The Parish
of St Andrew & St George, Stevenage
Finance Policy
1. Treasury Committee
The Treasury Committee has
responsibilty for the day to day financial affairs of the church with
discretion allowed for the payment of extraordinary items.
The committee is responsible for
the formulation and review of the church’s financial policy.
All findings and recommendations
are presented to the PCC or Standing committee for discussions and, where
appropriate, formal adoption.
The committee is made up of the
Treasurer and other members of the congregation as approved by the PCC.
2. Accounting
Accounts are prepared in
accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006, together with the
Charities Statement of Recommended Practice, 2005 and the Charities Act 2011.
An historical cost convention is
used to value assets and costs are recorded on an accrual basis.
General funds are those of the
PCC which are not restricted in use. Funds designated by the PCC for a
particular use are unrestricted.
Collections and donations are
recognised upon receipt with any element of Gift Aid being accounted for upon
receipt of the donation. Fee income is accounted for when due.
Grants and donations to third
parties are accounted for when paid or when awarded if that award creates a
binding obligation.
Bank statements must be
maintained by the Treasurer for at least seven years.
The PCC is not registered for
VAT.
3. Reserves
The PCC designate an amount to
be held in reserve to meet unexpected expenditure.
The reserves are maintained with
a very cautious attitude to risk.
4. Signatories
Signatories are approved by the
PCC. Each payment made requires two signatories.
A signatory may not endorse a
payment to themselves or family member.
It is the responsibility of the
Treasurer keep records of signatories. The authorisation of signatories should
be made regularly by the PCC.
5. Expenses
Expenses must be submitted using
the expenses claim form and passed for payment with invoices, bills or receipts
as appropriate. The form should then be authorised before payment is made.
6. Authority.
Authority to pass payments are
as follows:
Up to £1,000 – The
Standing Committee
Over £1,000 – PCC
approval required
7. Cash Collections.
Cash collections should be
counted by two members of the congregation who have been approved to do so by
the PCC.
The PCC approved form to record
monies should be used and the monies either passed to Treasurer or Cashier ,
approved by the PCC, or locked in the safe.
Names and signatures are
required on collection records.
8. Gift Aid Secretary.
Person responsible for Gift Aid
recording and claiming should be approved by the PCC.
It is policy to claim Gift Aid
as soon as it is due unless PCC approves otherwise. It is the responsiblilty of
the Treasurer to maintain adequate records as required by HMRC.
Gift aid records are maintained
for seven years or 6 years after the last claim settlement.
9. Petty Cash.
The PCC does not operate a petty
cash system.
10. Annual Financial Statements.
Financial and bank statements
should be held for a period of seven years.
Approved by the PCC on 17th July
2023