When you think about all of the firsts that happen on a missionary journey, it’s no wonder that many missionaries feel overwhelmed. For some missionaries, this will be their first experience living away from home, living in another state/country, being independent, working consistently, having a companion AND being on a budget. Eesh!
Today we are going to tackle MSC or Missionary Support Cards…the official name of the debit card your missionary will receive either at the MTC or sometimes before Home MTC (in the mail with their tags) and is the card that the church will put their bi-weekly funds on.
It is important to go over this information with your missionary so they understand:
1) The things they are responsible to purchase
2) How often they will get money
3) How to budget on a mission
I’ll go over each of these as well as offer some simple tips for budgeting that will help!
What is an MSC? Is this the money my son/daughter pays into the missionary fund? How much money do missionaries have to spend each month?
The Missionary Support Card (sometimes called MSF or Missionary Support Funds by missionaries) is the debit card provided by the church. Each mission has a different amount of funds dispersed to their missionaries. This amount can vary widely depending on where your missionary is serving.
This is not money being directly transferred from the missionary payments you make each month to your child. The cost for all missions is currently $400 per month. You can imagine how housing costs varies from state to state, country to country. From my understanding, the church distributes the money paid into the general missionary fund as needed to the different missions. This presumably pays costs like housing and also goes to the individual missionaries through their MSC.
You could email your missionary’s mission (email address in the portal) to find out the funds they will get on their MSC, but my son just found out once he arrived.
Keep expectations low…this is not an extravagant living allowance. It is humble but should be enough to provide for their needs especially if they plan mindfully.
What am I responsible for paying for on my mission with MSC funds?
The official rules for MSC to Mission Financial Secretaries says:
“Use missionary support funds to pay for personal items to support you in missionary work. With certain exceptions, generally you should use all your missionary support funds each month. Do not save money from these funds or give any of the money to anyone else, including anyone at home. Do not loan or borrow money.
Your budget for missionary support funds might include the following:
- Fast offerings paid to the ward or branch where you are serving.
- Food to prepare nutritious meals (see Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ, 4.1.1, Gospel Library).
- Transportation, including gas or public transportation.
- Hair care and personal hygiene items.
- Cleaning and laundry supplies.
- Postage or internet expenses for weekly communications home (see Missionary Standards, 3.8).
- Limited restaurant or fast-food meals.
You do not need to pay tithing on missionary support funds.”
So basically, all of your missionaries temporary needs will be paid for with the funds loaded onto their card. They will not pay for apartment rent, clothing etc. Housing costs are covered by the church, and you will send the necessary clothing with them.
How often are funds loaded onto the MSC Card?
For the majority of missionaries, funds are loaded onto their card on the 1st and 16th of each month.
This is an excellent time to take a look at a few months worth of calendars with your missionary and point out the fact that these dates mean that some months this will feel like less than bi-weekly funds because there is an “extra” week thrown in there. THIS IS WHY PLANNING/BUDGETING IS SO IMPORTANT!
My sister works with missionaries in her calling and said there are often missionaries that get to that “extra” week and realize they have both no money and no food. They then reach out to her or other ward members for help. Teaching our missionaries about budgeting is a great way to prevent this from happening (and help them prepare for real world living!).
How to budget while on a mission
If this is your missionary’s first time on their own, spend some time talking about what budgeting and meal planning look like.
Even if you don’ t know an exact amount of money they will receive on their MSC and/or the cost of food in their area, you can do some mock run throughs for missionary spending.
Go to the grocery store and say, if you had $40 to spend for your next two weeks of groceries, what would be the best things to buy? Talk about cheap proteins like eggs (sometimes cheap!) and beans. Talk about the price of fresh food compared to processed food and why it is still important to eat fruits and vegetables. Talk about how the budget would be different if they spent $10 eating out for one meal. How many meals worth of food could they buy at the grocery store with that $10?
Make a book with simple recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner with ingredients that aren’t too expensive.
Simple Budgeting Tips for Missionaries
Here are some tips to talk to your missionary about:
- Prioritize spending: With a limited budget, missionaries will need to think ahead of time about what things they need to spend money on each time they receive their funds. At the end of each month they will need to set aside money for fast offerings. If they have a zone conference they need to take the bus to, they need to set aside money for that as well. What are the high priority spending needs? How much do they have left after that?
- Meal Plan: Once they know how much money they have left after prioritizing transportation and fast offerings, and possibly things like haircuts or hygiene items, have them plan out what meals they will need to eat until their next funds are available.
- Share food costs with your companion: Buying in bulk can save you money, so have your missionary consider meal planning/food buying WITH their comp if at all possible.
- Limit Eating Out: The convenience and often comfort that comes from purchasing fast food is hard to pass up, especially as a missionary! But eating out takes up so much of a humble budget. Have them think about eating out as an occasional treat, not a normal part of their week.
- Purchase spare (and filling) food if possible: If possible, encourage your missionary to purchase a bit of backup food for the months with extra weeks OR weeks when they need to spend money on transportation/haircuts/hygiene.
Should I send my missionary with an additional Debit/Credit card from home?
This tip may receive some pushback, but yes, I 100% recommend sending a card with access to extra cash for your missionary! It came in handy so many times for my son in Brazil. This allowed us to send money for special treats/bday presents/Christmas presents. It also gave him peace of mind when his MSC card didn’t work (this happens sometimes) or when he needed a little extra money.
On the whole, it is frowned upon to give your missionary access to unlimited funds because living within your means and living humbly are lifelong lessons that the church wants us to have!
However, I felt a lot better knowing we could get him money if needed (and he was very good about not abusing this resource).
PLUS this is a great way to start building credit for your son or daughter!
**PRO-TIP: Make sure that you tell your bank that the card will be used in another country so they can have that information in their computer and the card won’t get flagged for fraud.
ALSO, do not put a lot of money in the debit account in case the card is lost or stolen.
Key Takeaways
Learning to manage money with their Missionary Support Card (MSC) to cover personal expenses like food, hygiene, fast offerings, and transportation is a new skill for missionaries. . Since the amount varies by mission, it’s essential to talk with your missionary about budgeting, prioritizing spending, and planning meals.
Funds are typically added on the 1st and 16th, so teach them to prepare for longer stretches between deposits. Encouraging shared food costs with companions and limiting fast food can help their money go further. Parents might also consider sending an additional debit card with limited funds for emergencies or special occasions, while still teaching the value of humility and financial stewardship.