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Submit an expense or log a church-card purchase

Whether you paid out of your own pocket and need money back, or you used a church card and just need it on record, you submit both the same way. This walks you through the form step by step.

Before you begin

  • You need to be signed in to your Churchday account. If you open the page while signed out, you'll be asked to sign in first.
  • Your church has to have expense reimbursements turned on, and you need access to submit. If you're not sure, see Getting access to submit expenses.
  • Have your receipt ready, either a photo or a PDF. A receipt is required for every submission.

Step-by-step

  1. Go to your church's expenses page. Open your church's page and find the expenses section, then look for the New expense button near the top. Tap it to open the form.

  2. Choose who paid. Under Who paid?, pick one:

    • I paid ("Need reimbursement") if you spent your own money and want it back.
    • Church paid ("Used a church card") if the purchase went on a church-owned card. This just logs the receipt for your church's records. There's no reimbursement and no approval needed, but a receipt is still required.

  3. Add the receipt. In the Receipt section, use Take photo to snap it with your camera, Upload to choose a file from your device, or Paste to drop in a screenshot you've copied. You can also drag and drop a file onto the box. Accepted files are JPG, PNG, HEIC, WEBP, or PDF, up to 20MB.

  4. Let the details fill in, then check them. If your church has receipt reading turned on, Churchday reads the photo and fills in the amount, date, Where (the store or business), category, and what the purchase was for. Always look these over, because auto-reading isn't perfect. If you see a note like "Some fields might be off," double-check that field before moving on.

  5. Fill in the required fields. Confirm or enter each of these:

    • Amount: how much you spent.
    • Date: the day of the purchase. Future dates aren't allowed.
    • Where: where you made the purchase, like "Costco."
    • Category: pick the department and category that fits.
    • What was this for: a short, specific description, at least a few words. This is required by tax rules for nonprofits, so be clear (for example, "Snacks for the youth group cookout on Saturday").

  6. Add who was with you, if asked. For meals, travel, or ministry categories, a Who was with you field appears. It's optional, but listing the people involved helps whoever reviews the expense.

  7. Choose where to send the reimbursement. This step only shows when you picked I paid. Under Where to send the reimbursement, pick your method (such as Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, Check, Cash, or Other), then enter the matching detail, like your Venmo username. If you pick Check, fill in Pay to the order of with the exact name to write on the check (use your legal name so your bank accepts it), and optionally a Mailing address.

  8. Send it in. Tap Submit expense (or Log this purchase if the church paid). You'll land back on your expenses page with a confirmation and a reference number you can share if you ever need to follow up.

Good to know

  • The receipt is required for both options, so bookkeeping always has proof of purchase.
  • Your church may set a spending limit. If your amount is over it, you'll see a message and won't be able to submit until it's under the limit.
  • Cash reimbursement doesn't ask for any handle, and Check asks for a payee name instead of an account.

What's next?

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