Catch-Up Bookkeeping for Churches
New treasurer? Old books a mess? We've been there.
Denomination reporting deadline coming up? You're not the first church to find itself behind on the books. We catch up church bookkeeping in 3-7 days for $69-$99 per month of catch-up.
See My Price →Takes 2 minutes · No card required
Why Churches Fall Behind
Volunteer Treasurer Turnover
When the dedicated member who managed finances steps down, moves away, or burns out, months pass before the new treasurer is up to speed. The books stall in between.
Multiple Giving Channels
Sunday offering, online giving, text-to-give, recurring ACH, special campaigns — each deposits at different times with different fees.
Seasonal Giving Spikes
November-December giving can double monthly volume, overwhelming volunteer bookkeepers already stretched thin with holiday programming.
Designated & Restricted Funds
General fund, building fund, missions, benevolence, youth — each needs separate tracking. Mixing funds violates donor intent.
Our treasurer moved away and left 8 months of unreconciled books. Ketchup understood fund accounting from day one — we didn't have to explain restricted gifts.
— Pastor David K., Community Church
What Catch-Up Covers for Churches
Fund-aware categorization, giving reconciliation, and denominational reporting — so your finance committee has what it needs.
Donation Categorization
- ✓General fund tithes and offerings
- ✓Designated gifts (building, missions, benevolence)
- ✓Online giving platform deposits matched to reports
- ✓Special campaign contributions
- ✓Rental income
Expense Categorization
- ✓Staff compensation (pastoral, admin, custodial)
- ✓Facilities (mortgage, utilities, maintenance)
- ✓Ministry programs (children, youth, worship)
- ✓Missions and benevolence disbursements
- ✓Denominational assessments
Fund Reconciliation
- ✓Restricted fund balances verified
- ✓Fund transfers tracked
- ✓Designated gift spending matched to intent
- ✓Building fund aligned with project costs
Denominational Reporting
- ✓Annual statistical reports
- ✓Assessment/apportionment calculations
- ✓Parochial reports (Episcopal)
- ✓Statistical tables (United Methodist)
- ✓Annual Church Profile (Southern Baptist)
Common Challenges We Solve
“Our old treasurer kept everything in their head”
We start from your bank statements and giving platform reports. Even if the previous system was a shoebox, we can reconstruct clean books.
“We’re not sure our funds are right”
We review every restricted fund balance, verify spending against designated intent, and flag discrepancies for your finance committee.
“Our denomination is asking for reports we can’t produce”
Clean, properly categorized books make denominational reporting straightforward. After catch-up, your treasurer can pull the reports your denomination requires.
“We need an audit but our books aren’t ready”
We get your books audit-ready so the auditor’s time (and your cost) is minimized.
Cost Comparison (12 Months Behind)
| Option | Cost | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting Ketchup | $948 | 5-7 days |
| Church-specialist CPA | $4,000-$10,000 | 4-8 weeks |
| Non-specialist bookkeeper | $2,500-$6,000 | 3-6 weeks |
| New volunteer treasurer | $0 + 40-80 hours | Months |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you understand church fund accounting?
Yes. We work with churches regularly and understand restricted/unrestricted fund tracking, designated gift categorization, and denominational reporting requirements.
What denominations do you work with?
All of them. We’ve worked with Baptist, Methodist, non-denominational, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Catholic parishes, and others. The bookkeeping principles are the same; the reporting formats vary slightly.
Can you handle payroll?
We categorize payroll transactions (paychecks, payroll taxes, benefits) but don’t process payroll. For payroll processing, we recommend Gusto, ADP, or your denomination’s payroll provider. Note: clergy compensation has unique tax treatment (housing allowance, self-employment tax) — your CPA should handle those specifics.
Our giving platform shows different numbers than our bank.
This is one of the most common church bookkeeping problems. Online giving platforms hold funds for 1-3 business days before depositing, and deposits often combine multiple gifts. We reconcile platform reports against bank deposits.
How We Approach Church Bookkeeping
Church bookkeeping has unique requirements that most bookkeeping services don't understand. We do — because we work with churches regularly.
Fund Accounting
Churches operate with multiple funds: general operating, building, missions, benevolence, youth, memorial, and capital campaigns. Each fund has separate income and expenses that must be tracked independently. We set up proper fund tracking in QuickBooks so every dollar is accounted for by purpose.
Designated Giving
When a member gives $1,000 designated for missions, that money cannot be used for the electric bill. We track designated gifts from receipt through spending, ensuring donor intent is honored and fund balances are always accurate.
Clergy Housing Allowance
The clergy housing allowance is a significant tax benefit with specific IRS requirements. While your CPA handles the tax treatment, we ensure the housing allowance payments are correctly categorized and separated from regular compensation in your books.
Denominational Reporting
Whether it's Southern Baptist Annual Church Profile, United Methodist statistical tables, Episcopal parochial reports, or other denominational requirements — clean books make these reports straightforward. We categorize income and expenses to match your denomination's reporting format.
Multiple Giving Platforms
Tithe.ly, Pushpay, Planning Center Giving, text-to-give, Sunday offering, online giving portals — each deposits at different times with different fees. We reconcile all platforms against bank deposits so nothing falls through the cracks. See pricing for your catch-up project.
Volunteer Treasurer Transitions
We see this constantly: the faithful treasurer who managed the books for 10 years steps down, and the new person inherits a QuickBooks file they don't understand (or worse, a filing cabinet). We start from bank statements and reconstruct clean books regardless of the previous system.
“Our treasurer moved away and left 8 months of unreconciled books. Ketchup understood fund accounting from day one — we didn't have to explain restricted gifts.”
Pastor David K.
Community Church
From the Blog
7 Signs Your Books Are Behind
Bank statements piling up? CPA asking questions you can't answer? Here are the warning signs — and a step-by-step plan to get caught up.
Read articleHow Much Does Catch-Up Bookkeeping Cost?
What does it actually cost to get your books caught up? We break down pricing across every option — from DIY to CPA — with total cost tables for 3, 6, 12, and 24 months.
Read articleYour congregation deserves transparent finances.
Clean books for your board, your denomination, and your members — in under a week.