Latter-day Saints: a defined 10% tithe as commandment, given through official church channels and not to local clergy personally. Members follow an annual tithing declaration practice, and give separate designated offerings such as fast offering and humanitarian aid. The mechanics of giving are unusually centralized and digital — see our dedicated page.
Protestant churches (broadly): the tithe is taught as biblical principle, baseline, or aspiration, depending on the church. Giving is congregational, with wide use of commercial online-giving platforms and designated funds.
Catholic parishes: proportionate, conscience-guided support rather than a fixed percentage. Historically this ran through collection and envelope programs, and increasingly it runs through diocesan or parish online giving.
Seventh-day Adventists: a structured tithe, forwarded through the denominational system, plus local offerings. The church-run AdventistGiving system handles online gifts.
Jewish communities: giving is framed as tzedakah and congregational membership rather than tithe language. That is a reminder that "tithing" itself is a tradition-specific lens.
Reading this page fairly
Every bullet above compresses a living tradition into a sentence. Each tradition's own materials say it better, and interpretation questions inside a tradition belong to that tradition. What a neutral guide can add is the side-by-side view. It is useful to interfaith families and to people changing churches. It also helps anyone whose search results kept answering a different denomination's question.
Tithing questions
Is tithing 10% of gross or net income?
It is the most-asked question in the topic, and the honest answer is that it depends. Your tradition decides, and within many traditions personal conviction decides. Latter-day Saint practice famously leaves the interpretation of "income" to the member. Many Protestant teachers offer views in both directions. Other traditions do not frame giving in percentage terms at all. Any site outside your tradition answering this with a number is overstepping. The right sources are your own scriptures, teachings, and leaders.
What is the difference between tithes and offerings?
In traditions that use both terms, the tithe is the base practice — the proportional gift. Offerings are additional gifts, often designated ones. Examples: fast offerings and humanitarian funds in LDS practice, mission and building funds in many Protestant churches, second collections in Catholic parishes. Designation matters in practice. Most systems, online and envelope alike, let you direct money to specific funds, and the designation is honored in accounting.
Do I have to tithe to belong to a church?
Policies genuinely differ, and honesty requires saying so plainly. In some traditions, tithing is tied to standing or specific privileges; full LDS temple participation includes a tithing declaration. In many others, giving is taught and encouraged but never gated. What is universal: reputable churches publish their expectations openly, or will explain them. And discomfort asking is itself worth bringing to your leaders. The question is ancient, and they have heard it.