After reading about the Housing or Parsonage / Manse Allowance, you may be thinking, “if I designate my entire salary as a Housing Allowance, would it all be excluded from federal income taxes?” IRS has already addressed this by limiting the Allowance to the least...
The designated housing allowance may be reflected on Form W-2 in Box 14 with the notation, “Housing Allowance.” Though not required, this reporting method is suggested by Publication 517. Or, a church can report the designated housing allowance to a minister by providing a statement separate...
Self-employment tax Clergy are not eligible to have FICA taxes withheld from their church compensation. In lieu of FICA taxes, clergy pay self-employment tax, also known as Self-Employment Contributions Act tax (SECA). Reimbursements from an employer of SECA are taxable as wages. However, even though...
A very common question in Clergy Tax Preparation is “If I designated X as my housing allowance, and I overspend it, what happens?” Many believe that overspending your housing allowance will result in a penalty or getting into trouble with the Internal Revenue Service. This...
If you are new to Ministry, it’s possible that you’ve never heard of self-employment taxes before, much less paid them. One common mistake for new Ministers is filing the 1040 without taking self-employment taxes into account, which can result in a big bill later when...
The minister’s housing allowance is a very important tax benefit available to ministers. Section 107 of the Internal Revenue Code allows Ministers for Tax Purposes to exclude some or all of their ministerial income designated by their church or church-related employer as a housing allowance...
Ministers who pay off their mortgages may have a housing allowance for other eligible expenses of maintaining a home, such as utilities, taxes and repairs. With no mortgage payment, their expenses are likely to be much lower. Some ministers mistakenly think that they can exclude the...
Yes, churches can designate a housing allowance for a minister who lives in a parsonage if the minister pays for utilities, repairs, furnishings or other eligible expenses. Ministers who live rent-free in a church-owned parsonage should not include the fair rental value of the parsonage in...
Episcopal News Service - In the latest installment in a nearly decade-long effort to have the Internal Revenue Service’s clergy parsonage exemption declared unconstitutional, the federal Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled just the opposite. A three-judge panel said March 15 that the principal effect of the...
What is the church's responsibility concerning the housing allowance? Churches should designate a housing allowance in writing before the beginning of a calendar year. Although the IRS has recognized oral designations, they are difficult to prove. The governing board of the church should designate the allowance....