Guides/The treasurer's report

How to give a treasurer's report at a 12-step meeting

Updated August 2026 · Includes a template and read-aloud script

The treasurer's report is how a group governs its own money. Most 12-step groups ask for one, with the paperwork to back it, at monthly or regularly scheduled business meetings — it's how members stay informed and make group-conscience decisions about spending. The report doesn't need to be impressive. It needs to be true, complete, and short.

The five parts, in order

1. Cover the right period

Report on everything since your last report — for most groups, the month since the last business meeting. Your starting balance is simply the ending balance from last time. If those two numbers ever disagree, say so and explain why; that sentence builds more trust than a year of tidy reports.

2. Money in

Total the contributions for the period, grouped simply: Seventh Tradition basket (cash and digital together or separately — your call), literature sales, anything else. Nobody needs a week-by-week accounting read aloud; the detail lives in the books for anyone who asks.

3. Money out

List what the group spent by category: rent, literature, coffee and supplies, and any contributions passed on to the service structure. Name each category and its amount — this is the part the group actually decided on, so it deserves a line each.

4. Ending balance — and the prudent reserve

Give the new balance, then separate the reserve: "We have $560 total; $300 is our prudent reserve, so $260 is available." If you skip that split, the group will eventually spend its cushion without meaning to. (No reserve yet? Here's how to pick the number.)

5. Share it and file it

Take questions, then attach a written copy — a PDF or printout — to the minutes. The written trail is what survives treasurer rotation, and it's what saves the group when someone asks "what did we decide about rent last spring?"

A sample report

Here's what those five parts look like assembled — this one is a Meeting Treasurer report, but the shape works on paper too:

A read-aloud script

Fill in the blanks and you're done in ninety seconds:

"Since our last business meeting on [date], we started with [starting balance].

We took in [total in] — [amount] from the Seventh Tradition and [amount] from literature.

We spent [total out] — [amount] on rent, [amount] on literature, and [amount] on coffee and supplies.

That leaves us with [ending balance]. Of that, [reserve] is our prudent reserve, so [available] is available.

Are there any questions?"

Tips from treasurers who've done it a while

• Same shape every month. When the report always has the same five parts, members notice what changed — which is the point.
• Round when you speak, not when you write. Say "about $780" out loud if you like, but the written copy carries the cents.
• Flag decisions, don't make them. "We're $180 over the reserve — do we want to send a contribution to the district?" is a treasurer's question; the answer belongs to the group conscience.
• Bad news early. If the basket isn't covering expenses, say it plainly and early. Groups respond well to "at this rate we're three months from dipping into the reserve."
• Bring the bank statement. You'll rarely be asked — and being ready is exactly why you won't be.

The lazy way to do all of the above

Meeting Treasurer builds this exact report automatically: it knows your business-meeting schedule, totals money in by fund and money out by category, separates the prudent reserve, and shares the whole thing as a PDF you can text to the group or file with the minutes. You log the entries; the report is simply always ready.

Meeting Treasurer is independently built and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representing any 12-step fellowship or organization.