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. |
Retirement and Insurance Plans
Compensation and Staffing Guidance
Aid Funds |
Compensation & Staffing News |
Editor's Note: Plenty Going On Around Here!
Dear Readers,
November is a big month for all of us.
- The Comp Team has just updated our Salary Program resources for the 2026-2027 program year.
- The Insurance Team is managing Open Enrollment, of course. In addition, property and casualty insurance improvement efforts are moving ahead. On that front, we have a survey for you.
- The Retirement Plan Team continues to prepare for the Roth contribution option.
Get the scoop below about all of the above. Thank you for reading Compensation and Staffing News! |
Jan Gartner, Associate Director, Church Staff Finances |
Salary Program Materials for '26-'27
New Format
We've updated our Congregational Salary Program resources for the 2026-2027 program year. Do you notice the new look? Our information is now presented as a "book" of webpages. We hope this makes it easy to find just what you need.
Ranges Adjusted
All figures within the ranges have increased by 2% from '24-'25 (and rounded to nearest $100). This is to say that a 2% raise will keep an employee at the same place within their recommended range. Use our suggested Ruler Method to advance your staff along their respective ranges.
Changes in Cost of Living Impact Purchasing Power
The average third-quarter Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) increase from 2024 to 2025 was 2.9%.* This is a broad national measure of how much the costs of good and services (including housing) have changed over the past year. As you budget for staff salaries in the year ahead, consider 2.9% a rough guide to how much a staff member's salary would need to increase simply to maintain their purchasing power.
* This information comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and may be less reliable than in the past due to government disruptions. And keep in mind that it is a rear-facing calculation. By mid-2026, the year-over-year quarterly change in the CPI-U may be higher or lower. Our practice is to provide information current as of September, since we post the next program year’s materials in the fall. |
Open Enrollment: It's Open!
November 1 through December 12
Open Enrollment is employees' annual opportunity to enroll in, review, or make changes to coverage. Elections take effect January 1, 2026. Please remind staff to enroll no later than December 12. (No need to re-enroll unless there are changes.) All staff scheduled to work at least 750 hours/year are eligible for any UUA insurance plans offered by your organization.
Special Open Enrollment Period for Life and LTD!
Normally, employees cannot enroll for Life and LTD coverage more than 60 days from their employment start date unless they go through an Evidence of Insurability process. However, for 2026, there is a one-time open enrollment opportunity for these important coverages. Please share this information with all staff scheduled to work at least 750 hours/year, or about 15 hours/week. Sadly, we often hear of eligible staff who were not given enrollment info upon hire.
Handy Links
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Property & Casualty Survey and Contact Email
We urge an appropriate leader from every congregation to complete our Property and Casualty Insurance Survey. Your input will give us accurate, comprehensive information, helping us better understand current lines of coverage and identifying future property insurance needs across congregations.
We have a new UUA email address specifically for questions about property and casualty insurance: PropertyCasualty@uua.org. |
Roth Info Sent Directly to Employees
All employees of organizations participating in the UU Organizations Retirement Plan recently received emails from Empower and from our own UUA Retirement Plan Team about Roth contributions. This is a new option for 2026, and the information is intentionally sent to personal (rather than work) email addresses, allowing communications to continue in the event of a change in employment.
If you have a role supporting or supervising staff, please double-check that your employees have seen the information. Tools and resources they received included:
Employees, remember that you can make voluntary contributions (pre-tax or Roth), regardless of whether you qualify for employer contributions. We hope you'll attend one of Empower's educational webinars – either Wednesday, November 5, at 12p ET or Thursday, November 6, at 8p ET. Sign up below! |
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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