
All churches need to withhold income taxes from their employees’ wages. Clergy employees are different because of their dual tax status (SECA vs. FICA taxes). Besides the Affordable Care Act (ACA) report feature, the software can manage tax withholdings and deductions. All church workers receive access to the self-service portal to retrieve information about their pay online, and all employee information is encrypted.

Our full payroll service.

Track employees’ and volunteers’ working hours to maintain compliance with overtime laws and requirements. Keep in mind that the figures above are cost estimates and may not include charges for other solutions or services, like paper check stocks. A church isn’t responsible for withholding taxes from a pastor’s salary. They must pay Social Security and Medicare by filing self-employment taxes. In short, a PEO might make it harder for your church to claim key exemptions as a religious organization.
Rippling
We considered factors such as pricing, customer support and user reviews. We also considered features such as payroll, tax deductions, benefits administration, time and attendance and onboarding tools. MinistryWorks is a payroll and tax solution for churches and ministries. It has in-house experts with clergy tax law experience who can handle church-specific needs like paying housing allowances.
- Ever since, we’ve been expanding and deepening our expertise so we can provide the full array of payroll services your church, ministry or non-profit needs.
- Tax penalty protection means we’ll resolve filing errors and pay penalties up to $25,000.
- You can even assign designated users to process payroll for leadership staff while another HR user handles payroll for other employees.
- If you have a strict budget, then you might have to be willing to give up certain features to stay under budget.
- They can view and print their paystubs, W2s, 1099s and update their addresses and W-4 information.
They Misclassify Non-Exempt Employees as Exempt
- Much like QuickBooks and Gusto, this software supports unlimited and automatic pay runs.
- All churches need to withhold income taxes from their employees’ wages.
- ADP is one of the most popular payroll software providers in the world — but did you know that it also offers a full suite of HR tools?
- In addition, we want to answer your questions about what makes church payroll unique and what to look for when choosing a service.
- If you’re looking for an integrated HR solution, be sure to take that into account as you research your options.
- Additional points were given to providers who offer live phone support and can handle most of the client’s pay processing needs.
It automatically computes, withholds, and deposits payroll taxes to state, local, and federal agencies as well as health insurance premiums, membership dues, and other benefits contributions. Also, the live support from the platform’s HR team is only available as a paid add-on. Rippling has an intuitive Legal E-Billing and feature-rich platform with solid payroll, HR, and reporting tools. While it lacks built-in church payroll codes, it can handle tax exemptions for clergy employee payments.
Before You Sign Up For a Church Payroll Service
The biggest distinction between W-2 employees and 1099 workers is the amount of control you have over them. Clergytech provides custom payroll, accounting, tax and consulting solutions for churches, ministries and related non-profits. Gusto Payroll Service is a comprehensive payroll solution that offers a wide range of features and benefits for businesses of all sizes. To know what deductions are required by law, you need to specify which employees are What is bookkeeping in clergy vs. non-clergy roles.
Do churches need to pay Medicare and Social Security taxes?
MinistryWorks, one of our top-recommended church payroll software, has a full suite of payroll church payroll processing and tax compliance tools that support numerous churches and related ministries. MinistryWorks payroll professionals will personally assist you with your first pay run and any tax questions you have. They will represent you to the IRS and shoulder any fines if they make any errors.
Set Up Payroll Deductions

A dedicated payroll expert will work with you anytime you’re having issues with the system and have questions about pay processing. Aside from the basic reports, MinistryWorks offers access to an Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting solution that includes employee eligibility status tracking. Aside from digital 1094-C and 1095-C forms, you get new hire onboarding assistance, online training, and support. This, too, is an add-on, so if you are interested, be sure to ask about it when you get a quote. Clergy Financial Resources has been the leading provider of tax, payroll, and HR solutions exclusively for religious organizations and clergy for 44 plus years. All organizations and businesses, including churches, need to file 1099s to inform the IRS about the income showing on the recipients’ income tax returns.

Suggested Resources for Religious Organizations
The Complete plan serves more complex needs and costs $39 per month plus $12 per person. Finally, the Concierge plan is for more sophisticated payrolls and costs $149 per month plus $12 per person. Payroll Partners offers a free quote so you can get customized pricing for your church’s specific needs.