Elim Monthly Return Report
The Elim Monthly Return report enables Elim EFGA Churches to export their data in the form it is needed for their Elim Monthly Return at the click of a button!
This is achieved by mapping each category when setting up ExpensePlus to one of the pre-set Elim Classifications.
This means that Elim EFGA churches can add, name and structure categories how their wish within ExpensePlus, whilst still fulfilling the requirements for submitting monthly returns.
Basic Setup
Within the system settings, check your organisation type is set as 'Church - Elim EFGA' and the Elim Church Code for your church is displayed correctly below this. If you need to update any details, click the 'edit' button to the right of this section.
Category Setup
Within the category settings, each of the categories needs to be linked to an 'Elim Classification'. This mapping between categories and the Elim classifications determines where income and expenditure appears within the Elim monthly return generated within ExpensPlus.
Note: The category name itself is not important so you can name categories as you wish them to appear within your own financial reports.
Bank Account Setup
Within the Bank Settings screen, when adding a bank account, you need to set an Elim bank account code. The option you select MUST match what you have previously used for this bank account. If you are unsure, you should contact the LCAS team.
Note: If your church has a Deposit Account held centrally by Elim, we'd recommend you DO add this as a bank account within ExpensePlus as it will enable you to view a full picture of the cash assets your church holds.
If you do this, then you will need to request a PDF statement for this account each month from the LCAS team. This statement will consist of an interest-received transaction, along with transactions for any money deposited/withdrawn. You will need to use the manual upload option within ExpensePlus and then reconcile these transactions as usual. The fact that this bank account will get included in your LCAS submission generated by ExpensePlus isn't an issue.
Elim Monthly Return Report
The report is found within Finance Reports.
If it's not showing, ensure you have completed the 'Basic Setup' - see the section for this towards the top of this help article.
The information displayed on the on-screen report is the same as the information that would usually have to be manually entered into the 'Return' Tab Elim Monthly Return spreadsheet, but it is auto-generated for you!
At the top of this report, you can select the month and you can choose to just show summary information per classification group.
As is the case on the Return Tab of the LCAS spreadsheet, at the bottom of the on-screen report there is a cashflow summary for the month being viewed, and a summary of cash balances for all of your bank and cash accounts.
As with all financial reports, the on-screen report can be downloaded as a .pdf or .csv.
To download the export you need to submit to Elim, click the 'Export Elim Submission' button at the bottom of the report.
This will create the data that is usually in the 'DO-NOT-USE-DK-Import-Sheet' tab, which the LCAS team at Elim need and use, with all of the populated and compiled correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What about the bank reconciliation tabs in the LCAS spreadsheet? (outstanding cheques and bank deposits at month end)
The Bank Reconciliation tabs in the LCAS spreadsheet enable you to account for:
- Outstanding Cheques at month end (money paid out by cheque, that is yet to leave your bank account)
- Bank Deposits (cash and cheques received and paid it, but that are yet to arrive in your bank account)
Typically, most churches don't make payments by cheque, so the first of these isn't relevant. However, were you to write a cheque and that cheque be outstanding at month end, here is what you should do:
- If you have entered the expenditure as a purchase, go to that purchase and delete it (typically, it will be on the right-hand table of the 'match transactions' screen for the bank account you marked it as paid from).
- Instead, record this payment as a 'petty cash expenditure' with the petty cash screen
- Then, when the cheque appears on your uploaded bank statement, on the match transactions screen, record this as a 'petty cash withdrawal'
Where you deposit cash and cheques, to avoid needing to account for cash and cheques received and paid it, but that are yet to arrive in your bank account, rather than entering these as 'bank deposits', here is what you should do:
- If you have entered the cash / cheque income as a bank deposit, go to the bank deposit screen and delete it
- Instead, record this income as a 'petty cash income' with the petty cash screen
- Then, when the deposit appears on your uploaded bank statement, on the match transactions screen, record this as a 'petty cash deposit'
How are 'Other Income' and 'Other Expenditure' handled?
Within the Return Tab of the LCAS spreadsheet, you are required to let LCAS have a description for any income or expenditure classified as 'other'.
When setting up your categories, map any categories that don't fit one of the regular Elim classifications as either 'H. Other Income' or 'T. Other Expenditure'. On the 'Export Elim Spreadsheet' downloaded you will see that for any such categories, the category name will appear in the 'comment required' field - thus providing the LCAS team with a description for that income/expenditure (so be sure to set a helpful category name for any categories mapped to Elim classifications of either 'H. Other Income' or 'T. Other Expenditure'.
To better understand the Finance Reports module, please view the module overview video here.