Instructions for Completing Pastoral Compensation Forms (5, 6, and 7)
Minnesota Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church
2016 Church Conference Forms
Conference Office: (612) 870-0058
*When completed, this form needs to be sent to your district office.
Please share the information on this form with your Church Treasurer.
If you need assistance in setting your pastor’s compensation or completing these forms, please contact your district office.
Please complete separate Pastoral Compensation forms for each appointed clergy (elder, deacon, probationary member, member of other denomination or licensed pastor) to this charge. If your pastor serves a multiple point charge, please fill out the total compensation from all charges on Forms 5 and 6, and then include the breakdown for each church on Form 7.
Effective 1/1/2017 there are new CRSP (pension) and CPP (death & disability) fixed amounts and maximum calculations, these forms reflect the changes. Please use the enclosed forms for the compensation year 2017 and do not use the prior year forms as they will not accurately calculate the costs for the 2017 year.
Auto-calculating form available in Excel format
The Excel format version of the Pastoral Compensation forms will automatically calculate the parsonage penalty adjustment, church and clergy share of MAC premiums, pension, disability, and total the different sections of forms 5 and 6. If the appointment is to multiple churches, form 7 will allow you to enter the percentage for each church then automatically calculate the amounts from forms 5 and 6 for each item. This format works well for appointments without special circumstances. We hope you give it a try.
Note: The Excel format will not work for certain situations, such as appointments of clergy couples where both appointments pay a portion of the family MAC premium, and appointments without pension and disability benefits (retired supply clergy, clergy who waived pension benefits). It is suggested to use the Word version for these types of appointments.
Information needed to complete the Clergy Compensation Forms:
Clergy Name
Years of Service
Church(es)
Appointment increment – In quarter increments (fulltime = 1, ¾ = .75, ½ = .5, and ¼ = .25)
Salary
Salary reductions - (Pastor must complete election forms for SelectAccount each year. If changing the UMPIP election completion of the Wespath Contribution Election form is required.)
Housing Allowance – leave blank if parsonage is supplied
Reimbursable amounts – Continuing Education, Travel, and Other Professional expenses
Budget amount for parsonage utilities (this only applies when a parsonage is provided)
Multiple church appointments will need the percentages paid by each church. If the breakdown is not by percentage, use the Word Format instead.
Form 5 Pastoral Compensation Instructions by line:
Start by entering the following information where indicated: church name, city, clergy name, years of service, appointment increment and effective date for the compensation form.
Line 1a) Pastor’s Salary - Minimum Salary Requirements: Consult the Equitable Compensation Schedule enclosed for determining the years of service of the clergy person and the required minimum base compensation. You may pay more than the minimum required. In the SPRC Training Manual, there are suggestions for setting clergy compensation.
Line 1b) Parsonage Penalty Adjustment: (Only added for active clergy who receive a parsonage for their housing and receive pension benefits) Legislative item 504 approved at the 2011 Annual Conference Session added the parsonage penalty adjustment to the clergy compensation form and compensation calculation. This adjustment is designed to offset the pension penalty of pastors who reside in parsonages. Each year the penalty adjustment will be calculated by the Benefits Officer using the average housing allowance of fulltime Minnesota appointments and average parsonage value (25% of salary). The fulltime parsonage penalty adjustment calculation is: 3% of the difference between the average housing allowance and average parsonage value. For less than fulltime appointments with a parsonage the penalty adjustment will be the incremental proportion of the appointment to the fulltime penalty adjustment, 75%, or 50%.
2017 Parsonage Penalty Adjustment amounts are:
Fulltime appointment = 282.00
¾ time appointment = 211.50
½ time appointment = 141.00
¼ time appointment = 0.00 (not eligible for CRSP pension effective 1/1/2014)
Note: Clergy waiving participation in the UMC pension plan or retired clergy serving an appointment are not eligible to receive the Parsonage Penalty Adjustment. Effective 1/1/2014 ¼ time appointments are not eligible to participate in the CRSP pension plan per changes to the plan by General Conference 2012.
Line 1) Total Salary: Add lines 1a and 1b.
