Donation & Tax Disclaimer
This template explains how gifts made through the Stewardvine software should be understood for tax purposes, and — importantly — the limits of what Stewardvine does. It must be reviewed by a licensed attorney and a CPA before use, and read together with each parish's own acknowledgment practices.
A Stewardvine confirmation is a transaction record, not a tax receipt. Any on-screen or emailed confirmation generated through the Service is a record that a payment occurred. It is not an official charitable contribution receipt and should not be relied on as one for tax purposes.
Stewardvine provides no tax, legal, accounting, or financial advice. Stewardvine issues no official tax receipts and makes no representation about the deductibility of any gift. Donors and parishes should consult their own advisors.
1. Transaction record vs. tax receipt
When a donor makes a gift, the Service may show an on-screen confirmation and/or send an emailed confirmation. That confirmation is a transaction record — evidence that a payment was made to the parish through Square. It is not a contemporaneous written acknowledgment or official tax receipt within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code, and it is not designed to satisfy any IRS substantiation requirement.
2. Stewardvine gives no tax advice
Stewardvine is a software company. Stewardvine does not provide tax, legal, accounting, or financial advice, and nothing on this site or in the Service should be construed as such advice. Stewardvine:
- issues no official charitable tax receipts;
- makes no representation or warranty that any gift is tax-deductible, in whole or in part;
- does not determine, calculate, or advise on any donor's tax position; and
- does not verify any organization's tax-exempt status (see Section 5).
3. The parish's acknowledgment duties
The parish — as the recipient of the gift and the merchant of record — is solely responsible for providing donors with any IRS-compliant written acknowledgment and for meeting its own substantiation and disclosure obligations. Stewardvine's transaction records may assist the parish's recordkeeping, but they do not replace the parish's own acknowledgments.
Parishes should establish a process to issue proper written acknowledgments — often an annual giving statement plus per-gift acknowledgments where required — independent of any Stewardvine confirmation. Confirm the mechanics with counsel and a CPA.
4. $250+ substantiation & quid pro quo
Under IRS rules (see IRS Publication 1771, Charitable Contributions — Substantiation and Disclosure Requirements), a donor generally cannot claim a deduction of $250 or more without a contemporaneous written acknowledgment from the recipient organization. That acknowledgment typically must include:
- the amount of cash contributed;
- a description (but not the value) of any non-cash contribution;
- a statement of whether the organization provided any goods or services in return for the contribution; and
- a description and good-faith estimate of the value of any such goods or services, or a statement that only intangible religious benefits were provided.
For gifts to a parish, the acknowledgment commonly states that “only intangible religious benefits were provided” where that is accurate. Where a donor receives something of value in return (a quid pro quo contribution, generally over $75), additional written disclosure of the deductible amount is required. The parish is responsible for making these determinations and disclosures; Stewardvine does not.
5. Deductibility & parish tax status
Whether a gift is tax-deductible depends on the recipient parish's own federal tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3), commonly established for Catholic entities through the USCCB group ruling and listing in the Official Catholic Directory, and on the donor's individual circumstances.
- Stewardvine does not verify, confirm, or warrant any parish's or diocese's 501(c)(3) status, group-ruling coverage, or Official Catholic Directory listing.
- Stewardvine makes no representation that any particular gift qualifies for a charitable deduction.
- Each parish is responsible for confirming and, where appropriate, communicating its own tax-exempt status to donors.
6. Guidance for donors
If you are a donor:
- Keep the parish's official written acknowledgment or annual giving statement for your records — not the Stewardvine confirmation — when substantiating a deduction.
- Consult your own tax advisor about whether, and to what extent, your gift is deductible.
- Direct questions about your gift or about receipts to the parish that received it.
7. CPA review note
A licensed CPA (and counsel) must confirm the exact acknowledgment and disclosure language a parish uses — including the “only intangible religious benefits were provided” statement, the $250 substantiation threshold, and any quid-pro-quo disclosure — before it is relied upon. The wording above is illustrative scaffolding only.
Questions? Contact [email protected]. You can also return to the Legal hub.