MinistryCPA - Corey A. Pfaffe, CPA, LLC

Question: From my 403(b) retirement plan can I rollover an amount to a Traditional IRA, then roll that over to a Roth IRA to avoid paying self employment taxes? Answer: First, timely rollovers from an Internal Revenue Code section 403(b) plan to a Traditional IRA are non-taxable both for income and self-employment (SE) tax purposes. In fact, distributions from qualified retirement plans are not subject to SE tax. Income tax can be postponed by rolling over 403(b) distributions to a Traditional IRA. But subsequent distributions from a Traditional IRA rolled over to a Roth are not tax-free. However, there may be reason to avoid rolling over a lump-sum distribution from a 403(b) plan into a Traditinal IRA. Please reference the following posting and others within this blog related to housing allowance designations. http://ministrycpa.blogspot.com/2008/02/ministers-retirement-distributions.html

Question: Can a pastor pay extra on his mortgage principal and use it to count toward his housing allowance? Answer: Yes, but. A minister who receives a housing allowance may exclude the allowance from gross income to the extent it is used to pay expenses in providing a home. The IRS lists only food and servants as prohibitions to allowance housing expenses. If a minister owns a home, the amount excluded from the minister’s gross income as a housing allowance is limited to the least of the following: (a) the amount actually used to provide a home, (b) the amount officially designated as a housing allowance, or c) the fair rental value of the home (IRS Publication 1828; Clergy Housing Allowance Clarification Act of 2002; IRS Regulation Section 1.107-1). Because of the third limitation listed here, many ministers gain little or no benefit by accelerating their mortgage payments. For example, an additional $5,000 principal payment adds to the amount actually used to provide a ho...

Question: A church led by a "volunteer" pastor wishes to give him a monetary gift for Christmas. Will the church need to issue a Form 1099-MISC? Is the answer different depending on the amount? Answer: The payment will be considered as compensation for services rendered--the church is acting corporately in compensating a minister who serves it. However, there are some options. First, the amount can be designated (prior to payment) as housing allowance. This removes the federal income tax consequence to the extent of his actual housing expenses (and the fair rental value of his home). Second, while the compensation is subject to the 15.3 percent self-employment (SE) tax, to the extent the minister has unreimbursed ministry expenses, he can reduce his SE income. If his net self-employment income is less than $400, he will owe no SE tax. With so little income, it is unlikely that the IRS would classify him as a Form W-2 employee. Therefore, if the non-housing allowan...

Question: Some members and non-members of a church direct funds to a ministry overseas, partly because they want to get a tax deduction by giving it through the church versus giving to the overseas ministry directly. The church has elected to include the foreign ministry in its missions budget, albeit with a much smaller amount than what is being designated by other people. Does this pose any problems that the church should be aware of? Answer: With the church as the organization overseeing the support of the overseas work (it obviously endorses it by virtue of its own giving), it's almost certainly better to contribute in this manner than by individual donors trying to make wire transfers (I suppose) to a foreign ministry. In my experience, the typical concern the church must have is that it does not become a conduit for the otherwise non-charitable obligations of individuals who are not really donors. Let me illustrate. Imagine that a parent is obligated to pay on the c...

Question: A church's janitor is paid a fixed sum each month. He works without direction (although direction could be given) and on his own schedule (within limits, of course). The church provides supplies. Is he an employee or contractor? The same individual also does the church's lawn care for which he is paid each time that he performs the service. He provides his own equipment. The schedule for the service is "when it needs it" and as such is not necessarily regular, especially in the winter. Is he an employee or a contractor? Answer: Each church's situation is unique. That's why the general guidelines and links that I provided in my September 21, 2011, blog posting can be helpful. Church Employee or Independent Contractor

Question: A pastor works a full time job and thus does not take a salary from the church. Since he owns his own home, can he take a tax deduction for housing allowance and travel expenses from his ministry even though his income is actually from another job? Answer: Unfortunately, a housing allowance is only based on a designation of compensation paid by the church. No housing allowance is permitted in his case. Essentially, the minister is a volunteer. This does mean that his mileage on behalf of the church is deductible as an itemized deduction (at the charitable rate) and his out-of-pocket costs as a volunteer may be written off (Schedule A).

