Compensation and Staffing News

December 2021
 UUA Office of Church Staff Finances Mission
Guided by the values of our faith,
we equip congregations for excellence as employers
and their staff for financial competence and well-being.
Editor's Note
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UU Retirement Plan Tip #4

From September through June, we're diving into the UU Retirement Plan's Top 10 Tips.

Tip #4: Once Qualified, Employer's Contributions Continue

Last month, we focused on Tip #3, employee eligibility for employer contributions. Tip #4 is a important follow-up: "Once eligible, always eligible." 

Yes, employees who have satisfied the Plan's Year of Eligibility Service provision will continue to receive employer contributions from that time forward:
  • If the employee's hours are later reduced, they still receive employer contributions. 
  • If the employee is terminated and rehired by the same employer, contributions restart immediately.
  • If the employee is hired by another participating employer, contributions begin upon hire. The new employer cannot require the employee to re-satisfy the eligibility service provision.
Remember that "eligible" means "must receive." Employees may not opt out of contributions due them.
See UU Retirement Plan Top 10 Tips
Assorted Resources for Staff and Lay Leaders

Student Loan Forgiveness
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program is designed to remove the burden of student debt on those working in the public interest. PSLF regulations were amended in July 2021. Full-time employees of religious not-for-profit organizations now qualify, under some circumstances, to have their loans forgiven after ten years. Please share this PSLF Info Sheet from the Church Benefits Association with your full-time employees. FreeStudentLoanAdvice.org
also has helpful information about this program. 

Managing through the Pandemic
As the pandemic evolves, we are highlighting pages and posts that you and your staff may find helpful in these complicated times. We expect to have additional updates next month.

COVID-19 PAGES
UUA STAFF BLOGS FOR CHALLENGING TIMES
Paying Staff
Our Pay for Nonstandard Positions spreadsheet enables congregational leaders to help one another by sharing pay information for positions we don't track. We got many entries when we introduced this resource in the early fall. We'd like to see it more broadly used. Please check it out and add your positions!

Most of the resources on our Salary Recommendations page will be revised by mid-January, with the Salary Tables following a bit later. In the meantime, see "New! Information for 2022-2023," the first heading in the UUA Salary Recommendations section. As we mentioned last month, we're adjusting salaries for most positions by 3% for the '22-'23 program year. Administrative and operations positions will be adjusted by 4%.

Our Knowledge Base
Click on the button below to view our very new and gradually evolving UU Employers Compensation and Benefits Knowledge Base! It's currently populated with frequently asked questions about the UU Retirement Plan. We will add more sections and topics in the months ahead, making it easier for you to find answers to your questions. We suggest bookmarking this page.
UU Employers Compensation and Benefits

End-of-Year Reminders

W-2 Forms
W-2 forms are due on January 31, 2022. We've posted box-by-box instructions on our Completing W-2 Forms page. If you aren't familiar with imputing Long-Term Disability premiums (strongly recommended) and Group Term Life cost (as required by the IRS), please see the our Insurance Plans and Taxes page.

Minimum Wage
Be sure to check for any change in minimum wage for your state or locality.

Ministerial Housing Allowance
The Ministerial Housing Allowance must be formally designated by the congregation's leadership before any expenses can be applied to it. Designating a 2022 Housing Allowance before the end of 2021 ensures that your minister(s) can take full advantage of it in the new calendar year. (Ministers, see our housing allowance calculation form.)

December Schedule
UUA Offices are closed for the last two weeks of December. Members of the Church Staff Finances team will check regularly for time-sensitive emails.

Holiday Wishes
It has been another hard year on many fronts. We're grateful that you take the time to read Compensation and Staffing News each month. Thanks to each of you for helping ensure that your congregation is a faithful employer – faithful to the law and to our values.

May the season offer you what you need to restore your spirit, be it a chance to cook, to sing, to connect with friends and family, or simply to be. We'll see you in 2022!

Blessings,
Richard, Mary, Jim, William, Sarah, Linda, Gloria, Charissa, and Jan

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