Contents

Availability

This feature is available to all USA and UK-based churches and Dioceses that subscribe to a plan that includes Accounting - Small or higher.

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ChMeetings lets you link to your bank accounts to import transactions into your accounting. This feature is enabled using Stripe and the data passing through it is encrypted. Please see Stripe’s Terms and Privacy Policy for details.

Terminology

Throughout the Accounting module in ChMeetings, as well as in corresponding help guides, including this one, we will be using the following two terms to distinguish between the account you use for financial tracking purposes, and your bank accounts:

Financial Accounts are exclusively an accounting tool that helps you track transactions taking place through your bank or in cash. They do not hold money, they just help you track it across Funds and income or expense categories.
Bank Accounts hold your money and are where your financial transactions take place. These accounts are managed through your bank but can be linked to ChMeetings Financial Accounts to track corresponding financial activity.

Limitations

The Number Of Accounts: There is no limit to the number of accounts you can link; however, only the first three are free. Each bank account our churches add to the Accounting module requires additional costs; which is why, we had to implement this limitation. Due to the initial linking costs, accounts that you unlink or delete still count towards the three. Any additional account costs an extra $2 (one-time fee). Please contact our support to request additional accounts or changes to the accounts you already linked.
Manual Import: The import of transactions is manual. While this may be a limitation by not being automatic, it also allows you to choose what to import or not; thus preventing potential accounting errors.

Link A Bank Account

To link a new bank account, go to ChMeetings > Accounting > Accounts > Bank Accounts.

Next, click the Plus (⊕) button at the top, then select Add Bank Account.

You must first read and agree to Stripe’s Terms and Privacy Policy to continue.

Now, select your bank from the list. If you do not see it listed, please use the Search box to find it.

Next, you must log into your bank account. Click Continue to proceed.

You will be directed to your bank’s login screen, where you must enter your credentials and go through all security protocols required for login.

Once logged into your bank account, you must link it to the corresponding Financial Account. Therefore, you will next be asked to link your bank account to a financial account within ChMeetings Accounting. Click Next to proceed. Alternatively, you can click Not Now if you just want to add the bank account without linking it to a financial account.

Now, choose the Financial Account that you want to link to this Bank Account. Click Link when ready,

Wnen linked, your account will be listed as such within your Bank Accounts Tab.

Your goal is that each Bank Account you add has a corresponding Financial Account linked to it. This way, incoming transactions from all your bank accounts will be imported to your accounting under the correct Account, Category, and Fund.

Whenever there is an unlinked account, ChMeetings will show a warning next to the Bank Account Tab, a notification on top of your accounts list, as well as an Unlinked label next to the account(s) in question.

You can link an unlined bank account anytime after adding it. Just make sure that you are on your Bank Accounts screen. Then identify your bank account and click Link Bank Account, next to it. Alternatively, click the Options button, and select Link Bank Account.

Import Transactions From Your Bank

Once your accounts are linked, you can import transactions from the following locations:

Accounting > Accounts > ChMeetings Accounts > Import Transactions > Import From Bank.
Accounting > Reconciliation > Select a Reconciled Account > View > Import Transactions > Import From Bank.

You will be asked to select The import’s Start Date when importing for the first time. This tells ChMeetings after which date it should pull transactions and add them to your Accounting Account. Select the desired date, then click Load Transactions.

For subsequent imports, you can choose to either start from a specific date or from the date of the last sync. The last sync date is specified within the Select Date window after your first sync.

After loading transactions, you will see an Import screen that lets you check or uncheck transactions, as per your needs. We strongly recommend reviewing each transaction to make sure that it is not duplicating another and that it does not contain any inaccurate information.

Once you have selected the required transactions and finalized the import process, all transactions will be displayed within the Transactions list of the corresponding ChMeetings account.

Unlink A Bank Account

Unlinking a bank account means that it will no longer be linked to a Financial Account, so you will be unable to run transaction imports between them. All previously imported transactions remain unchanged after unlinking the bank account.

You can unlink a bank account by following these steps:

Go to the Bank Accounts screen,
Identify the account you want to unlink,
Click the Options ( ⠇) button next to it,
Select Unlink.

You can link the account again after unlinking it.

Delete A Bank Account

Deleting a bank account means that it will neither be linked to a Financial Account nor be listed under your Bank Accounts screen. All previously imported transactions remain unchanged after deleting the bank account.

You can delete an account by following these steps:

Go to the Bank Accounts screen,
Identify the account you want to delete,
Click the Options ( ⠇) button next to it,
Select Delete.

You must confirm your choice. Please keep in mind that deleted Bank Accounts cannot be restored. You must go through the entire process again to add and link it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Types of Accounts Can I Link?

We support various bank account types: credit cards, checking, savings, loan accounts, money market accounts, and more.

Does It Cost Extra To Link a Bank Account?

The option to link your bank account is included with the ChMeetings Accounting module and you can link three accounts at no additional cost. To link more than three accounts, please contact our support team. There is a $2 one-time fee per additional account linked.

Is a Stripe Account Required To Link With My Bank?

While we use Stripe as a processor for this feature, you do not need to have an account with them to be able to link bank accounts.

My Bank Isn’t Listed. How Can I Sync My Bank Account?

There can be two reasons why you may not see your bank listed:

Your bank is not US-based. For the moment, this feature is only available to US-based churches.
Stripe does not yet support your bank.

You can still import your bank transactions by downloading them from your bank and importing them into ChMeetings. We support OFX, QFX, QIF, QBO, CSV, XLS, and XLSX files. Learn more about importing transactions from a file.

Why Isn’t The Transaction List The Same in My Bank Account And ChMeetings Accounting?

This is because, at the moment, transactions are not imported automatically. You must manually run an import whenever you want the lists to be in sync. Please see Import Transactions From Your Bank for information on how to run this import.

Can I import transactions from a file on a linked account?

You can, but we don’t recommend it, because it could lead to an inaccurate transactions list. Once you linked an account, we recommend that you exclusively run the import via the Import From Bank option.

Can I Skip Transactions During Import?

Yes, you can. Just make sure that there is a valid and legal reason why you are doing so. One scenario when you might want to skip importing a transaction is if it’s already been recorded and importing it would create a duplicate.

Can ChMeetings Access My Banking Information?

When you link an account, you only grant ChMeetings permission to access and import your transaction. This only gives us access to the information that is included within the transactions we access and import; and no more. We do not get access to your bank account credentials or to any other data outside of the transactions you allow us to import. We also cannot make changes to your bank account or to the transactions you import. All we can do is read the transaction data from your bank account and add it to your ChMeetings Accounting. We secure your bank information just as well as your other ChMeetings account information, per our Privacy Policy and Security Practices.