Browsing Category Housing

https://youtu.be/hfVcZtotFAk Do cell phones qualify for the clergy housing allowance? If not, is there any way for a church to cover the cost for their pastor?

https://youtu.be/AU-lyT_PoyA A look at how the clergy housing allowance works and why you can still claim it even without a mortgage.

https://youtu.be/zJAcMvgZBpc Here's a step-by-step description of how to set a housing allowance for a pastor, what needs to be done throughout the year, how to report it to the IRS, and what to do if you have excess housing allowance.

This is a guest post by Chris Cagle, author of RetirementStewardship.com and The Minister's Retirement book. I recently published a book review on his book and it got such a good reception that I asked him to write something specifically for you. In my book, The Minister’s Retirement, I address many of the fundamental questions that pastors have about planning for, and living in, retirement. Wise planning involves making decisions consistent with biblical stewardship principles and implemented using wisdom and practical ...

This is an excerpt from my book, The Pastor’s Wallet Complete Guide to the Clergy Housing Allowance:  The church is not required to report the housing allowance to the IRS. Unless a church includes it in an informational section on Form W-2, the IRS and the Social Security Administration (SSA) are only made aware of the housing allowance when a minister files Schedule SE to pay Social Security taxes under SECA.  Form W-2 You should review your Form W-2 that you receive every ...

https://youtu.be/WiXnvxb1uCA In today's video, Amy answers a question from a Pastor's Wallet reader who recently moved and wants to know if they can change their housing allowance after it has already been set by the elders.

Any time you want tax-free housing! While that answer is true, here is an excerpt from my book, The Pastor’s Wallet Complete Guide to the Clergy Housing Allowance, that will provide a bit more depth:  Timing Timing is very important when it comes to the housing allowance. A housing allowance can only be paid prospectively, not retroactively. That means you cannot go back in time. You can only take a housing allowance after it has been designated; any expenses incurred prior to the ...

As we all know, nothing went quite as expected in 2020. In fact, for most of us, nothing went anywhere close to expected! Maybe you were planning on doing some work on your home and things got shut down because of COVID-19. Perhaps you were planning on spending some money on items for your home, but COVID-19 made you tighten your budget. Or things just didn't go according to plan and it had nothing to do with COVID-19! (But we're ...

This is an excerpt from my book, The Pastor’s Wallet Complete Guide to the Clergy Housing Allowance:  Pastor Housing Allowance Responsibilities Pastor, when it comes to the housing allowance, you’re the man (or woman). If you want the tax savings that the clergy housing allowance provides, it’s on you. It’s not the church’s responsibility, it’s yours. You are the one who has to calculate your anticipated expenses for the year, submit them to your church, and make sure they approve it in ...

I don’t know about your neighborhood, but in mine, real estate is on fire. Houses that usually take several months to sell are now under contract within a matter of days. This sudden housing boom has caught a lot of people by surprise, especially since everywhere else you look the economy is struggling under the weight of COVID-19. However, with interest rates at record lows and people spending a lot more time at home with their families, it does make ...