Clergy Couple Housing
Each person of a clergy couple is entitled to the same housing allowance ordinarily provided a pastor who is not married to a pastor. Both pastors in a clergy couple are to receive a housing allowance. When cash housing allowances are provided, the contributions for each pastor are based on the total of base compensation…
Housing Allowance
The housing allowance which you pay your Pastor in cash and the housing allowance the IRS allows your Pastor on an income tax return might not be the same number. The reason for this is that the IRS includes more expense items when calculating a housing allowance than the absolute minimum items these guidelines mention…
Parsonage Provided
When a parsonage is provided, the congregation should pay for utilities and maintenance. (For tax purposes it is usually to the pastor’s advantage if items like utilities, maintenance, etc. be paid for directly by the congregation rather than to the pastor and then the pastor paying these expenses.) Parsonage Fair Rental Value In addition to…
Designating A Housing Allowance
Some congregations provide their Pastors with a housing allowance in place of a parsonage. This figure should reflect the realistic fair rental value of a home in the community, and would normally include such costs as insurance, utilities and taxes. Generally, a minimum cash payment of $12,000 is required for a housing allowance when a…
Down Payment Qualify for Housing Allowance?
A down payment on a home may be excluded from income as a housing allowance, assuming it does not exceed housing limitation. You can exclude the lowest of the following three amounts from income for federal income tax purposes when the church or pension properly designates a housing allowance: The housing allowance designated by the…
Can I amend my housing allowance?
The housing allowance resolution can be amended at any time. However, it can only be applied prospectively. A pastor’s amended housing allowance must be established or designated by the church. The preferred way to do this is for the church council/board to adopt the housing amendment resolution in the minutes of the meeting.
Can the housing allowance resolution be amended mid-year?
The housing allowance resolution can be adopted or amended at any time during the year. However, it can only be applied prospectively, not retroactively. It is important for the housing allowance resolution to be adopted by the church council prior to each calendar year (or prior to the start date), which would accurately reflect the…
Five things to remember about clergy housing allowance
Clergy are permitted to exclude from their taxable income the costs of maintaining their primary residence. This housing allowance is not included as taxable income on pastors’ W-2s. There are rules for determining, documenting and reporting a housing allowance that need to be followed. Clergy need to determine the cost of maintaining their primary residence for…
Housing Allowance Withstands Atheist Challenge
Today, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a 2013 ruling by U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb that identified the housing allowance benefit for clergy(IRS Code §107(2)) unconstitutional. The original lawsuit, filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation argued that the parsonage allowance exclusion violates the separation of church and state and the constitutional guarantee…
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…
