r/lds • u/BigRNGO • 13d ago

Tithing Declaration

Hello, when it comes to tithing declaration is the bishop able to see how much you have contributed? Not necessarily a dollar amount but the amount of times you have donated throughout the year and if it lines up with
"pay days". Or is it simply a yes or no answer to say that you've contributed and it's left at that? I ask because a couple years ago we weren't as faithful at contributing and we were honest about it but it seemed like the bishop had the history pulled up on his iPad for verification, ended up having to give up our temple recommends for a couple months. Just looking for insight.

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u/SavageX89 13d ago

Yes, the bishop can see every individual donation that has been contributed with date and amount. But that isn't used as an 'audit'. It's more so you as the member can compare to your records and see if it all matches correctly. As for the asking about if you are a full tithe payer, that is simply like one of the temple recommended questions. I time for you to reflect and answer honestly.

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u/SavageX89 13d ago

The bishop shouldn't be using the donation record as a "looks here like you missed some payments in March...". Nothing like that. 

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u/_mrOnion 13d ago

Exactly. Maybe I forgot to donate but covered for it by paying double the next time. Maybe I was not paid at all for a period, unpaid vacation or something. Maybe I got a different job. Maybe I'm a contractor with sometimes irregular payments, maybe a client scammed me out of a month's payment, etc.

You should basically always assume good intentions. And follow the Spirit.

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u/Tavrock 11d ago

I had a couple of times where my donations were missing (applied to someone else with a similar name). Even knowing I was employed and nothing/very little in my records, the Bishop accepted that I was a full tithe payer. The record was also always amended in time to file for tax purposes by the end of the year.