Deduction for checks to church in 2014, but cashed in 2015

[curiousgeorge]

Checks given to church for Christmas.  If checks cashed in 2015, still deductible for 2014?
(For one reason or another, church has been slow in cashing checks lately.)

Thanks!

[TheOtherMe]

Dropped in the plate at Christmas or mailed on December 31?  If cashed shortly after the first of the year, no problem.  Should also be on the letter showing your contributions for the year.  The software we use lists the date of the contribution.  We go by the date of the service.  At the church where I am the treasurer, we make deposits after the service so no money (checks or cash) is at the church.  Too many break ins at churches around here to have money around. 

If not cashed until February, you might have a problem.  I'd also ask the church why it takes so long to cash checks.  Like I said, we put them in overnight depository slot at bank on Sunday and we did it on Christmas Eve.  Any checks that come in the mail by January 5 and are dated in December and postmarked in December, will go in books as December contributions.  Had one of those today and it is in bank already.  

Maybe your church has lots of extra money.  Ours does not.

[mwcpa]

IThe date of the contribution is the day you freely gave it away.  Keep a  contemporaneous log and record of when you sent it.  Personally I send most of my charitable gifts around the same time every year and I use checks in order so my mortgage payment on 1/2/15 is cut with a check after the charity and last checks for 2014.  I also make sure my checkbook balance can cover the checks written. I have no control over how fast xyz organization processes my gift, but I do all I can to ensure there is no year end cut off issue.

[zibazinski]

Churches aren't in the business of being stupid. That's just being stupid.

[busymom]

Actually, I'm glad someone started a thread on this topic. My Mom is the member of a large church, & it's nothing unusual for them to take 3-4 weeks to cash her checks.  Drives me nuts, because checks she gives to them are always the last ones to clear her bank.

[curiousgeorge]

Thanks much everyone!

[TheOtherMe]

Being a very small, poor church, we have to cash the checks to cover the bills.  

[Peace77]

Funds are considered given on the date of the gift or postmark.  

Theotherme, 

Do you copy the checks before depositing them?   I ask because a church that I knew once had their deposit "lost" after it was placed in the night deposit box.  The church had no proof of what had been deposited except what had been written on the deposit slip and the bank refused to accept it.

[TheOtherMe]

As a general rule, we do not copy the checks.  We only copy the checks from non members so we have an address for the letters that will go out every January.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Dec 26, 2014 18:22:56 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Churches aren't in the business of being stupid. That's just being stupid.

Churches aren't in business at all, which means when it comes to this kind of thing they are frequently stupid.  I stopped attending church business meetings a long time ago so my head wouldn't explode.

[zibazinski]

Dec 26, 2014 22:55:39 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Being a very small, poor church, we have to cash the checks to cover the bills.  

Even very large and rich churches have to pay their bills. There's even been in recent years another "pass the plate" to give church staff bonuses. DFS hates that about Christian churches because money and GOD should not be in the same breath. I have to admit, I like the once a year dues thing that his temple does. 

[TheOtherMe]

Our poor church can barely pay it's bills and no plate is passed to give a bonus to church staff.  I should know.  I've never received one.

[TheOtherMe]

When I got to the church today and picked up the mail, there was a check dated December 24, 2014.  I only get the mail once a week, so I looked at the postmark.  It was December 26, 2014 so I entered the contribution as a 2014 amount.  And the check went in the bank account today.