Question: A church has a member preparing to go to the mission field. Before she leaves she is required to be debt-free, including college loans of $35,000. If friends give money to the church with the understanding that the funds may be used for the purpose of repayment, are the gifts deductible since they are given to the church? Answer: It is a very common experience that missionaries supported by a church have friends in the congregation. These contributions are tax-deductible as long as the church has established a fund and communicated its interest to support the missionary's endeavors. Typically, a church will forward these funds to the missionary's mission agency since it provides oversight in his or her financial matters. Churches that issue this compensation directly to the missionary must comply with the reporting requirements of the Internal Revenue Code--using Form W-9 to obtain the missionary's name, address, and identifying number and using Form 1099-MI...

Question: At times, a church gives out monetary "thank you" gifts to volunteers regularly involved with ministry. It has considered this to be a "benevolence." Since there is a "service" done, though with no monetary reward in mind, is this still benevolence, or should this be considered a Form 1099-MISC item? Also, if this is done on a regular basis, would this now be considered more of an employer/employee item? Answer: These gifts should be considered taxable income. If the "volunteers" are independent contractors, then Form 1099-MISC should be issued to each individual paid $600 or more. Employees should be issued Form W-2 with applicable withholdings. IRS Publication 3079--Tax Exempt Organizations and Gaming--addresses some of these issues with an example. While I personally am opposed to gaming activities, the IRS position on volunteers can be seen by reviewing portions of the publication. "Example: ABC Organization operates ...

Question: Is it allowable for a minister to use funds from his professional expense reimbursement plan to pay for the registration of his wife at a Christian conference? Can the minister and his wife be classified as a “ministry team” and therefore allow such an expense? Answer: IRS Publication 463 indicates that an employer cannot deduct payments (or reimbursements, including those through an accountable plan) for a spouse accompanying an employee "on a business trip or to a business convention," unless that spouse is also 1) its employee, 2) has a bona fide business purpose for the travel, and 3) would otherwise be allowed to deduct the travel expenses." These rules also apply to tax-exempt employers (e.g. churches) even though they are unconcerned about losing deductions since they pay no income tax in the first place (Federal Tax Regulation 1.132-5 (t)(2). However, this does not necessary give the whole picture. Internal Revenue Bulletin No. 1996-26, Re...

There are a lot of church planting websites with ideas and services offered to church planters. But what list might an accountant provide for a new church to consider? Initial Budget Prepare a budget forecasting both outside support and initial giving by the families expected to charter the new church. Determine the pastoral compensation level that the new congregation can realistically provide. Project costs for meeting facilities (secure a lease). Use church planting resources to develop proper strategies for initial communication and outreach; project the costs to implement the strategies and adjust based on the realities of financial resources. Organization Establish a constitution and by-laws. Incorporate with counsel of an attorney familiar with laws for tax-exempt organizations in the state. Pastor Compensation Work with the pastor to establish a wise compensation and benefits package. Consider establishing a professional expense reimbursement plan, either using an “...

Question: Your blog posts on February 18, 2010, and January 12, 2011, (accessible by typing "sabbatical" in your search window) offer the only specific statements along these lines that I can find, anywhere. I would like to have as much authority behind me as possible. Can you please refer me to something from IRS or others that provide the authority for your statements? Answer: Both blog postings reference IRS Publication 463. Chapter 1 of the 2010 edition offers on only 6-7 pages of content a good initial read. Chapter 6 includes roughly 4 pages on reimbursements under Accountable and Nonaccountable Plan rules. The Publication defines travel expenses that qualify and offers extensive examples. Further, its section on accountable plan rules offers direction to churches wishing to set up arrangements that establish reasonable reimbursement plans. Here's a link to the Publication in .pdf format: IRS Publication 463

Question: A minister creates a DVD depicting his experiences as a missionary. He sells the tapes and uses all of the proceeds to make additional copies of the DVD and to have it translated into several languages. He uses none of the DVD proceeds for personal expenses. Does he need to report the DVD proceeds and how does he treat the DVD costs? Answer: The minister will need to file Schedule C along with his personal tax return. The sales represent revenues and the DVD costs represent deductible expenses. Typically, a minister will retain an outside firm to duplicate the DVDs, buying in bulk in order to save money. These purchases of DVDs are subject to inventory rules that the minister's tax preparer will need to apply.

