Skip to main content

What health insurance coverage can I get as a minister?

By

    What are my options for health coverage as a minister? 

                Many churches and Christian organizations have discontinued providing employer-paid group health plans. In lieu of paying out extremely expensive, one-size-fits-all insurance premiums, some have opted to provide taxable stipends and let employees shop for their own coverage. The good news: you can choose your own. The bad news: the stipend may not be enough and securing coverage can be complicated. Health care sharing plan options can be more economical. But they don’t qualify as standard health insurance: health care providers can balk, and the monthly subscriptions are not tax deductible. The Marketplace (www.healthcare.gov) offers alternatives, including advance premium tax credits to help with the monthly costs. Watch out for unpleasant surprises, however, since the tax credits must be reassessed when you file your annual Form 1040 and may result in hefty repayment in-part or in whole. Selecting a high deductible health plan (HDHP) either on the Marketplace or from an insurance broker can be a good alternative, if you and your family are healthy. The HDHP enables you to establish a health savings account (HSA) at a financial institution to use for many out-of-pocket costs, including those not normally covered by standard health insurance (e.g., eye care, dental). Some churches and Christian not-for-profit ministries have adopted health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs). The rules are complicated and beyond the scope of this post but can help in the right situations. Finally, you may qualify for government programs through Medicare (for 65-year-olds) and Medicaid. Many ministers with young and low-income families see their children qualify for state Medicaid coverage.


This excerpt is a portion of our top 10 list for new ministers. If you would like to see all of the frequently asked questions ministers have you can visit this link. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Church Car Purchase for Pastor

By
Question: A church would like to purchase a car for the pastor's use. What is the best method to accomplish this goal? Should the car be titled in the pastor's name? What will be the tax consequences of this arrangement? Answer: The church has two main alternatives for this purchase:  Title the car in the pastor's name and reimburse him for business expenses Title it in the church's name and treat personal use as taxable compensation There are fewer immediate tax consequences for the latter. Since both are viable options, we will discuss both situations in this post. If the church chooses to give the car to the pastor and register it in his name, he is free to use it for whatever personal use he desires with no tax consequences. However, the fair value of the car is taxable as compensation at the time it is given to the pastor. Internal Revenue Code section 102(c) clearly states that gifts given to employees by their employers are taxable compensation. The...
2 comments
Read more

Can Form 4361 be filed after the deadline?

By
Question:   Is it possible to opt out of Social Security after the 2-year deadline? Answer:  Unlike other employees, a licensed or ordained minister has the option to opt out of Social Security and Medicare (FICA). If a minister wants to opt out they must file Form 4361 by the tax deadline including extension, in the second year in which they have received ministerial income of $400 or more. This election is final, and the minister cannot opt back into FICA taxes.  At MinistryCPA, we have received questions from ministers who have exceeded the two year deadline and desire to opt-out. There have been several court cases which provide guidance in answering this question. Some have argued that the minister was unaware of the deadline, had mistakenly believed they had filed a timely election, were given incorrect advice by an IRS employee, or their opposition to participate in Social Security and Medicare did not arise until after the 2-year deadline had passed. In each of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Form 941 or 944 - Which Should a Church Use for Payroll Reporting?

By Anonymous
Question:   Are churches required to file a Form 944 annually to report their employees' earnings and tax-withholdings? A quarterly Form 941 (rather than an annual Form 944) is required of some employers. Which IRS form, if any, should be filed? Answer: According to IRS Section 1402(c) and 3121(c), ministers are not subject to mandatory income tax withholding. Unless one or more ministerial employees request non-mandatory withholding, church employers with only ministerial employees do not need to file Form 941 or Form 944.  The IRS  Ministers Audit Techniques Guide  explains in further detail a minister's treatments for Social Security, Medicare tax, and income tax withholding.   Form 941 or 944 must be filed when non-ministerial employees are compensated or when ministers request withholding. When can a church file the annual Form 944 rather than filing Form 941 each quarter? The IRS may permit the annual filing of Form 944 for employers wh...
Post a Comment
Read more