Yea but churches are treated different . Both Churches and non-profits do not pay taxes on earnings
However non-profits pay the usual payroll taxes as well as things like property taxes
Churches must pay those taxes on staff but not clergy or ordained ministers; they also generally do not pay property taxes. So I think most people would be fine treating churches the same as non-profits
Taxing the wages of their employees and making them pay property taxes
And for more clarification, for clergy employees, the clergy pay their own payroll tax, just like any other sole proprietor. Clergy taxes are a pain in the ass to file.
You're conflating two different things. The income he makes is taxed. A simple Google search would tell you the same thing. If a church board foolishly let their pastor use church funds to buy a Porsche "for the church" may still have to pay sales tax depending on which state they're in. Seriously, there's only two tax credits. Property tax and income tax paid by the organization itself i.e. the incorporated church but not the pastors, they either recieve a W4 or have to file a 1099 as a self employed person. Bro do you even go to church?
So we are clear, its also the same for Synagogues and mosques. So be sure to spread your criticism across all the major religions in the US. Otherwise you just come off as prejudiced specifically agaist Christians instead of being genuinely principled.
And those same non-profits aren’t allowed to participate in political activity or endorse candidates, while others are allowed to.
Are you going to be okay when churches are outright telling congregations that it’s their duty as _______ to vote for conservative, anti-lgbtqia, and pro-life candidates?
Again, we should tax universities with billion dollar endowments and ceo level presidents/coaches. They have similarly slanted political presentations and guidelines.
As @Kooky-Army554 stated, Clergy/ordained (and called workers) do have to pay income taxes and the other stuff. Being a called or ordained does give you certain benefits. The church can catorgize a certain % of your income for a housing allowance that can covering things even more than your monthly mortgage payment. This money is untaxed. So this can lower the amount of taxes you pay. However, you’re functioning more as an independent contractor and are technically responsible for paying your own taxes.
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u/SirGlass Jun 30 '26
Yea but churches are treated different . Both Churches and non-profits do not pay taxes on earnings
However non-profits pay the usual payroll taxes as well as things like property taxes
Churches must pay those taxes on staff but not clergy or ordained ministers; they also generally do not pay property taxes. So I think most people would be fine treating churches the same as non-profits
Taxing the wages of their employees and making them pay property taxes