Question: My question concerns a church's categorizing of church employees as independent contractors to avoid paying taxes and workers compensation insurance. Can you shed some light on this? Answer: The IRS makes available Form SS-8 to aid in the determination of employee versus independent contractor status. I've provided a link here: IRS Form SS-8 Further, the IRS provides the following guidance: "In determining whether the person providing service is an employee or an independent contractor, all information that provides evidence of the degree of control and independence must be considered. "Facts that provide evidence of the degree of control and independence fall into three categories: "Behavioral: Does the company control or have the right to control what the worker does and how the worker does his or her job? "Financial: Are the business aspects of the worker’s job controlled by the payer? (these include things like how worker is pai...

Question: The IRS Minister Audit Technique Guide says, "The retired minister may exclude from his/her net earnings from self-employment the rental value of the parsonage or the parsonage allowance received after retirement" ( http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=210018,00.html ). How does the IRS define "retired" in this sense? Answer: IRS Publication 517 also refers to the self-employment tax-free status of post-retirement allowances designated as housing, but does a slightly better job explaining the conditions. Both sources relate to IRS Revenue Ruling 58-359 (yes, from the year 1958!). If retirement were defined as the-time-I-start-collecting-social-security-retirement-benefits, then many pastors would be elated to stop paying the 15.3 percent SE tax since they often continue ministering to congregations on at least a part-time basis well after reaching typical retirement age. Unfortunately, this is not the case. A church that allows its pas...

Question: A pastor terminated his position with a church and moved to serve a new church started in another state. The pastor's former church/employer is going to send support to this pastor through the end of the year, even though he is no longer employed by them and will not be providing any services to them . Can the income be reported in Box 3 of Form 1099-MISC as Other Income thus avoiding self-employment taxes? Alternatively, should the church continue to report the support as pastoral W-2 wages and designate it as housing allowance? Answer: Box 3 of Form 1099-MISC is reserved for Other Income--"prizes and awards that are not for services performed." Regardless whether a minister's compensation is considered wages as an employee or non-employee compensation as a self-employed individual, for purposes of self-employment tax he is considered as self-employed. Accordingly, he must file Schedule SE and pay SE tax (unless he has been recognized by the IRS as e...

Question: How many years can IRS chase after a minister who didn't report SE tax for the housing allowance? Answer: I'll let the IRS' own FAQ answer this one: "Generally, the IRS can include returns filed within the last three years in an audit. Additional years can be added if a substantial error is identified. Generally, if a substantial error is identified, the IRS will not go back more than the last six years. ... "More information related to extending a statute of limitations can be obtained in Publication 1035, Extending the Tax Assessment Period." From Publication 1035: "The statute of limitations for IRS to assess and collect any outstanding balances does not start until a return has been filed.In other words, there is no statute of limitations for assessing and collecting the tax if no return has been filed."

Question: A pastor is "volunteering" at a church. It's not ready to permanently hire him but wishes to "help him with his financial situation for $600 per month." Can the church classify the payments as "love gifts"? Will the church be subject to gift tax? Answer: Whether the pastor is an employee (receives Form W-2 from the church) or an independent contractor (receives Form 1099-MISC) is a matter of the facts and circumstances of his ministry at the church. The following link can be followed for a review of these factors as spelled out in a 2009 posting: Church Worker: Employee or Independent Contractor Love gifts are taxable income reportable on either Form W-2 or Form 1099-MISC depending on the minister's status. Gift tax is irrelevant since it relates to pre-inheritance distributions from an individual's taxable estate. Whether he is treated as an employee or not may carry little difference in this temporary situation with a lo...