Line 2) Housing Allowance: For churches that provide a housing allowance in lieu of providing a parsonage. The amount is determined when an appointment begins or when a pastor moves from a parsonage to a housing allowance. It should not change from year to year unless there is an increase in utility costs. Even if the amount of the cash housing allowance does not change, a new housing allowance declaration is required when there is an appointment change. The housing allowance declaration of the previous pastor does not apply to the new pastor and the new pastor’s housing allowance declaration from the previous church does not apply to the new appointment. The pastor may choose to shift more of their salary into their housing allowance for tax purposes, by using the Housing or Parsonage Allowance Resolution (sample forms are numbered 8a and 8b) with approval by the church or charge conference, and reporting the furnishing/appurtenance amount on line 3(3) of salary reductions. Keep the approved Housing Resolution with the church conference minutes.
Lines 3 and 3a) Salary Reductions and Net Salary: Once the base cash compensation is determined, the pastor may choose to participate in voluntary salary reductions to;
(1) United Methodist Personal Investment Plan (UMPIP), (enrollment or change form required) If you elect a percentage contribution, Wespath uses the Pension Compensation (salary + housing) to calculate the UMPIP percentage contribution.
(2) Other 403(b) plan (not UMPIP) not recommended due legal requirements for the local church
(3) Furnishing/Appurtenance Allowance, (Resolution must be approved by church or charge conference)
(4) Clergy Share of MAC Premium – mandatory if participating in MAC Plan
(5) Flexible Spending Account: Medical and Dependent Care Reimbursement (IRC 125) (SelectAccount Plan enrollment form required annually)
Please note: The amounts listed as reduction do not complete the process, enrollment forms are necessary.
Line 3a) Total Salary Reductions: Add line (1) thru (5) for total salary reductions.
Line 3) W-2 Taxable Wages: Calculate: Total Salary (1a + 1b same as line 1) + Other non-MAC(line 4a) – Total Salary Reductions (line 3a) = Net Salary Line 3 equals the amount in Box 1 of the W2 if there are no changes during the calendar year.
The 2017 contribution limits to 403(b) plans have not been released by the IRS at this time, the limits are indexed to inflation and will be announced by the IRS in the fourth quarter of 2016.The 2016 maximum contribution limits to 403(b) plans are $18,000 for taxpayers under age 50, and an additional $6,000 catch-up option for taxpayers 50 and older. Each situation is unique, so please consult your tax advisor.
Line 4) Health Insurance: The 2017 MAC Plan premiums were determined at the September 13, 2016 Conference Board of Pension and Health Benefits meeting. The “conference share” for active clergy and lay employees will be funded from MAC Plan reserves. Automatic withdrawal is available and does save the church money. It is mandatory for elders and provisional elders who are appointed full or ¾ time to be on the conference plan.
In previous years there were percentages used for church, clergy and conference premium amounts. Due to the Affordable Care Act’s W2 reporting requirements, the Conference Board of Pension and Health Benefits is deducting the “conference share” (funded from MAC Plan reserve in 2017), before calculating the church and participant costs for active clergy and lay employees. There is no increase to costs from 2016 to 2017.
Line 4a) Other non-MAC health insurance contribution (taxable): If the appointed pastor is not required to participate in the MAC Plan and the church allocates funds for non-MAC insurance. This amount is taxable to the clergy.
Line 5) Pension (CRSP) and Death & Disability (CPP or UNUM) coverage: General Conference 2012 approved changes to the CRSP and CPP programs.
Pension Compensation: Compensation used to calculate pension and death & disability programs.
Parsonage provided - Total Salary (line 1 which includes Salary + Parsonage Penalty Adjustment) X 1.25 = Pension Compensation
Housing Allowance provided – Total Salary (Line 1) + Housing Allowance (Line 2) = Pension Compensation
Pension (CRSP) – Defined Benefit: Based on appointment increment
2017 CRSP Defined Benefit costs are:
Fulltime appointment = $5,581.53
¾ time appointment = $4,186.14
½ time appointment = $2,790.76
¼ time appointment = $0.00 (not eligible for CRSP pension effective 1/1/2014)
Pension (CRSP) – Defined Contribution: Pension Compensation X 2%
Disability (CPP): Fulltime and ¾ time Appointment calculation only: New Lower rate effective 1/1/2017: Pension Compensation X 1% with a maximum of $1,377.52
Disability (UNUM): 1/2 time appointments for Full and Provisional members (Elders and Deacons), Associate members and clergy of other Methodist Denomination.
