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Church Cashbook User Manual

A short tour for first-time users, designed for low computer confidence.

First login checklist (everyone)

  1. Open your Profile and check your name and email are correct.
  2. If you have access to more than one church, confirm you are working on the correct church before you do anything else. See Church selection and scope.
  3. Open Transactions and look at recent entries to get a feel for how your church is using categories and descriptions.
  4. Open Reports and run one familiar report (often the Monthly Summary) so you know where to find it later.

Choose your role

Use the checklist that matches what you do in your church.

Jump to your role:
Also on this page:

Treasurer checklist

  1. Accounts: check the list of accounts and opening balances are sensible for your church. (See Church settings.)
  2. Categories: browse the category list so you can choose confidently when you enter items. (See Categories.)
  3. Enter a test transaction (optional): if you’re unsure, add a small test entry and then void it so you understand the workflow. (See Transactions.)
  4. Receipts are optional: you can attach a receipt if you have one, but many churches keep paper receipts separately. (See Transactions.)
  5. Reconciliation habit: decide how often you will mark items cleared against your bank statement (weekly or monthly). (See Transactions.)
  6. Budgets (if you use them): review or set the budget for the current financial year. (See Budgets.)

What you will do most often

Church Viewer checklist

  1. Dashboard: take a quick look at headline figures and recent activity. (See Dashboard.)
  2. Transactions: practise filtering by date range and category, then open a few items to see the detail. (See Transactions.)
  3. Reports: run the Monthly Summary and one other report you expect to use regularly. (See Reports.)

What you will do most often

Gift Aid Manager checklist

  1. Declarations: confirm existing declarations look complete and current.
  2. Candidates: review the candidates list (your work queue) and understand why items appear there.
  3. Linking and exclusions: link eligible donations and record reasons for exclusions clearly.
  4. Claims: review the claim workflow so you know the stages and what “submitted” means.

What you will do most often

See Gift Aid for the full walkthrough.

Independent Examiner checklist (if enabled in your diocese)

  1. Confirm scope: check which churches and which period you are assigned to review.
  2. Start with reports: run the Monthly Summary and key year-end outputs for the period you are examining. (See Reports.)
  3. Spot-check transactions: filter by date and category, open individual items, and look for clear descriptions and correct allocation. (See Transactions.)
  4. Evidence trail: where receipts are uploaded, open them and confirm they support the entry. Where receipts are not uploaded, confirm there is an alternative evidence trail (paper filing, bank statement narrative). (See Transactions.)
  5. Gift Aid (if used): sample-check that declarations, links, and exclusions are documented. (See Gift Aid.)

What you will do most often

Deanery / Diocese Finance Officer checklist

  1. Confirm your scope: ensure you are viewing the correct deanery/diocese context and understand which churches you can see.
  2. Use standard reports first: start with consistent reports so comparisons are meaningful. (See Reports.)
  3. Check categories and consistency: confirm churches are using the diocesan category structure consistently. (See Categories.)
  4. Look for outliers: identify unusual trends, missing activity, or unexpected allocations that may need follow-up.
  5. Support governance: where needed, advise on standard practice (e.g., descriptions, clearing habits, budget use, Gift Aid hygiene).

What you will do most often

Good habits

Next steps

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