UUA Church Staff Finances
Guided by Unitarian Universalist values,
we equip congregations for excellence as employers
and their staff for financial competence and well-being. |
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Editor's Note
Dear Readers,
This is a great time of year to use the links at bottom to double-check that the UUA has accurate information about your staff and lay leaders.
Read on to learn about:
- Our Treasurer Support Team
- Growing Administrative Capacity fall wave cohort
- Tax consequences of federal legislation
- Insurance webinar series
- Roth contribution readiness actions
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Jan Gartner, Associate Director, Church Staff Finances |
Treasurer Support Team
If you are a new or fairly new treasurer, you should have recently received an email from Jan and Sean (aka the Comp Team) with some information and links. If you have questions about treasurer responsibilities directly related to personnel (e.g., benefits administration, budgeting for compensation), please reach out to us at Comp@uua.org.
But treasurers also manage many things that fall outside of our scope. That's why we created a Treasurer Support Team. These experienced treasurers can address a wide range of concerns, and we hope that they are well utilized. You'll find their contact information at the button below. Thank you, Cheri, Debbie, and Carolyn! |
Sustainably Growing Administrative Capacity
Meet the Moment is a movement-wide framework helping Unitarian Universalists analyze, discern, and take values-based action in response to today’s religious, cultural, generational, and political realities. Get a taste of the wonderful and wide-ranging work of the Spring 2025 Meet the Moment Wave Cohorts!
Some of you may be particularly interested in Growing Administrative Confidence, Competence, and Capacity Across Congregations, which was led by Jan Gartner and Emily Cherry. Check out our prerecorded videos and learn about the cohort's ideas for ensuring that every congregation has strong administrative practices, especially when it comes to personnel-related functions like new hire onboarding, worker classification, and payroll and benefits administration.
Are you a lay leader or staff member who lights up when thinking about how ensure robust congregational administration in an economically sustainable way? Jan is continuing the work. The fall Growing Administrative Capacity cohort will move from ideating to designing for experimentation and implementation of some of the approaches explored in the spring cohort. Consider joining us! Drop Jan a note at JGartner@uua.org. |
Tax Consequences of Recent Federal Legislation
Moving Expenses Will Remain Taxable
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 made moving expenses paid by an employer taxable income to the employee through 2025. Recent federal legislation confirmed that this change is now permanent. Whether an employer pays the employee directly or makes a payment to a third party, the amount must be included on the employee's W-2. (Third-party payments are added as imputed income.)
No Tax on Overtime Pay?
You may have heard that workers will no longer be taxed on overtime pay at the federal level. There are some nuances and limitations – and we aren't experts. Staff members who receive overtime pay should make sure they understand what can and cannot be deducted. Note also that some states are following the lead of the federal law while others are keeping taxes on overtime in place. |
Insurance Team Webinars: Addition to the Lineup
Our webinar series continues this month with a focus on billing. If you can't be with us on August 19, register anyhow and receive the recording shortly afterwards. And note that we've added a webinar about the Open Enrollment process. In case you missed them, here are the links to recordings of the first two webinars in the series:
Webinar 3: Billing 101 – How to Pay, Stay Current, & Access Invoices Online
ACH enrollment, delinquency notices, CDS billing schedule
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 | 12:00–1:00 PM ET
Webinar 4: Your Life, LTD, and Dental/Vision Benefits
Coverage details, how to submit life insurance claims, enrolling in member portals
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 | 12:00–1:00 PM ET
2026 Open Enrollment Webinar: What's New & What's Available?
Join us for a quick tour of the benefits you can enroll in for 2026! We’ll go over what’s available during Open Enrollment and share any updates or changes coming to the plans for 2026. Whether you're enrolling for the first time or just want a refresher, this is a great way to get the info you need and feel confident about your choices.
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Getting Ready for Roth Contributions
As we mentioned last month, starting January 1, 2026 all employees will have the option of making Roth contributions to their UU Organizations Retirement Plan (UUORP) accounts. Unlike traditional pre-tax contributions, Roth contributions are made with after-tax dollars, which means:
- Roth contributions do NOT reduce current taxable income
- Roth and pre-tax contributions share the same annual contribution limits (for 2025, the limit is $23,500 plus catch-up contributions for those 50+)
- Employees can contribute to both types simultaneously
What's involved for EMPLOYERS?
Remitting administrators received an email earlier this week from our Retirement Team outlining two required actions to be completed no later than October 1:
- Work with your payroll provider to ensure that your payroll system is set up for Roth contributions. (See Monday's email for details.)
- Fill out the Roth Implementation Readiness and Payroll Provider Survey.
What's involved for PLAN PARTICIPANTS?
This is a great time to learn more about the Roth option and whether it's right for you. Did you know that Empower advisors are available to provide free, point-in-time advice? Click the button below to learn more, and stay tuned for news about webinars being hosted by Empower.
As a reminder, if you are on the payroll of a participating organization, you can contribute to your Empower account via payroll deduction, regardless of your hours or length of service. Yes, that's right – you can save through the UUORP even if you don't qualify for employer contributions. Here's how to add, change, or remove your deferral amount. |
GENERAL CHURCH STAFF FINANCES INFO |
Communicating Leader/Employee Changes
New staff members or adjusted salaries? Change in lay leader roles? Please let us know!
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UUA Church Staff Finances provides general information to
help equip and empower congregational leaders in their decision-making.
We are not legal or tax professionals and we do not track state law. Congregations are solely responsible for their legal obligations. We encourage you to consult your own legal and tax advisors for specific guidance. |
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