How does the church know whether or not you are tithing your 10%. I have always been taught to tithe and give offerings. The amount I give is up to me. I don't even tithe or give offerings to the church I attend, but I do give an offering quarterly to another ministry not associated with my church.

How does it work?

Back in the old days, when I cared (the 1980s), the bishop would just ask at tithing settlement, or when getting or renewing a TR, if I'd paid a full tithe (10%). Often, he'd ask, "really?" if he didn't believe me - which was often...

Seriously though - it's on the honor system. Although once you admit you earned $80,000 one year, then then next year you are pretty much stuck, providing you are in the same job and all. They know what you made last year and if you try to give half that amount the next year, they will get all "concerned" about what went wrong with your finances. If there is a big discrepancy, the bishop will often give you a bit of the third degree in order to make sure you aren't fudging.

If you are only off a bit, no one will notice though. One year we couldn't afford to pay the last $500 or so we owed but we'd paid thousands to the church that year so the bishop didn't even flinch when I said we were all paid up. The amount we paid was in the ballpark of what they expected, knowing our situation, so they didn't split hairs about it. And yeah, I lied but it was Christmas and I had little kids. I wasn't sorry about it, even as a TBM although there were other times I did feel guilty enough to put any underpayment on the credit card.

You showed W-2s for which calendar year?

There is no possible way you would have your W-2s for the current tithing year. The IRS taxes income based on a January - December fiscal year. Especially if you are an hourly worker and have a variable schedule, employers have no way of knowing what hours you will work, say, for the month of December. Until you've worked them, at which point, your W-2 will be calculated.

As we all know, tithing settlements must be completed by 12/31. If you were required to bring W-2s to a tithing settlement, then they would have to have been for the previous year, which would render them meaningless because most people do not make the exact same amount from year to year. I have never made the same amount twice.

There is no possible way to get hold of your W-2s before the end of December. Tithing settlements are never held in January (because the books have to be closed out for the calendar year).

If you brought the previous year's W-2s, then the amount calculated would be correct for the previous year and therefore, inaccurate anyway.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2011 02:33PM by dogzilla.

That's terrible to make you show your W2's. What year was that? Officially it's up to the tithe-payer to determine what 10% is. Technically you could deduct all your costs of living, pay 10% of what's left, tell the bishop you payed it all, and he has to accept that.

But there are some nazi bishops out there who overstep their bounds.

Yeah, give or take a some, they have a general idea what you should be paying. If you are a professor approx $10k. If you are a school teacher, approx $4k. If you are a doctor approx $30k. If are a janitor approx $2k.

Why lie if you believe in it though?

I think my (soon to be)ex dh was be a very special man. Excuse me while I barf. In 2010 he paid 440. in tithing and got his Temple renewed. Without saying how much he made,$440 was a small percentage of what he made. I think the bishop had pity on him,or else ex told bishop I wouldn't allow him to pay tithing. Either one works,but the last is a fat lie. I guess lying is okay if you do it to get a Temple rec.

No longer pay tithing, but when we went long periods without paying, knowing full well that we couldn't catch up to what we were behind, the bishop told us to start fresh and pay consistently for 3 months and come back for our TR interview and we would be good.

I have never once seen any bishop ask for a w2 from anyone. Anyone that is asked should automatically say no that is not your business. Also, I have not heard of the bishop comparing one years earnings to another. He does not take the time nor does the clerk to go through and analyze these things.

If members want to keep their donations confidential, they need to send them directly to SLC. At tithing settlements time the member can claim a full tithe and the bishop can verify with SLC that money has been paid, but SLC will not divulge the amount of money paid.

It is against the CHI Book 1 instructions for a bishop to request any form of written proof (w-2, pay stubs) that a member has paid fully. If you know a bishop doing this you should call SLC and raise hell.

The tithing settlement schedule usually give 5 minutes per interview and often that interview cover two members( husband and wife).

The only time tithing settlement goes longer is when some uptight member want to rehash the definition of "full tithe"....