Income and Expenditure during the Vacancy
Income and Expenditure during the Vacancy
The Churchwardens should liaise with the Parish Treasurer to ensure that a
separate vacancy account (often known as a Sequestration Account) is kept to
record income and expenditure explicitly related to the interregnum. This does
not have to be a separate bank account, but may be if this is more convenient
for the parish.
Income relates to:
- the proportion of fees payable to occasional Offices
which would normally be paid to the incumbent (i.e. Banns of Marriage, Funerals,
monuments erected in the Churchyard, incumbent's share of the Marriage fee).
This includes fees for marriages or funerals taken by assistant or non-stipendiary
clergy. The proportion of fees normally payable to the PCC is paid to the
PCC as it would be if there were an incumbent in post;
- garage and other rents or income normally payable
to the incumbent of the benefice during the period of the vacancy.
Expenditure relates to:
- fees and travelling expenses paid to retired clergy
officiating during the vacancy. The current Diocesan rate for expenses and
the scale for fees paid to retired clergy can be found in the London Diocesan
Year Book;
- travelling expenses for other visiting clergy (stipendiary
or self-supporting clergy with a Licence, or clergy with Permission to Officiate)
or Readers. The scale for expenses can again be found in the London Diocesan
Year Book;
- the telephone bill for the parsonage, unless this
is normally paid by the PCC;
- charges for gas and electricity in the parsonage during
the vacancy;
- central heating costs for the parsonage during the
winter months (the minimum heating necessary to prevent damp and freezing-up).
Authorised caretakers of the parsonage are responsible for their own telephone,
gas, electricity, heating and council tax bills.
At the end of the vacancy the income and expenditure (sequestration account)
is totalled up, and if it is in surplus, the money should be sent to the Diocese,
but if it is in deficit, the Diocese will refund the balance.
