While ministers are employees for federal income tax reporting purposes, they are self-employed for Social Security purposes with respect to services they perform in the exercise of their ministry. This means that they must pay both the employee and the employer share of social security tax...
As someone who has been burned out, I know it’s not a question of if your staff is experiencing burnout, but how many of them are already burnt out. Most people have no clue. I know I didn’t. It’s not that we are clueless. We think...
If you work for a nonprofit that's funded by grants or donations, you need to keep iron-clad records in order to account for every penny if you're ever audited. However, that doesn't mean you need to retain all your files forever. Nobody's got the storage...
The regulations on nonprofit auditing vary from state to state. There are federal laws that mandate audits for certain nonprofits too. First and foremost, you should educate yourself on the laws in your state and investigate whether you are legally required to undergo an audit....
We’re still in Q1. There are still some people sticking with their New Year’s Resolutions, most are still excited about what the new year has to bring, and pretty much all of them are still mistakenly writing “2021” fairly often. The beginning of the year is...
Under federal law, most ministers have dual tax status. Dual tax status means a minister is an employee of the church for federal income tax purposes, and self-employed for Social Security and Medicare taxes. For ministers, wages are reported in two different ways: Federal Income Tax...
The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) provides a way for churches to provide both tuition, books, supplies, and student loan payments tax-free through January 1, 2026. THE CORONAVIRUS AID RELIEF AND ECONOMIC SECURITY ACT (THE “CARES ACT”) OF IRC Section 127 allows churches to reimburse up to $5,250 per employee,...
You heard the calling. You received the commission. Then you found the location, gathered your team and launched your church plant. God is moving in amazing ways and you are on fire. Now someone is telling you that you need to stop to set up HR...
We occasionally receive a love offering for our senior pastor or other staff members. How should we handle these gifts? The phrase ‘love offering’ does not appear in the federal income tax code or Treasury Regulations. It seldom appears in court cases. Still, love offerings have...
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...