Update Your Church Information with the IRS
Beginning January 1, 2014, churches must file Form 8822-B to report any of the following changes: -business mailing address -your business location -identity of your responsible party* The purpose of this form is to streamline communication and update contact information in case the IRS needs to contact your church. When filing the 8822-B form, churches…
Clergy Housing Allowance Ruled Unconstitutional
BREAKING NEWS: Friday, November 22, 2013, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb in Wisconsin ruled that the “clergy housing allowance” portion of the Internal Revenue Code(IRC-107(2)) is unconstitutional. This ruling could have a enormous impact on clergy around the country. According to a 2002 statement by former U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad (MN-R), the clergy housing allowance exclusion saves…
FAQ’s – IRS and the Government Shutdown
Will I still have to meet the October 15 deadline? Yes. Regular filing deadlines will remain in effect during the shutdown. So anyone who requested an extension on their taxes last spring should still file their returns by October 15. The IRS is urging individuals to file their tax returns electronically because those returns are…
Government Shutdown and the IRS
Clergy should keep filing their tax returns and making deposits with the IRS, as they are required to do so by law. The IRS will accept and process all tax returns with payments, but will be unable to issue refunds during this time. Clergy are urged to file electronically, because most of these returns will…
Minister not allowed housing allowance exclusion.
A minister didn’t receive a salary from his church, but the church paid his personal credit card charges, his home mortgage and home utility expenses. He claimed these payments should be excluded from his income because he made a vow of poverty. The Tax Court upheld the IRS in finding the payments were taxable income….
All Legal Same-Sex Marriages Will Be Recognized for Federal Tax Purposes (IRS Press Release)
Ruling Provides Certainty, Benefits and Protections Under Federal Tax Law for Same-Sex Married Couples WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today ruled that same-sex couples, legally married in jurisdictions that recognize their marriages, will be treated as married for federal tax purposes. The ruling applies regardless of…
Atheist Minister? Oxymoron? The Federal government doesn’t think so…
The Tennessean recently published an article regarding the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s lawsuit challenging the clergy housing allowance exclusion. Their argument against the clergy housing allowance exclusion is that the tax breaks gives an unfair advantage to religious organizations. Lawyers for the Federal government are now arguing that leaders of atheist organizations may qualify for…
The U.S. Has a Really Helpful Student Loan Repayment Program—and No One’s Using It
Many clergy leave seminary with large student loan bills. The menu of repayment options available for struggling borrowers is a key benefit of taking out federal loan. Only 3 out of 10 borrowers in the repayment plans are getting the kind of help that pegs a borrower’s payment to his or her monthly income. These…
Suffolk County, MA – Automatic Extension
The IRS will issue a notice giving eligible taxpayers until July 15, 2013, to file their 2012 returns and pay any taxes normally due April 15. No filing and payment penalties will be due as long as returns are filed and payments are made by July 15, 2013. By law, interest, currently at the annual…
MN Department of Revenue Issues TurboTax Warning
On Friday, March 8, 2013, the Minnesota Department issued the following warning regarding Intuit products used for income tax preparation (TurboTax, Lacerte, Intuit online, ProSeries). “The Minnesota Department of Revenue advises you not to use Intuit (TurboTax, Lacerte, Intuit online, ProSeries) to file your Minnesota taxes electronically or on paper. Intuit has discovered multiple issues…
