UUA Office of Church Staff Finances
Guided by Unitarian Universalist values,
we equip congregations for excellence as employers
and their staff for financial competence and well-being. |
Compensation and Staffing News |
Editor's Note: Updating Webpages
Dear Readers,
Our March issue featured new and recently revised LeaderLab articles from our team. This month, we're bringing you some great pieces written by others, along with moving allowance clarifications and a heads up about feedback we'll be seeking from you this spring.
Please let us know about changes to your staff and lay leadership all year long. For staff, this includes salary and hours changes, new home addresses, terminations, and retirements. Keep these links handy:
Faithfully, |
|
Jan Gartner, Compensation and Staffing Practices Manager |
Your Input Will Be Sought (on Two Things) This Spring
UU Retirement Plan Restatement
Our Retirement Plan Team has been reviewing Plan documents and preparing updates to reflect current law as well as to simplify elections and provide more clarity for easier and more equitable implementation. Presidents, treasurers, ministers, and remitting admins of participating employers, please watch your inboxes. We are sending a draft of the newly restated plan document soon for your review, comments, and questions.
A Different Kind of Compensation Survey
350 congregations took part in our Compensation and Staffing Survey in the spring of 2022, with leaders meticulously entering information about each of their employees, including hours, pay rate, and benefits. The results informed the revision of our salary program later in the year.
Eventually, we'll do another survey of compensation. But in the short-term, we'll be seeking your feedback about the Congregational Salary Program itself. Expect to see a survey in May or June. We will send out two versions: one for leaders who make salary decisions and one for employees. (Yes, some of you fall in both categories.) |
Articles To Help You Support Your Staff
Staff-Related Topics in UUA LeaderLab
Megan Foley, Deputy Director of Congregational Life, has published a thoughtful LeaderLab article on the importance of sabbaticals for all in our never-stop-working culture – addressing sabbaticals for non-clergy staff, intentional time off for lay leaders, and the value of ministerial sabbaticals for congregational renewal.
Useful Decision-Making Resources from The Management Center
Some of the questions we get are legal – to ensure compliance with applicable laws and Plan rules, something has to be done a particular way. And sometimes we're asked about issues about which we tend to provide well-honed best practices.
Just as often, though, we get questions that truly don't have a right answer. Instead, they require thoughtful discernment and decision-making on the part of the congregational leadership. Since most of the inquiries we receive are about staff, we often suggest bringing your staff into the conversation. Let them know what you're thinking about or struggling with. Seek their input into options you are considering.
These terrific articles from The Management Center can help you clarify your decision-making mode and process:
|
Moving Allowances Under Current Tax Law
We've been getting quite a few questions about moving allowances. Under current tax law (effective at least through 2025), funds provided by an employer to help an employee relocate are taxable. Three key points:
- The moving allowance is taxable, whether it is paid directly to the employee or to a third party, like a moving company. Contact us (Comp@uua.org) if you have questions about how to report third party payments as taxable income.
- Because the professional will need to pay taxes on it, effectively they do not have the use of the full allowance. For this reason, we've been encouraging employers to "gross up" the moving allowance by roughly 35% to mitigate the tax burden.
- Since there is no special tax treatment, the moving allowance looks the same as taxable wages in the eyes of the IRS. That means there are no IRS rules to comply with. While a congregation might choose to put restrictions on how the money can be used and require receipts or other documentation, they also have the option of providing a flat amount for the professional to use at their discretion.
|
Was this newsletter forwarded to you and now you want to subscribe?
Or do you want to encourage others to subscribe? |
|
|
|
|