According to IRS News Release IR-2011-69: "The standard mileage rate for business miles increased to 55.5 cents a mile July 1. This is an increase of 4.5 cents from the 51 cent rate in effect for the first six months of 2011."

Question: A church wishes to provide assistance/support for educational expenses of a member who is an international missionary. The missionary serves under a governing body ("mission agency") which raises support for its missionaries and provides all the proper tax documentation to the missionary. The missionary already has his undergraduate degree, however, now is working on his master's. The church, through the advice of the governing body, has begun the initial stages of working on setting up a general educational assistance fund, along with proper documentation, oversight, and requirements for use of the fund. Can this type of activity be structured in a way to where there would be no taxable income to the individual? Can the funds be used for educational expenses (tuition, books and fees) as well as travel expenses to the classes (lodging and air fare) as well as meals? Would a Form 1099-MISC need to be issued or can be this be looked at as some type of "...

Question 1: A new nonprofit missions agency is being established and preparing to send its first missionary. Identical to established agencies, the missionaries will receive support from churches and individual donors who rely on the fiduciary and ministry accountability role of the agency. What is the responsibility of the nonprofit in withholding taxes for its missionaries? Answer 1: It's a delight to hear of the establishment of new mission agencies ready to contribute to the spread of the gospel. While there are many issues to tackle, let's review a couple that readers of this blog might expect to hear from a CPA. 1. Other than itinerant ministers, virtually all licensed or ordained ministers are classified as dual status. This means that they're employees in every respect, except for purposes of social security and Medicare tax obligations. For purposes of these two taxes, they are considered self-employed and responsible for their own tax determined on IRS For...

Question 1: Corporate stock was donated to a church. How are the gains on these stocks for a not-for-profit organization reported to the IRS? Answer 1: Section 511 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) imposes tax on tax-exempt organizations, including churches, that earn unrelated business income. Section 512 defines income and exclusions related to the unrelated business income tax (UBIT). IRC Section 512(a)(1) General rule. "Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the term 'unrelated business taxable income' means the gross income derived by any organization from any unrelated trade or business (as defined in section 513) regularly carried on by it, less the deductions allowed by this chapter which are directly connected with the carrying on of such trade or business." According to IRC Section 512(b)(5) "stock [Commentary: this does not refer to corporate stock] in trade or other property of a kind which would properly be includible in inventor...

Question: Help! My bookkeeping knowledge is limited to a semester of accounting at a local community college in the mid 1970's. We contracted with a local roofer to make repairs to the church's roof. We have his estimate of how much it will cost and he's started working on it. My question is how do I enter the estimate into our financial software, Church Windows. I imagine I need to create some sort of liability to show that we're involved in the work. But how do I enter the expense - do I create an expense acct labeled 'roof repairs in progress'? And then when we get the final bill, do I move the liability to an actual accounts payable acct with 'roof repairs' expense? Answer: No entry is required at the time of receiving the estimate or prior to receiving the roofer's invoice. Once the invoice is received you may enter it as an Account Payable. Your accounting program, Church Windows Software ( http://churchwindows.com/ ), will record it ...

Question: Our church is a non-profit incorporation and we have founded an affiliated church. What is the status for donations made to the affiliation church? Answer: I'm guessing that the question relates to a church planting activity by one local church that has identified a geographic area needing a local church. The established congregation (the "mother" church) aids a group of people wishing to start a new church (the "daughter" church) similar to it. Typically, the mother church provides financial oversight including paying initial ministerial salaries or renting facilities. Donations are collected by the daughter church, but managed by the mother church. Offerings are deposited into a mother church bank account, but accounted for as gifts designated to the new ministry. Contribution records and reports are managed by the mother church. Donors to the daughter church receive year-end giving statements from the mother church. Accordingly, the tax-dedu...

