What is a Parish Treasurer?
The treasurer is an officer of the PCC, an official position serving the church by providing financial leadership to the PCC. They are appointed by the PCC, with the support of the Vicar and Churchwardens.
The treasurer must act as the first and primary tier of financial checks and balances and is responsible for the proper disbursement of church funds, both restricted and unrestricted within policies established by the Charities Commission, the Church of England and the PCC.
The majority of parish treasurers are volunteers, although it is perfectly acceptable to have a paid treasurer. Paid treasurers cannot be a member of the PCC though, as charity trustees are not usually allowed to be paid by the charity.
Parish treasurers do not need to be accountants. However, they should be reasonably financially competent with the ability to maintain basic accounts and explain financial issues clearly, both within the PCC and to the general church membership
The basic role of the treasurer is to:
- Ensure received income is recorded and banked
- Monitor all items of income and expenditure
- Pay and record all items of expenditure
- Keep proper books and records
- Prepare the annual accounts each year
- Assist the PCC in setting an annual budget
- Advise the PCC of the financial position against budget
- Provide general financial information to the PCC
Resources for treasurers
Association of Church Accountants and Treasurers (ACAT) - Manchester Diocese has subscribed to a block membership of ACAT which allows all parishes within the diocese to access lots of excellent resources and guidance specific to the successful running of church finances. Please email finance@manchester.anglican.org to request login details.
The Parish Finance section of the Parish Resources website contains a whole range of resources to foster good practice.
There is also specific information relating to finance procedures in Manchester Diocese on our own Parish Finance page.