Handout: 2024-07-05 AC24 Demystifying Clergy Taxes Handout.pdf

Sponsored by the Office of Ministry

Clergy taxes are completely different from any other kind of taxes! Come learn which taxes are paid on which types of clergy income, and how to calculate and pay those taxes. In addition, learn how to use housing exclusion, pension contributions, unreimbursed business expenses, and health insurance to lower taxable income and reduce those taxes.

Sponsored by the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, the Church of the Brethren Office of Ministry, and Bethany Theological Seminary

During this five-hour webinar, you will learn a great deal about clergy tax law, tax preparation, and clergy compensation. It will be a resource-full day, so plan to take care of yourself as you learn. Eat when you’re hungry. Get a drink when you’re thirsty. Stand up and walk around when you need to. But most importantly, ask questions! If you have a question, at least six other people are wondering the same thing!

Handouts: Sessions 1 & 2 Handout Session 3 Handout

Schedule

(Session 1) 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET (0.15 CEUs): “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Clergy Taxation, Part 1.” Topics covered: IRS definitions of ministers (ministerial “status”) and of ministerial work (ministerial “services”) as well as the three kinds of income ministers receive, the two kinds of taxes ministers pay, and the various ways ministers can pay those taxes during the tax year.

(Session 2) 1 to 2:30 p.m. ET (0.15 CEUs): “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Clergy Taxation, Part 2.” Topics covered: Housing exclusion, parsonages and parsonage adjustments, and self-employment taxes, as well as ways to reduce total taxes.

(Session 3) 3 to 4 p.m. ET: “Completing the Clergy Tax Return.” Zeke Zacharias, pastor at Happy Valley Congregation, has a typical clergy tax return to complete. We will walk through it with him using H&R Block’s Premium (for self-employed people) version of downloadable software.

Registration Link: https://bethanyseminary.edu/brethren-academy/clergy-tax-seminar

Leadership

Deb Oskin has been doing clergy tax returns since 1989, when her husband left seminary to pastor a small rural Church of the Brethren congregation. As a pastor’s wife and later as a tax professional, she learned the tax problems and pitfalls associated with the IRS’s identification of clergy as “hybrid employees.” In 2011, after twelve years with H&R Block, Deb left to start her own tax practice, specializing in clergy taxes. Clergy clients now make up 86 percent of her client base.

Deb was ordained in 2004 when she was called by the Living Peace Church of the Brethren in Columbus, Ohio, to be their peace minister to the wider community. She served as Southern Ohio District’s board chair from 2007-2011 and served as the Southern Ohio-Kentucky 2018 District Moderator. She is the former Chair of the denomination’s Pastoral Compensation & Benefits Advisory Committee.

She has been teaching and presenting nationally on clergy taxation to clergy, treasurers and administrators, and tax pros since 2004. Other than the fact that she really likes to teach, Deb does this because of her deep belief that clergy can devote more of their energy to ministry if they aren’t stressed by tax debt.

Deb is an experienced presenter, and despite the complexity of the material, you’ll find yourself laughing. Learn and enjoy!

This interactive 2-hour seminar will focus on clergy taxation, specifically: who must file, how income and expenses are treated, and ways to reduce total tax liability (including SECA opt-out, housing allowance/exclusion, and business expenses). Deb will also cover unusual situations in clergy income reporting and how to double-check the tax return for common errors.

Handout: 2023-07-07 AC23 Demystifying Clergy Taxes Handout.pdf

Sponsored by the Office of Ministry

Clergy taxes are completely different from any other kind of taxes! Come learn which taxes are paid on which types of clergy income, and how to calculate and pay those taxes. In addition, learn how to use housing exclusion, pension contributions, unreimbursed business expenses, and health insurance to lower taxable income and reduce those taxes.

Handout: 2023-07-06 AC23 How Do Ministers Get Paid Handout.pdf

Sponsored by Eder Financial

Do W-2s and 1099s confuse you? What's the difference between an employee and an independent contractor—and why does it matter? Finally figure out what your minister's designated housing exclusion is all about! You'll learn how to use that designated housing exclusion, employee pension contributions, and health insurance to lower your minister's taxable income, and the importance of setting up an accountable reimbursement plan for your minister's business expenses. Finally, Deb will share a few tips on how to double check the W-2 to make sure it was prepared correctly.

Sponsored by Eder Financial

What do ministers need to know about retirement? A lot! Don’t miss this amazing seminar, during which Deb Oskin will lead you through the changes to your taxes before, during, and after you retire.

Here’s what a past participant had to say:

Sponsored by the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, the Church of the Brethren Office of Ministry, and Bethany Theological Seminary

During this five-hour webinar, you will learn a great deal about clergy tax law, tax preparation, and clergy compensation. It will be a resource-full day, so plan to take care of yourself as you learn. Eat when you’re hungry. Get a drink when you’re thirsty. Stand up and walk around when you need to. But most importantly, ask questions! If you have a question, at least six other people are wondering the same thing!

Handouts: Sessions 1 & 2 Handout Session 3 Handout

Schedule

(Session 1) 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET (0.15 CEUs): “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Clergy Taxation, Part 1.” Topics covered: IRS definitions of ministers (ministerial “status”) and of ministerial work (ministerial “services”) as well as the three kinds of income ministers receive, the two kinds of taxes ministers pay, and the various ways ministers can pay those taxes during the tax year.

