For churches
Church Parking Lot Rental: Earn on Weekdays, Keep Sunday Free
Sunday, your church lot overflows. Monday, it sits empty. An empty lot still needs lighting, sealing and repaving, and weekday parking can help pay for it.
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Church Parking Lot Rental: Earn on Weekdays, Keep Sunday Free
Yes, a church can charge for weekday parking and keep Sunday free.
Read the transcript
Sunday, your church lot overflows. Monday, it sits empty.
Can a church charge for parking? Yes. And you can keep Sunday free.
An empty lot still needs lighting, sealing, and repaving. Weekday parking can help pay for it.
First, get approval. Your board, your insurer, your city. And ask your accountant about unrelated business income tax.
Second, post your paid hours. Weekdays paid. Sundays free.
Third, let drivers pay by phone. They scan the Park Graph QR code, enter a plate, and pay. No cash box. No volunteer collecting money.
Payouts go to the church's bank through Stripe. Starter has no monthly fee, just a published fee per transaction.
Tell the congregation where every dollar goes. That's the whole pitch.
Put weekdays to work. parkgraph.com.
An empty lot still costs money
A church lot is built for Sunday. On Sunday morning it overflows. On Monday it sits empty.
The empty days still cost money. The lot needs lighting, sealing and repaving whether a car parks there or not. Charging for weekday parking puts those days to work and can help pay for the upkeep, while Sunday stays free for the congregation.
Paid weekdays in four steps
- 1
Get approval
Start with your board, your insurer and your city. Then ask your accountant about unrelated business income tax.
- 2
Post your paid hours
Weekdays paid. Sundays free. Put the hours where every driver can read them.
- 3
Let drivers pay by phone
Drivers scan the Park Graph QR code, enter a plate and pay. No cash box. No volunteer collecting money.
- 4
Tell the congregation
Share where every dollar goes. That's the whole pitch.
Step one: get approval
Paid parking changes how the church property is used, so the people responsible for that property should agree first. Bring the idea to your board. Talk to your insurer. Check with your city.
Then ask your accountant about unrelated business income tax. IRS Publication 598 covers parking income for exempt organizations, and your accountant can tell you how it applies to your church before the first paid weekday.
Step two: post your paid hours
Decide which hours are paid and post them where drivers can see them: weekdays paid, Sundays free. Clear hours tell weekday drivers when to pay, and tell the congregation that Sunday parking stays free.
Step three: drivers pay by phone
Weekday drivers scan the Park Graph QR code, enter a plate and pay by phone. There is no cash box to empty and no volunteer collecting money in the lot.
Payouts and fees
Payouts go to the church's bank through Stripe.
Starter has no monthly fee. You pay 10% per transaction (minimum $0.75) plus standard Stripe processing. The fee is published, so your board can see the cost before the first car parks.
Compare every plan on the Park Graph pricing page.
Tell the congregation where every dollar goes
Weekday parking income belongs to the church, and members will want to know where it goes. Tell them. An empty weekday lot helps pay for the lot it sits on, and Sunday stays free. That's the whole pitch.
Own a lot that is not a church? Read how to monetize a parking lot without a management company.
Put weekdays to work
Starter has no monthly fee: 10% per transaction, minimum $0.75, plus standard Stripe processing.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a church charge for parking?
- Yes. A church can charge for weekday parking and keep Sunday free. Post your paid hours (weekdays paid, Sundays free) and let weekday drivers pay by phone.
- Who should approve paid parking at our church?
- Get approval from your board, your insurer and your city before the first paid weekday. Each of them has a say in how the church property is used.
- Does a church pay tax on parking income?
- Ask your accountant about unrelated business income tax. IRS Publication 598 covers parking income for exempt organizations, and your accountant can tell you how it applies to your church.
- How do drivers pay to park in a church lot?
- They scan the Park Graph QR code, enter a plate and pay by phone. There is no cash box and no volunteer collecting money.
- How does the church get the money?
- Payouts go to the church's bank through Stripe.
- What does Park Graph cost a church?
- Starter has no monthly fee. You pay 10% per transaction (minimum $0.75) plus standard Stripe processing.
- Can we keep Sunday parking free for the congregation?
- Yes. Post your paid hours so drivers know when to pay: weekdays paid, Sundays free.
- What should we tell the congregation?
- Tell the congregation where every dollar goes. An empty lot still needs lighting, sealing and repaving, and weekday parking can help pay for it.