--- title: "Should You Tithe on Gross or Net? What a Tithe Was, What Churches Teach, Free Money Help, and Matthew 11:28-30" description: "Pay stub and calculator out, or a giving card in your hand? What a tithe was, what churches teach about gross and net, free money help, and Matthew 11:28-30." url: "https://biblenudge.com/blog/should-you-tithe-on-gross-or-net" lang: "en" published: "2026-09-27" modified: "2026-09-27" author: "Cal Hewitt" tags: ["tithing","giving","gross or net","money worry","matthew 11","malachi 3","stewardship"] image: "https://biblenudge.com/og/blog-should-you-tithe-on-gross-or-net.jpg" alternates: es: "https://biblenudge.com/es/blog/diezmo-bruto-o-neto.md" --- # Should You Tithe on Gross or Net? What a Tithe Was, What Churches Teach, Free Money Help, and Matthew 11:28-30 [Cal Hewitt](https://biblenudge.com/about/cal-hewitt)Published September 27, 2026 - tithing - giving - gross or net - money worry - matthew 11 - malachi 3 - stewardship ![Should You Tithe on Gross or Net? What a Tithe Was, What Churches Teach, Free Money Help, and Matthew 11:28-30](https://biblenudge.com/blog/should-you-tithe-on-gross-or-net/featured.jpg) Maybe you are at the kitchen table with a pay stub and a calculator, or a church has handed you a giving card and you would rather not ask what the number means. Churches give more than one answer about gross and net, so you are not behind on something everyone else has settled. Whether you give a tenth, less, differently, or nothing right now, nobody counts it against you. ## If you only have a minute ### A passage for a heavy month [Matthew 11:28-30](https://biblenudge.com/context/matthew-11-28-30), an invitation to people who are already tired. ### Gross or net Traditions answer differently. Your own pastor, priest or rabbi is the person to ask. ### A tithe in the Law A tenth of crops and animals, with no pay stub in sight. ### Free help Debt and money services for the UK, Canada, the US and Australia are below. ### One step tonight Save one free helpline number for your country in your phone. ## Matthew 11:28-30, for the tired part of the question > 28 Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Jesus says this just after thanking the Father in Matthew 11:25-27, and he says it to people already carrying heavy burdens. The invitation takes the load as real. What it gives is an invitation to bring weariness about money to Jesus instead of carrying it alone. One question goes with it: what burden are you trying to carry alone? You can read it [with the verses around it](https://biblenudge.com/context/matthew-11-28-30), and if the month is already short, [Bible verses for financial hardship](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-financial-hardship) was written for that. ![A pocket calculator and a pen resting beside a sealed envelope on a kitchen table](https://biblenudge.com/blog/should-you-tithe-on-gross-or-net/the-kitchen-table.jpg) *The number looks smaller in daylight.* ## What a tithe was in the Law The [Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary](https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/tithe) defines a tithe as “a tenth of the goods that somebody produced or the money that they earned” historically, and “a tenth of a person’s income that they give to the Church” in some churches today. The Bible’s tithes are of the first kind. Leviticus 27:30 says “All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is Yahweh’s.” In Genesis 14:20, Abram “gave him a tenth of all.” Numbers 18:21 gives the tithe to the Levites “in return for their service,” and Deuteronomy 14:28-29 has it stored locally every third year for the Levite, “the foreigner living among you, and the fatherless, and the widow.” Crops, animals, Levites and the poor, in a land-based economy: none of these texts describes a wage. Jewish teaching, as in [Mishnah Maaser Sheni](https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Maaser_Sheni.1), names a first tithe, a second tithe and a poor tithe. Christian readers differ. Many Baptist and evangelical writers read the Law as a continuing pattern of ten-percent stewardship. Others hold that the tithe belonged to Israel’s land, Levites and temple, and treat it as a baseline for generosity. ## Malachi 3 in its own setting Malachi 3:8-12 is addressed to “this whole nation” (verse 9) after the exile: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.” The curse, the devourer and the windows of heaven are spoken in the language of crops, fruit, rain and land. In Nehemiah 13:10-12 the Levites and singers had “fled to his field” because their portions were not given, until “all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the oil to the treasuries.” On [Sefaria](https://www.sefaria.org/Malachi.3), Rashi reads the storehouse line as “There shall be food accessible for My servants.” Commentators differ on today: some apply the principle of supporting ministry, and others keep the passage with Israel and its temple. ## Jesus, Paul and the early churches In Matthew 23:23, Jesus says “you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith.” In Luke 18:9-14, a Pharisee lists his tithes and a tax collector says “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” In Mark 12:41-44, a poor widow “out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on,” and no percentage is named. Paul tells the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 16:2 to save “on the first day of the week... as he may prosper,” and in 2 Corinthians 9:7 writes “Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart; not grudgingly, or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.” People ask why Jesus never asked for ten percent. Advocates point to Matthew 23:23 as Jesus recognizing the tithe. Others note that he spoke to Jewish leaders under the Law and gave his disciples no payroll formula. Both readings stand. The early churches show sharing rather than a calculation: the [Didache](https://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~sshoemak/321/texts/didache.html) speaks of sharing, and [Justin Martyr](https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0126.htm) describes collections for orphans, widows, prisoners and strangers. ![A glass jar of coins on a windowsill beside a folded dish towel](https://biblenudge.com/blog/should-you-tithe-on-gross-or-net/the-coin-jar.jpg) *Small amounts set aside add up slowly.