Is it considered a full tithing in the Mormon Church to pay tithing on our net income?

Question

Gramps,

When we pay our tithing in the Mormon Church do we pay on our Gross Income, before taxes are taken out… or on our Net Income? My husband who is self-employed says we pay on our Gross Income… But I have always felt that if I pay a tenth of my Net Income that I actually bring home from my pay check that I am paying a full tithe. Thanks for your help.. You are wonderful and I respect your opinions.

Dixie

Answer

Dear Dixie,

We pay tithing in the Mormon Church on our financial increase. In some companies, the company takes part of the money that we have earned and pays some of our bills for us. If one company deducted taxes from our pay and another did not, do you think that it would be honest for the one whose taxes had been deducted to pay less tithing than the one whose taxes were not deducted? Paying tithing on anything less than gross income would be paying tithing on only a part of our income. Your husband is right.

It would seem to me that the most sacred financial obligation that we have would be our obligation to the Lord. My suggestion would be, when we pay our bills at the end of the month, to write a check for our tithing and other church contributions before writing any other check. That would be an overt demonstration of obedience to the principle of tithing.

Some people have difficulty giving back to the Lord 10% of what he gives us. We may fear that we wouldn’t have enough money left over to live on. Let me testify to you that it is always easier to live on 90% of one’s income after paying a full tithing than to try to live on 100% of one’s income if the Lord is thereby left out of the equation. Some people think that it takes a great deal of faith to pay tithing. In reality it doesn’t take any faith at all. When making out one’s bills, one merely writes the tithing check first. This is done by looking at the GROSS PAY amount, moving the decimal one point to the left, and writing a check for that amount. Where faith come in is trying to live for the rest of the month on what you have left.

Gramps