(Session 2) 1 to 2:30 p.m. ET (0.15 CEUs): “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Clergy Taxation, Part 2.” Topics covered: Housing exclusion, parsonages and parsonage adjustments, and self-employment taxes, as well as ways to reduce total taxes.

(Session 3) 3 to 4 p.m. ET: “Completing the Clergy Tax Return.” Zeke Zacharias, pastor at Litlold Church, has a typical clergy tax return to complete. We will walk through it with him using H&R Block’s Premium (for self-employed people) version of downloadable software.

Registration Link: https://bethanyseminary.edu/brethren-academy/clergy-tax-seminar

Leadership

Deb Oskin has been doing clergy tax returns since 1989, when her husband left seminary to pastor a small rural Church of the Brethren congregation. As a pastor’s wife and later as a tax professional, she learned the tax problems and pitfalls associated with the IRS’s identification of clergy as “hybrid employees.” In 2011, after twelve years with H&R Block, Deb left to start her own tax practice, specializing in clergy taxes. Clergy clients now make up 86 percent of her client base.

Deb was ordained in 2004 when she was called by the Living Peace Church of the Brethren in Columbus, Ohio, to be their peace minister to the wider community. She served as Southern Ohio District’s board chair from 2007-2011 and served as the Southern Ohio-Kentucky 2018 District Moderator. She is currently serving as Chair of the denomination’s Pastoral Compensation & Benefits Advisory Committee.

She has been teaching and presenting nationally on clergy taxation to clergy, treasurers and administrators, and tax pros since 2004. Other than the fact that she really likes to teach, Deb does this because of her deep belief that clergy can devote more of their energy to ministry if they aren’t stressed by tax debt.

Deb is an experienced presenter, and despite the complexity of the material, you’ll find yourself laughing. Learn and enjoy!

Sponsored by the Office of Ministry of the Church of the Brethren.

Come to learn what income the two systems of clergy taxes are based on, and how to calculate and pay those taxes. In addition, gain several ways to lower those taxes, including smart use of the housing allowance exclusion, business expenses and reimbursements, and ways to structure health insurance reimbursements to lower overall taxable income.

“2022-07-13 Demystifying Clergy Taxes_Updated Handout”

Sponsored by the Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust / Eder Financial

Do W-2s and 1099s confuse you? This session, led by a clergy tax expert, will answer the complex question: How do ministers get paid? Learn about the differences between employees and self-employed workers and why those differences matter. Finally figure out what the designated housing exclusion is. Attendees will leave this session ready to use rules regarding health insurance, business expenses, and employer reimbursements to lower their minister’s taxable income, and learn tips on how to double-check the W-2 to make sure it was prepared correctly.

“2022-07-12 How Do Ministers Get Paid_Updated Handout”

Annual All-Day Clergy Seminar, sponsored by the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership and Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, IN.

Session 1. From 11am to 12:30pm ET, “Everything you ever wanted to know about clergy taxation, Part 1.” Topics covered: Stimulus checks, advanced child tax credit, who is considered a minister and what work is considered ministerial.

Session 2. From 12:45pm to 2:15pm ET, “Everything you ever wanted to know about clergy taxation, Part 2.” Topics covered: Housing exclusion, parsonages and parsonage adjustments, and self-employment taxes, as well as business expenses and how they can reduce self-employment income. (Topics may appear in different sections than described.)

Session 3. From 2:45pm to 3:45pm ET, NEW! Pastoral Compensation & Benefits

The Chair of PC&BAC is very pleased to bring you the brand new “Pastoral Compensation Calculator” and “Integrated Annual Ministry Agreement” (which will replace both the start-up and renewal agreements)! Full of critical changes regarding how pastors and congregations negotiate around scale and ministry responsibilities, and coming to a vote at Annual Conference this summer!

Session 4. From 4pm to 5pm ET, Completing the Clergy Tax Return.

Rev. Zeke Zacharias, pastor at Litlold Church, has been struggling through the same congregational-COVID issues that all of you have. Let’s see how he’s handled himself in 2021. I’ll be using H&R Block’s Self-Employed version of their downloadable software.

During this 6-hour webinar, you will learn a great deal about clergy tax law, tax preparation, and  clergy compensation. It will be a resource-full day, so plan to take care of yourself as you learn. Eat when you’re hungry. Get a drink when you’re thirsty. Stand up and walk around when you need to. But most importantly, ask questions! If you have a question, Deb guarantees at least 6 other people are wondering the same thing! 

“2022-01-29_Annual Clergy Tax Seminar Handout”

Sponsored by the Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust

Do W-2s and 1099s confuse you? This session, led by a clergy tax expert, will answer the important question - how do ministers get paid? Learn how to prepare your minister’s W-2, how the housing allowance affects your minister’s taxes, and how to set up and accountable expense reimbursement plan. This session is especially geared toward church leaders and treasurers.

“2021-07-03_How To Pay Your Minister Handout”

Sponsored by the Office of Ministry of the Church of the Brethren.

Participants will be equipped to understand clergy taxes and receive important 2021 updates and information including handouts.

“2021-07-01_Demystifying Clergy Taxes Handout”

Annual All-Day Clergy Seminar, sponsored by the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership and Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, IN.

From 10am to 1pm ET, I'll cover Clergy Tax Theory in detail.

From 2pm to 4pm ET, I'll work through a Clergy Tax return using H&R Block’s Desktop Tax Software

“2021-01-16_Clergy Tax Theory Session 1 Handout”

“2021-01-16_Clergy Tax Return Session 2 Handout”