Clergy

Are Churches Required to Treat All Ministers as Self-Employed for Social Security Purposes?

Ministers have what is commonly referred to as “dual tax status.” For federal income tax purposes, a minister is generally treated as a common law employee. For payments into Social Security, the minister is always self-employed. This is an IRS regulation and not an election. Services that...

22 August, 2019

Health Reimbursement Arrangements for Small Church Employees

A Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (QSEHRA) allows small churches who do not offer group health insurance to their employees to provide money to employees on a tax-free basis; the money can be used to pay for individual health insurance policies and to reimburse...

15 August, 2019

Five Misconceptions About the Ministry Housing Allowance

The Housing Allowance is one of the best tax benefits available to members of the Clergy, but also one of the most misunderstood. Here are five common misconceptions about the Clergy Housing Allowance. 1. I can only change my designation once a year. False. There is no...

08 August, 2019

Differences Between Laity and Clergy Payroll Taxes

Social Security taxes or contributions are collected under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) and the Self-Employment Contributions Act (SECA). Many people refer to contributions to Social Security as either FICA or SECA taxes. While FICA and SECA may sound similar, they are just two different ways for the government...

18 July, 2019

Parking Tax Update – Repeal of Parking Fringes Tax

The Economic Mobility Act of 2019 would repeal section 512(a)(7), which imposes a 21 percent tax on expenses incurred by tax-exempt organizations for providing transportation benefits to their employees. The bill was approved by the House Ways and Means Committee on June 20. While there...

11 July, 2019

How Does Clergy Staff Calculate Self Employment Taxes?

The Self-Employment Taxes that most members of the Clergy must pay quarterly are actually made up of two different taxes: Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (also known as “OASDI” or the more commonly used term “Social Security”) Medicare taxes OASDI taxes are calculated as 12.4% of...

04 July, 2019

Atheist Group Decides Not to Appeal Housing Allowance Ruling

The Freedom from Religion Foundation, or FFRF, has decided not to pursue an additional challenge of the clergy housing allowance at the Supreme Court level. This means that clergy housing and parsonage allowance provisions will likely remain in place for tax year 2019 and beyond. For...

27 June, 2019

Payroll Compliance Decision: Clergy or Non-Clergy?

When a church hires an employee, one of the initial decisions that must be made is whether to treat the worker as clergy, non-clergy employee or contractor. This decision may seem insignificant, but it has huge implications when it comes to payroll. Ministers have what is...

20 June, 2019

Should I Include my Housing Allowance for the Marketplace?

The Affordable Care Act (also called ACA, federal health care reform or sometimes “Obamacare”) expands health coverage to millions of previously uninsured Americans and makes significant changes to health insurance practices nationwide. The Health Insurance Marketplace is an online resource for comparing different plans and benefits...

06 June, 2019

Churches Can Pay Social Security Allowance to Clergy Staff

The IRS has ruled that clergy are self-employed for purposes of paying social security taxes. This means that they must pay both the employee and the employer share of social security tax under the Self-Employed Contribution Act (SECA). Churches are prohibited from paying FICA tax for...

30 May, 2019