Question: We’ ve heard that churches and tax-exempt organizations may qualify for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit. Is this true? Answer: Yes, many churches and tax-exempt organizations qualify for the Health Care Tax Credit. If you can agree to all statements listed below, then your church (or other organization) is likely to qualify for the 2010 credit. 1. You paid at least 50% of your employee’s health insurance premiums. 2. You have fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees during 2010 (you may have more than 25 employees if you have some part time employees). 3. You paid less than $50,000 in average annual wages—but don’t include your minister’s wages in the calculation. 4. You paid the following payroll taxes in 2010: Federal income taxes or Medicare taxes. Eligible, tax-exempt small employers may claim the refundable credit by filing Form 990-T and Form 8941. For more information, see the Instructions for Form 8941:  Form 8941 Instructions

Question: A missionary in Australia for several years receives donations from a U.S. church. He was not aware that these donations were being reported on a Form-1099, and also thought that he did not have to file a tax return since he wasn't "earning" income. He is now subject to several years of SE taxes based on the 1099s. What are some allowable deductions/expenses against this income? He paid his own housing, traveled to other countries such as Thailand and Indonesia doing mission work, returned to the U.S. to report to his home church and solicit donations, etc. Answer: He can deduct what are classified as business expenses against this income. He should use Schedule C of Form 1040 to report his income and deductions. Typical expenses for a missionary include 1) car expenses at the standard mileage rate both in Australia and in the U.S. during furlough trips to churches, 2) air travel to and from the U.S. and to other countries, 3) ministry supplies (e.g. book...

Question: Businesses withhold and match 7.65% of employees' pay for their social security and Medicare taxes. Can a church pay an employee’s 7.65% or not? Answer: We must segregate ministerial and non-ministerial employees in this consideration. Churches must withhold and match FICA for non-ministerial employees unless they have filed Form 8274- Certification by Churches ... Electing Exemption From Employer Social Security and Medicare Taxes . Then the church employee is responsible to pay the full 15.3% himself or herself on Schedule SE, Section B, line 5a. Churches may not withhold and match FICA for ministerial employees. I encourage churches to help their pastors with these costs but they cannot treat them as non-ministerial. It can actually hurt the pastor’s tax situation. Let me illustrate. 1. If a church wishes to “help” – a) calculate a 7.65% bonus to add to his pay by multiplying his cash compensation + housing allowance X 7.65%, b) then withhold an identical amo...

Question: A church collected a love offering for its youth minister and paid the full amount received directly on his student loans. The money never went directly to the minister but to the bank/lender. Is the love offering amount that was paid to the bank considered income and, therefore, taxable for the minister? If so, is that amount to be reported on Form W-2? Answer: This type of compensation does not enjoy a statutory classification as a non-taxable fringe benefit. It is taxable to the youth minister and reportable on Form W-2. Hopefully, this action occurred early in 2011 so that the minister may consider tax planning alternatives to reduce his tax. He may also need to make estimated tax payments.

Question: I have placed a number of miles on my vehicle and have purchased many items for my ministry (theology books, theology journals, etc.) that I was not reimbursed by the church for this year. Can I count these as a business expense in some way and lower my SE tax? Answer: Yes, in this case, a minister should prepare Form 2106 to determine the amount of deduction. Then the calculation for self-employment income on Schedule SE will be as follows: ADD: Cash compensation from church ADD: Housing allowance (or fair rental value of parsonage) SUBTRACT: Form 2106 expenses When carrying ministry expenses to Schedule A, ministers must be careful to reduce allowable Form 2106 expenses by a percentage determined by dividing their non-taxable compensation by their total compensation.

Question: Should the church send a Form 1099-MISC to interns who worked for the summer? Answer: If the interns received more than $600, then Forms 1099-MISC must be issued. Apparently, the interns were treated as independent contractors. They will be subject to self-employment tax for social security and Medicare. Most churches determine that interns are short-term employees subject to standard FICA tax withholding and matching by the church. In these cases, Forms W-2 are issued and the interns owe no additional social security or Medicare tax.

