What is the Difference Between FICA and SECA?
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 to collect Social Security and Medicare taxes. The big…
What Is Self-Employment Tax?
When a church hires a worker, one of the initial decisions that must be made is whether to treat the worker as a minister, non-minister employee or contractor. This decision may seem insignificant, but it has huge implications when it comes to payroll. Ministers have what is commonly referred to as “dual tax status.” For…
Are all ministers treated 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 a duly ordained, commissioned, or licensed minister performs in…
Clergy Social Security Allowance
Clergy Social Security Allowance 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 clergy but are encouraged to pay…
Ministry Income – 1099 Form
Sole proprietorships are single-owner, unincorporated businesses ranging from home-based businesses to ministry income reported on form 1099. A sole proprietorship is a popular form because it’s straightforward and low cost. This entity allows you to run a one-man show with little administrative overhead. But, you become personally responsible for ministry debts and other obligations like taxes….
What is FICA?
The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) is a U.S. law requiring a deduction from paychecks and income that goes toward the Social Security program and Medicare. Both employees and employers are responsible for sharing the FICA payments. The church is required to pay Social Security and Medicare (FICA) taxes on all non-clergy employees. All nonprofits must withhold…
What is FICA?
The Federal Insurance Contributions Act is the federal law that requires you to withhold two separate taxes from the wages you earn. It includes Social Security Tax and Medicare Tax at a flat percentage rate. The Social Security Tax is 6.2% rate of your wages, and the Medicare Tax is 1.45% of your wages. You’re…
What New Clergy Need To Know – Opting Out of Social Security
File Form 4361 by the date your income tax return is due, including extensions, for the second tax year in which you have net earnings from self-employment of at least $400. This rule applies if any part of your net earnings for each of the 2 years came from your services. We also suggest to…
Social Security Tax Increase Starting January 1, 2013
Over the past two years, there has been a “payroll tax holiday” in effect. This reduced the employee’s share of Social Security from 6.2% to 4.2%. This “payroll tax holiday” is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2012. Non-clergy employees will have an additional 2% of Social Security tax withheld from their paychecks starting on…
Social Security Tax Paid by the Church
Social security benefits are financed through two tax systems. Employers and employees each pay the “FICA” tax, which for 2007 amounts to 7.65% of an employee’s taxable wages (a total tax of 15.3%). Self-employed persons pay the “self-employment tax,” which for 2007 is 15.3% of net self-employment earnings. Clergy are always considered to be self-employed…