Contact Benefits Officer at for estimated premium
Pension & Disability TOTAL: Total of all CRSP, CPP and UNUM lines.
The CRSP, CPP and UNUM premiums are paid by the church, and are billed by the Minnesota Annual Conference. The UMPIP is a voluntary 403(b) participant contribution program by salary reduction. If your pastor has elected to contribute to UMPIP the lead church will be billed separately by Wespath, and is to be paid by the church from monies withheld from the pastor’s salary.
Line 6) Total Compensation for this Position: Total of lines 1, 2, 4, 4a, and 5
Less than full-time appointments: Adjustments are made to salary, housing, pension, and possibly health insurance for less than full-time appointments. Please be in conversation with your district superintendent about your particular situation.
W-2 reporting update: Health care reform and W-2 reporting information:
(From the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits website)
Background
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires employers to report the aggregate cost of employer-provided health care coverage on employees’ Forms W-2. As posted previously, Notice 2010-69 issued in October 2010, made this requirement optional for all employers for the 2011 tax year Forms W-2 (furnished in January 2012).
Final Regulations
On February 12, 2014 the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) published final regulations concerning the Employer Shared Responsibility Rule of the PPACA. The Final Rule gives “mid-sized” employers with 50 – 99 full-time equivalent employees (FTEEs) an additional year to comply with the Employer Mandate. Under the Final Rule, mid-sized employers are not subject to the Employer Mandate until January 2016. Large employers with 100 or more FTEEs must comply with the Employer Mandate by January 2015. Most small employers with fewer than 50 FTEEs remain exempt from the Employer Mandate. For church plans, however, there was and continues to be transition relief from the requirement to report the value of coverage. Thus, employers that participate in the MAC Plan do not have to report the cost of coverage on the W-2 at this time.
For more specific information on the PPACA visit www.wespath.org under Center for Health, Health Care Reform or
http://www.wespath.org/center-for-health/services-and-programs/healthcarereform/audience/
Taxable Income and W-2s: Not all the items on Form 5 are considered taxable income. The housing allowance, furnishing allowance, and fair market value of a parsonage provided to a pastor are not taxable income for income tax purposes and are not included on a W-2. These amounts are subject to social security tax (SECA) which the clergy reports and pays. Health and pension benefits are not subject to either income tax or social security tax. For guidance on completing W-2s, please consult the most recent Tax Packet & Tax Information provided by the General Council on Finance and Administration. It is available on their web site (www.gcfa.org).
Other Pastoral Compensation Information:
Form 6 - Accountable Reimbursements
A pastor must submit a receipt, invoice, or mileage log within a reasonable time for reimbursement of these items. The church sets an annual budget for continuing education, mileage, and professional expenses, meeting the conference minimum guidelines and the amounts are paid out when expended or invoiced. They cannot be paid as a monthly allowance. Nor can any unused portion of the fund be paid out to the pastor at the end of the year. To do so may cause the entire reimbursement plan to be taxable. Neither can an accountable reimbursement plan be set up as a salary reduction. These are funds provided in addition to the salary. Mileage is paid at the IRS rate, and does not include commuting between the home/parsonage and church.
Form 7 - Multiple Church Compensation and Other Expense Breakdown
Using the totals from Forms 5 and 6, list the separate churches in the charge and their corresponding percent of compensation and expenses then calculate each line item. Be sure to add both across and down to verify totals.
Average Compensation
The Denominational Average Compensation (DAC) for 2017 is $68,876. The Conference Average Compensation (CAC) for 2017 is $63,142. These numbers are calculated by the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits and are based on cash salary plus housing allowance or parsonage value (25 percent of salary).
Social Security Tax
Clergy are in the unique position of paying the employer and employee share of the social security tax on both their salary and housing. Some churches, in recognition of that, seek to give their pastor a social security allowance that is considered taxable income and must be reported on the W-2. A clergy may choose to have voluntary withholding of income taxes from their paycheck, including an extra amount withheld to cover the amount due in social security tax, and the church would send the tax withholdings to the IRS with their other payroll taxes and report it on the clergy’s W-2. However, the church cannot directly pay the employer share of FICA/SECA to the IRS for the clergy.
Forms 5, 6, and 7 must be in the district office by December 1, 2016!