The Treasurer — The Council's Bank, Not Its Bookkeeper

Fellow Treasurer, short version

You hold the money. You pay the bills. You do not keep the books. If that sounds backwards from what your Grand Knight told you when you agreed to take this role — welcome to the surprise most new Treasurers get in month one.

This page explains what a KoC Treasurer actually does, where your role ends and the Financial Secretary's begins, and the three or four things that get Treasurers in trouble.

---

What a Treasurer actually is

The Treasurer is the council's banker. You receive all money paid to the council, deposit it, hold the accounts, and disburse funds on properly authorized vouchers. You sign checks. You prepare for the audit.

What you do not do: keep the member roster, track dues status, record who paid what, prepare Supreme forms, or send billing notices. That is all the Financial Secretary. The two jobs are deliberately split — one person records, another pays. No exceptions, not even "just temporarily while the FS is out." Order L&R §139 (FS duties) and §140 (Treasurer duties) enforce the split; §130 requires both officers to post bonds before taking office.

One sentence to remember: Money moves through you, records run through the FS. When you disagree, the FS's ledger wins; when the Trustees audit, they verify the two reconcile.

---

What you own, end-to-end

• Receiving and depositing. Every dollar paid to the council — dues, donations, fundraiser proceeds, raffle receipts, fraternal benefit kickbacks, parish stipends — lands with you. You deposit promptly (not next month) and keep the deposit slips.
• Paying vouchers. A voucher is a council-approved payment request — approved at a business meeting (or by the GK within their signing authority), with the amount and payee documented. You issue payment. No voucher, no payment. Ever.
• Maintaining the council accounts. Checking, savings, investment accounts if the council has them. You're the signatory; in most councils the GK is co-signatory, and checks over a certain dollar threshold require both.
• Bank reconciliation. Monthly. You compare bank statement to your ledger of receipts and disbursements. Discrepancies go to the FS — they usually indicate a dues payment that wasn't posted or a voucher that hasn't cleared.
• Preparing for audit. Once a year, after fraternal year-end (June 30), the Trustees perform the Form #1295 annual audit. You produce bank statements, voucher files, and reconciliations for the full year. FS produces the member ledger and income records. Trustees reconcile both sides.

---

Where your role ends

This is the part that surprises new Treasurers most:

• Not the billing function. Late-paying members get their notices from the FS, not you. Even if you know John down the street and he owes dues, you don't call him. The FS sends the #1295 notice. You receive the payment if it comes in.
• Not the budget author. The Program Director proposes program budgets; the GK sets them on the agenda; the council votes. You implement what the council approves.
• Not the Form #1728 preparer. You contribute the charitable giving dollar figures from your ledger; the FS compiles the form; the GK signs it.
• Not the voucher approver. Approval comes from the GK (or the council at a business meeting). You execute. If a voucher shows up that wasn't approved, you return it — kindly, but firmly.

The Treasurer's power is the power to say no when authorization is missing. Use it.

---

Your monthly rhythm

• Weekly: Walk the mail. Deposit anything that arrived. Log deposits in your ledger.
• Monthly: Pull the bank statement. Reconcile against your ledger. Attend the officer meeting; report bank balances, cleared vouchers, any outstanding checks. Hand over the reconciliation to the FS.
• At fraternal year-end (June 30): Prepare for audit. Bank statements for every account for every month of the year. Voucher file (paper or scanned). Signed reconciliations.

---

Common pitfalls — things that quietly sink Treasurer years

• Paying without a voucher. "The GK told me to" is not a voucher. Written authorization, with amount and payee, signed by the GK or voted by the council. No written auth, no payment.
• Signing checks with a blank payee or amount. Ever. If you're presigning checks so the FS can fill them in, stop tonight. That's embezzlement waiting to happen — not because you'd do it, because someone else eventually will.
• Mixing council money with personal accounts. Even for an hour. Open a separate council checking account the day you take office if one isn't already in place.
• Skipping reconciliations. Monthly bank rec is what catches errors while they're still findable. Six months of unreconciled statements equals six months of audit nightmares.
• Running the FS job. When the FS falls behind, the right move is to call the GK, not to take over their duties. You cannot recover from stepping into the ledger — you lose separation of duties, and every transaction going forward is questionable.

---

Your fraternal-year rhythm

• July: New term starts. Signature cards updated at the bank (you, the GK, any other authorized signers). Prior Treasurer fully handed over — statements, voucher files, checkbook, all accounts.
• July – August: Audit window. Form #1295 annual audit covers the fraternal year just ended (Jul 1 – Jun 30). Prepare your side in early July; cooperate with the Trustees. Due August 15.
• September – December: Steady state. Monthly reconciliations. Quarterly budget review with the GK and FS.
• January: 1st Supreme assessment levied — coordinate with FS on remittance by April 10.
• February – June: Continue steady state. Fundraiser season usually peaks spring; make sure you're depositing promptly.
• June 30: Year-end close. Final deposits in, final vouchers paid. Records organized for the July audit. Hand off cleanly to the incoming Treasurer if your term is ending.

---

A word on trust and tone

The Treasurer job is a trust job. Most councils choose a Treasurer the brothers respect — someone whose judgment on money is unquestioned. If that's you, treat the role accordingly. Be the person who asks the uncomfortable question when a voucher looks off. Be the person who says "we need proper authorization before I pay this." The council will thank you. Father McGivney certainly would.

---

Source notes. Draws on Charter, Constitution and Laws (Order L&R, 2025 edition — §140 Treasurer duties; §130 bonds; §145 Trustees audit), the Treasurer's Handbook, and Supreme audit guidance. Send feedback if anything's off.

Last reviewed: April 18, 2026. Fraternal year 2025–26.