A different approach is needed in QuickBooks when creating a chart of accounts for churches and religious organizations. 
These companies are considered to be non-profit, as they do not offer products or services the same way that other businesses do. Instead, churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and other religious groups rely entirely on donations and fund raising to support their organizations.
Income accounts for churches and other religious organizations should be based how the money is raised. It is typical to have income accounts for benevolence offerings, mission offerings, and pledges. Create new items in QuickBooks if people donate to a specific cause run by the organization such as a youth group or a building fund. If the church charges money for renting out space or for performing ceremonies like marriages, bar or bat mitzvahs, or funerals, then the proceeds from these services could be placed into a special services income account.
Expense accounts should be kept for events and costs are considered normal being a non-profit organization. Some examples of expense accounts are:
- Meetings and Conferences
- Evangelism Events and other special events
- Ministry Costs
- Printing Costs for Promotional Materials
- Donations to other Non-Profits
For detailed expense accounts, click here to download a sample chart of accounts.
Where Can I Find More QuickBooks Help?
If you are new to QuickBooks, read our blogs about changing preferences, adding new items, and generating reports.
If you need a QuickBooks refresher, read about how to create a new company, and how to edit your chart of accounts.
To learn about a chart of accounts for another industry, try our post on industry specific charts of accounts.
To get a free PDF with more information on QuickBooks files and accounts, please enter your name and e-mail below.
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Did you know your link for church chart of accounts is a circular reference back to this article – where’s the COA?
You have to enter your name and email to download the pdf.
I can’t seem to access the link for the Chart of Account for Churches. Sure would appreciate your assistance.
Please check your email – for the PDF.
We are looking for help and guidlines to create our first accounting system for the church. For 15 years it has been handled by a single person using Excel. We would be in trouble if we were without him. So, we are looking to setup an accounting software and are looking at Quickbooks. Do you have a sample chart of accounts that you might use for churches?
Thanks.
Kent Lawson
Hello Kent
Click on this link for Chart of Account for Churches. http://fasttracconsulting.com/2012/03/quickbooks-chart-of-accounts-for-churches-and-religious-organizations/#
Your link just reloads the same page on which the question was posted. There is a missing link on that page. Although it says, “Click here to download a sample chart of accounts,” there is no hyperlink.
John, You have to enter your name and email to download.