Question: Does a church have to pay unemployment taxes for its Pastor, Youth Leader (not ordained), church secretary or custodian, all who are our church members? If we do not have to pay this tax, do I still need to register with the Dept of Workforce Development Division of Unemployment Insurance, or just ignore them? Answer: In Wisconsin, and perhaps all states (I cannot confirm this), churches are exempt from SUTA tax. Obviously, correspondence received from a state agency merits a response.

Question: A missionary is partially self-supporting and partially supported by donors. A church is considering giving him funds to help subsidize his daughter’s overseas schooling. Will this amount be reportable on Form 1099-MISC as taxable income or could it be considered a benevolence gift for which a Form 1099 would not be required? Would there be a difference if the church made checks out to him vs. making them out to his minor daughter who is receiving the schooling? Answer: The missionary is receiving the support targeted for his daughter's education due to his ministerial status. If the child been a needy individual within the church's congregation for which no services were rendered, then there would be no tax consequences. However, it appears that the support is in consideration of the missionary's overseas work. If the payments are directly to the missionary and not through his mission agency, then Form 1099-MISC should be issued. Making the payments directl...

Question: An ordained pastor receives part-time compensation from his church, designated 100% as housing. In order to pay SE tax on the housing allowance amount, where does he record this on his tax return? He has a few expenses that he could deduct, but is hesitant to do so while showing no income. Should he deduct these expenses? Answer: Since 100% of his compensation was designated as housing, none of his expenses are deductible as business expenses on either Form 2106 or Schedule C. However, when calculating his SE tax, the deductions can be applied before entering his SE income on Form 1040, Schedule SE.

Question: A pastor recently died. His church desires to gift the amount of his salary to his spouse for a yet-to-be-determined amount of time. Is there any IRS limitations to the amount we can give? No services are provided by her. Answer: There are no limitations on the amounts, but they will be taxable as ordinary income. I tried to do some quick research to see if I could find an exception, but they only related to public safety officers and military personnel.

Question: The church pays me as a part-time pastor $1,000 a month. $500 of that was designated as "housing" in a business meeting. How should they report that? Answer: Assuming a full-year's compensation, $6,000 is reported in Box 1 of Form W-2 as taxable compensation. I recommend that the $6,000 paid as non-taxable housing allowance be reported in Box 14. This reports to you the amount that you must document for housing allowance purposes (see other blog entries for a review of these rules).

Question: A minister received a Form 1099-MISC from a church. Most of the amount on the Form was designated as housing allowance (recorded in an official document by the church board when he began working for the church). He doesn't see a way to report this amount on his tax return, excluding it from federal income tax while paying the Social Security and Medicare (self-employment) taxes on it. How should this be reported? Where does it go on the IRS tax forms? Answer: The church has filed an erroneous Form 1099-MISC. Housing allowance is not reportable as taxable income because it is exempt from income tax. The preparer should be apprised of this error and asked to file a corrected Form 1099-MISC. Near the end of the January 29, 2011, blog posting that I've linked below, I address the issue of housing allowance and Form 1099-MISC reporting-perhaps it will be helpful. Definition of a Minister

Question: We have a church building valued at $351,000 which includes land of $120,000. How long should we depreciate the church and will a parsonage be depreciated for the same period? Answer: This question brings up two important points. 1. Assuming that the church is best served by using an accrual basis of accounting in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), then the church property's value is not the basis for depreciation. The original cost is used. The estimated useful life that many organizations use for real property is 50 years. The same holds true for the parsonage. Only the original cost of the building, not the cost of land, is depreciated over its estimated useful life. 2. In our opinion, many small churches are better served using the modified cash basis. Lay people and pastors alike have a better chance of understanding the reports. In these situations, no depreciation is recorded. If external parties demand it, then GAAP will require the r...