* ## What each tradition says about how much, and on what - **Catholic:** the [Catechism](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_P75.HTM) says the faithful provide for the Church’s material needs “each according to his own abilities.” - **Orthodox and Anglican:** the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese [describes stewardship](https://www.goarch.org/stewardship) as offering time, talents and treasure, and the Church of England’s [Parish Giving Scheme](https://www.parishgivingscheme.org.uk/) is a way to give regularly. - **Latter-day Saints:** the [General Handbook](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/general-handbook-selections/34-finances-and-audits) says “Tithing is the donation of one-tenth of one’s income to God’s Church,” and “interest is understood to mean income.” - **Jewish:** [Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah 249](https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh%2C_Yoreh_De'ah.249) covers tzedakah, and contemporary teachers calculate ma’aser kesafim in different ways. - **Baptist:** the [Baptist Faith and Message](https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/) asks Christians to serve God “with their time, talents, and material possessions,” without naming gross or net. - **Money ministries:** [Ramsey Solutions](https://www.ramseysolutions.com/budgeting/should-i-tithe-on-gross-or-net-income) presents the tithe as ten percent and answers gross, while [Crown Financial Ministries](https://www.crown.org/all-resources/should-i-tithe-on-gross-or-net-income/) treats the question as a stewardship decision and not a single rule. So, the plain fact is that these bodies give more than one answer. Ask your own tradition’s pastor, priest or rabbi what its current guidance is. ## How many people give a tenth [Barna Group](https://www.barna.com/research/what-is-a-tithe/) reported in 2022 that 21 percent of U.S. Christians set local-church giving at 10 percent or more of income. [Lifeway Research](https://baptiststandard.com/news/faith-culture/churchgoers-still-tithing-but-outside-of-church/) reported in 2022 that 77 percent of American Protestant churchgoers said tithing is a biblical command that still applies, which is a belief and not a giving figure. In Australia, the [National Church Life Survey](https://d3nr8uzk0yq0qe.cloudfront.net/media/upload/research/NCLS_Occasional_Paper_37_Faith_and_Finances.pdf) reported in 2016 that 63 percent of church leaders called giving ten percent a realistic expectation. Belief, expectation and practice measure different things, and holding a view on the tithe while giving differently is common. ## Free help for money questions Each is a free or nonprofit route for a money question, and calling early is normal. - **United Kingdom:** [StepChange](https://www.stepchange.org/), [MoneyHelper’s debt advice locator](https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/money-troubles/dealing-with-debt/debt-advice-locator) and [Citizens Advice](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/). - **Canada:** [Credit Counselling Canada](https://creditcounsellingcanada.ca/), the [Financial Consumer Agency of Canada](https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/debt.html) and [211 Canada](https://211.ca/). - **United States:** the [National Foundation for Credit Counseling](https://www.nfcc.org/) and [211](https://www.211.org/). - **Australia:** the [National Debt Helpline](https://ndh.org.au/). If a gift is being pressed on you, the [FTC](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/) and your [state attorney general](https://www.naag.org/find-my-ag/) (United States), the [Charity Commission](https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-charity) (England and Wales), [Scamwatch](https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/) (Australia) and the [Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre](https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/) take consumer and fraud concerns. ## What people say, and a few better lines Readers ask about the number, the base and permission. Someone posted on Reddit’s r/TrueChristian, on December 8, 2024, that ["Tithing 10% seems legalistic because I actually don’t know focus on how much I make"](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChristian/comments/1h9lnp4/). On Reddit’s r/Reformed, posted July 29, 2025, another asked ["Is the 10% thing rooted in the Bible? Or is it just a number churches throw out?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Reformed/comments/1mbztfj/) Some readers say they were told that giving less is robbing God; that phrase is Malachi 3:8-9, spoken to “this whole nation” about its storehouse. If a conversation at church feels heavy, these lines are yours to use: “I’m working out what I can give right now, and I’d like to talk with you about it.” “Can you show me what our church teaches about giving, in writing?” “Let’s decide together what we give, and keep it between us.” The Latter-day Saint handbook above asks leaders not to discuss a member’s tithing status inappropriately. ## A harder night, and one small step Money and debt stress is something many people carry, and these lines are for any night that feels too heavy. In the United States, call or text 988. In Canada, call or text 9-8-8. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans is on 116 123. In Australia, Lifeline is 13 11 14. Anywhere else, [Find A Helpline](https://findahelpline.com/) lists services by country. Tonight, read Matthew 11:28-30 once aloud, then save one free helpline number for your country in your phone. For the nights ahead, see [money worry and job fear](https://biblenudge.com/blog/when-money-worry-and-job-fear-keep-you-awake) and [losing a job](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-losing-a-job). [Bible Nudge](https://biblenudge.com/) gives a person one passage with the story around it, and [Find a passage](https://biblenudge.com/nudge) is where to start. ## Words that come up here Tap a term to see what it means. **Tithe.** A tenth, of produce in the Law, and of income in some churches today. **Ma’aser kesafim.** A later Jewish practice of setting aside part of money income for charity. ## Share this page If somebody you know is carrying this, the link goes straight to the passage and what surrounds it. Nothing here asks them to sign up for anything. 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What Hebrews 10:25 Says in Its Setting, What Traditions Teach, and Matthew 11:28-30 for the Guilt](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-not-go-to-church): Worried about missing church? You are not condemned here. Hebrews 10:25 in its setting, what traditions teach, and Matthew 11:28-30. - [Is It a Sin to Smoke Weed? What the Bible Says and Does Not Name, How Churches Read It, Cannabis and Anxiety, and Matthew 11 for the Burden](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-smoke-weed): You are not condemned for asking. What the Bible names, how churches read cannabis, what health sources say about anxiety, Matthew 11:28-30 for the burden, and where to find help.