The 12 Most Important Legal and Tax Issues for New Ministers

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If you are like most new ministers, you probably are overwhelmed by the legal and tax issues that confront you in the ministry. Who is a minister for federal tax purposes? Should I report my taxes as an employee or as self-employed? Should I "opt out" of Social Security? What is the housing allowance? What are the tax consequences of living in a church-owned parsonage? Do I have taxes withheld from my wages, or am I required to pay estimated taxes? What is the best way for me to handle business expenses? What is the clergy-penitent privilege? Am I required to report child abuse? What legal requirements apply to the performance of marriage ceremonies?

It is essential for new ministers to be familiar with the answers to these questions. Unfortunately, few are. In most cases, this is because you received no formal training on legal or tax issues during your theological training, or the information was inadequate. You are expected to acquire this information "on the job." In most cases, this simply does not happen. There must be better way.

This website was created to provide new ministers with quick and nontechnical answers to the kinds of questions mentioned above. Several lessons are provided that are arranged by topic. Each lesson consists of a self-assessment exercise, a lesson summary, and the lesson itself. Those who want more information on any of these issues can easily find it, along with information on hundreds of other legal and tax issues at www.ChurchLawToday.com.

We welcome you to Newminister.com, and we hope that you will find the free information presented here to be useful. We have attempted to address the most important issues, without overloading you with technical jargon.

Sincerely,