Question: A person contributes to a charitable organization including individual contributions greater than $250. In spite of repeated efforts, the taxpayer cannot gain the cooperation of the charity to provide the statement. What can the donor do? Answer: According to IRS Publication 1771, the answer may be "nothing." Of course, the donor can stop making contributions. The IRS: "There are recordkeeping and substantiation rules imposed on donors of charitable contributions: 1) a donor must have a bank record or written communication from a charity for any monetary contribution before the donor can claim a charitable contribution on his/her federal income tax return; 2) a donor is responsible for obtaining a written acknowledgment from a charity for any single contribution of $250 or more before the donor can claim a charitable contribution on his/her federal income tax return (my emphases). "An organization that does not acknowledge a contribution in...

Question: A house sits on a church's property. The church custodian was asked to move into the house. The custodian is now receiving his regular part-time wages in addition to “free” housing in exchange for additional on-call hours worked for security and such. Is this considered additional income for the custodian? Answer: IRS Publication 15-B addresses this question: "Lodging on Your Business Premises. You can exclude the value of lodging you furnish to an employee from the employee's wages if it meets the following tests: 1) it is furnished on your business premises, 2) it is furnished for your convenience, and 3) the employee must accept it as a condition of employment. "The exclusion does not apply if you allow your employee to choose to receive additional pay instead of lodging. "On your business premises. For this exclusion, your business premises is generally your employee's place of work. "For your convenience. Whether or not you...

Question: A church bookkeeper uses Quickbooks. He asks: "How do I set up my Chart of Accounts in such a way that I can easily account for giving and spending?" He offers the following example. The youth have a budget account for expenses of $500. The actual expenses for the youth was $1,500, but the youth raised $1,000 through donations. "So," he says, "in essence the youth ministry was on budget." What do you recommend? Answer: I recommend that churches use Designated Fund accounts to record designated gifts and their matching disbursements. This provides good accounting for these gifts, plus it avoids posting income and expenses in the General Fund for which budget accounts have been established. Co-mingling these Funds can mess up budgeting and lose track of designated contributions. Here's the entries I'd recommend in the above example: First -- $1,000 Debit to Cash/Checking to record the deposit of donations designated to the yout...

Question: A church has a member who, on his own, founded a ministry. The ministry has not pursued recognition by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Also, it is not a formally sponsored outreach program of the church. The member has asked whether the church would act as a clearing house for designated donations towards his ministry. Most of the donations would come from non-attendees of the church. Checks would be made out to the church designated for the ministry. The founder would then use the donations to pay for the expenses associated with it. The over arching goal of the ministry is in harmony with the church's mission. Can the church issue tax-deductible receipts for these designated donations? Answer: This is a good question that has been answered, in principle, in several other entries in this blog. Type "conduit" in the above search window for more. My advice has always been t...

Question: A church owns real estate and has no mortgage. There are no records indicating the original cost of land or improvements (circa 1955). The church now plans to buy land and to build elsewhere. The bank wants financial statements as the church seeks a loan. How does the the treasurer value assets for which s/he has no costs? This includes not only the building and land, but most of the furnishings. Answer: The answer depends, in part, on the requirements placed on the church by the bank. If it insists on financial statements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ( GAAP ), then the treasurer has a lot of work ahead for him or her, and the bank is going to wait a while to receive its statements. Further, professional assistance may be required. It might be that switching to GAAP reporting is long overdue for many large churches, but most small churches use non- GAAP cash or modified cash methods which work well for their congregations. GAAP will...

Question: Do designated gifts towards foreign churches qualify as tax-deductible? The foreign church itself does not issue tax-deductible receipts. Moreover, some but not all of these foreign churches already receive some financial support from our church's missions budget. Answer: IRS Publication 526 addresses this issue as it informs individuals who make contributions to what it calls " Nonqualified Organizations" -- "You cannot deduct contributions to organizations that are not qualified to receive tax-deductible contributions, including ... "Foreign organizations other than 1) A U.S. organization that transfers funds to a charitable foreign organization if the U.S. organization controls the use of the funds or if the foreign organization is only an administrative arm of the U.S. organization, or 2) certain Canadian, Israeli, or Mexican charitable organizations." The Publication addresses item two in greater detail, for readers so inclined ...