Gain a better understanding of charitable contribution receipts and clergy housing allowance, as well as common filing errors.

Clergy taxes appear to be from a parallel tax universe. Every tax preparer has one or two clients that are religious workers. Religious workers are one of the few professions with unique tax treatment for both income tax purposes and for Social Security. Do you know the tax treatment? Clergy receive unique W-2s, and 1099-Rs. Clergy have negative expenses on schedule C. The Schedule SE is based on a W-2. Clergy self-employment tax is the largest tax they pay and we are ill prepared to advise them. What are tax professionals to do and think? Every tax preparer has been asked by their favorite charity how to prepare a charitable receipt. Donors want iron-clad audit proof receipts. What can 501(3) organizations do to keep their donors donating? What charitable contribution receipts qualify as an acceptable receipt upon audit? What type of receipt is required to take the charitable deduction on your Schedule A? Payroll penalties are among the highest penalties our clients face. Yet many church payrolls are prepared and processed by volunteers. Volunteers generally are not prepared to handle payroll and donor receipting due to the unique complexities in this areas of taxation. This information is presented by a CPA who prepares hundreds of clergy tax returns and payrolls every year. You will learn to identify a W-2 and 1099-R that is correct and how to prepare the tax returns for active and retired clergy. You will identify which of the competing tax strategies is most appropriate for your clergy clients from seminarian to retired pastor. You will learn about the common errors that pastors and churches make related to compensation, expense reimbursement and charitable receipts and the correct way to handle these transactions.