And you can do all of this in the calendar view.
Schedule transactions with recurring requests and get ready for the next meeting by setting reminder options. Also, keep track of your invoices and expenses with the help of a built-in editor.
Save time with budget reports that show year-to-date comparisons to help you stay on top of how much money you have.
5. Best For Small to Mid-size Churches: FlockBase
This church accounting software is the most powerful, easy-to-use way for churches of any size to stay on top of their budget and expenses. It can be used for everything from tracking donations to reporting tithes and offering analysis.
FlockBase Features
- Finance Management: Track finances from donations, tithes, and offerings to expenses. With complete reporting tools for pastors and boards.
- Donations: Secure payment processing for online giving, mobile giving, and donations at church. Transparent donation receipts that are branded with your logo and colors. Customizable payment process that eliminates confusion by your donors about which ministry they’re supporting with each gift.
- Giving Management: Give your leaders a clear picture of the state of the church’s finances with real-time dashboards showing cash flow, balances, and activity by account or ministry program.
- Expense Tracking: Fully integrated expense tracking. Expenses are automatically categorized and tracked throughout the year, so you can see in one place where your money is going.
- Giving Confirmation: Give donors peace of mind by sending confirmations via text, email, social media, or direct mail. This helps eliminate giving confusion by providing a clear record of each donation with a breakdown of how it was designated on the initial receipt.
- Giving Report Card: A full view into your financial performance. Weekly, monthly and annual giving reports are available based on customizable filters and dates to monitor your finances at every level.
Buyer’s Guide
Church accounting software is a necessary tool for any organized church, and choosing the right software for your church can be a challenge. There are many different features, functionalities, and add-ons to take into consideration when purchasing accounting software. However, there are two main things you should keep in mind before buying anything: affordability and ease of use.
Here I will go over different types of church accounting software available on the market today to help you make a more informed decision about which kind of church accounting system will work best for your congregation’s needs. Although there are many different types of church accounting software, they all have the same basic features.
What Is Church Accounting Software?
Some people in church leadership roles may consider accounting software a luxury they can’t afford; however, the truth is that accounting software is needed for every church looking to operate efficiently and effectively. Each feature has its purpose, so make sure to choose a system that has the features you’re most interested in. In addition, most of these systems are cloud-based, so there are no installation or maintenance fees involved!
Benefits Of Church Accounting Software
To help you determine what kind of system works best with your church’s needs, here is some information about its benefits.
Donations And Tithes Management
As a church, you will be collecting a lot of donations and tithes from people who own homes and businesses and those who are unemployed or on disability. Each case is different and will require a different process for your church’s accounting system to handle accordingly.
For example, in some cases, people may choose to pay monthly, while others prefer the annual tax-deductible donation option so they don’t have to worry about remembering to write checks each month throughout the year, which may be easier for their already hectic schedules. No matter your choice, you need church accounting software that can handle whatever way you choose.
Annual Financial Reporting
Church leadership plays an important role in making sure the congregation is financially stable and sound, which can be pretty difficult because the budget may not be as organized as one might hope for. Many churches will keep financial information in an Excel spreadsheet for easy access by all church members.
Still, newer churchgoers who have not been around long enough to learn what is happening financially may not know where to start looking for their numbers or finding them. That is where today’s church accounting software can come in handy.
Automated Processes And Tasks
With the help of today’s church accounting software, you will be able to automate many processes and tasks needed for your church, making it easier for members to report and get updates on specific financial information. In addition, with these computers being cloud-based, people will be able to access their data almost anywhere, anytime with a WiFi connection, without needing a computer to run the accounting system software.
Monitoring Attendance And Child Security
Many different churches do not require a lot of attendance but draw their members from all over the world speaking other languages. This can be a challenge for some people to keep current on their children’s attendance and update their child’s activities and school work. This is where the church accounting software can help out so much.
What if someone is worried about how their child is doing in school? Perhaps they want to know how each job is going, or they just want to make sure they’re doing everything right like other parents at other churches. What if someone wants to know if their child is receiving proper care while at school?
This may not be something you would like to discuss every time someone visits yoh, so having the computer system with all of this information available for everyone to view can ur churcbe a big help for everyone.
Church Accounting Software Features
Often, deciding on what type of church accounting software will work best for your congregation or agency can be difficult. Still, as I said earlier, many features go along with each system to make sure things run smoothly. Having all the information in one place can only help for better organization. Some of the most valuable features are below.
Tracking And Monitoring
Once you have decided on which church accounting software you would like to use, it’s time to set up your accounts. This is where many churches get caught up; they don’t know where to begin or what information is needed. Where do all the donations come from? Are they paying one check each month or multiple checks? All these questions will be answered once you have detailed information about each member. This will make it easier for the church’s leaders to focus on making sure they are serving and helping each member.
Financial Management
There are many church accounting software that will give you the ability to do things like budgeting, managing expenses, and forecasting for the next few months. This can come in handy for getting going on projects or making sure the money is spent accordingly.
Report Creation
Once you have the information that your church needs, it’s time to create a report. With these software programs, you can customize everything, from dates and amounts of money to the types of financial information that needs to be included in the report. Then simply print it out or email it to whoever you need for the church or organization to see. This is the best way for people to stay up-to-date on their financial information and get all of their questions answered in one place, so they don’t feel overwhelmed by having too much information available.
Event Management
These organizations can also be beneficial for those who want to hold fundraisers or events during the year. This would include creating contact lists, boutiques for different items, and keeping all of the information updated. This will help your organization from losing money or even having people forget important.
FAQ
Is Quickbooks Good For Churches?
QuickBooks is one option that lets you manage these aspects of your church’s financial situation while also providing you with a variety of built-in tools for tracking income and expenses. More importantly, it offers automatic syncing, so your information will be automatically updated in QuickBooks Online as well as on your company file stored on your computer.
Do Churches Use Cash Or Accrual Accounting?
Churches keep two sets of books: a set that reflects the church’s true financial condition and a set for income taxation purposes. Churches will combine cash and accrual accounting in their financial statements to produce more accurate results. While churches can use either of these accounting methods, they are required to state the type of method used in their accompanying notes. It is not unusual for small churches to keep only one set of books, which uses cash as its method. In this case, it would be called “cash” rather than “accrual.
How To Record Donated Assets?
To successfully record donated assets, first of all you have to include the information about your company, assets and donors within the records. The most important thing for you to know is that you can use QuickBooks for this purpose. Thus, if you are an accountant and a QuickBooks customer, then it is highly suggested that you keep all the records related to donations in one single place.
