Less time updating records. More time connecting with people.
Keeping track of your church family shouldn’t mean chasing spreadsheets, searching through separate systems or wondering whether someone followed up.
Finance guide
Church payroll taxes: a high-level orientation
This page frames the vocabulary boards hear around FICA, SECA, and clergy dual status. It is not a filing guide. Use it to ask better questions of your CPA or payroll provider.
Orientation
Topics to review with your advisor
Staff vs clergy
Non-minister employees often follow familiar withholding patterns. Ministers may be dual-status — employee for income tax themes, self-employed for Social Security themes. Mis-labeling either group breaks deposits and year-end forms.
FICA & SECA themes
FICA is the familiar employee/employer Social Security and Medicare split for many workers. SECA is the self-employment path many ministers use. Housing allowance can change taxable bases differently for income tax vs SECA — get professional calculations.
When to hire a pro
Hire a CPA or church-aware payroll service before your first clergy hire, after any IRS notice, when adding a school or second campus, or whenever someone on the team is guessing at deposit schedules.
Practical next step
Bring a packet to your CPA
List every paid role, whether each person is ordained/licensed for ministerial duties, current housing designations, pay frequency, and which payroll product or service you use. That packet turns vague worry into actionable setup.