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New Member
posted May 31, 2019 7:49:57 PM

What form do I need to show that the employer paid half of our social security taxes? It is not indicated on our W-2.

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6 Replies
Level 15
May 31, 2019 7:49:59 PM

Nothing in box 4 of your W-2?

New Member
May 31, 2019 7:50:01 PM

No.  Is this a mistake on the employer?

Level 15
May 31, 2019 7:50:02 PM

You need to ask the employer.  Are you sure you have a W-2 and not a 1099Misc?

New Member
May 31, 2019 7:50:05 PM

I have a W-2. My husband is clergy.  His employer pays half of his social security and we pay the other half.  We do not have documentation to show that the half has been paid by his employer so when I am entering it in to Turbox Tax, it looks that nothing has been paid.

Level 15
May 31, 2019 7:50:05 PM

Churches generally don't pay social security for clergy.  Clergy are self-employed for social security tax purposes.  In turbotax, check the box for "religious wages" under special circumstances and you will be prompted for information about your housing allowance or the fair value of your parsonage, and you will pay self-employment tax (15.3%) on both wages and the value of your housing.  (Housing is excluded from income tax, though.)

If the church did pay employment taxes on form 941 or form 944, they must be added to the W-2, and in that case you can't easily use turbotax unless you are prepared to use the program installed on your own computer and make some overrides.  You might be better off with a tax professional who understands clergy wages.

It sounds like you really need to read this http://www.ecfa.org/PDF/2016-Preparing-Tax-Returns-For-Clergy.pdf


Level 15
May 31, 2019 7:50:07 PM

Churches will often "gross up" the pastor's wages to account for the self employment tax.  For example, if the goal is to pay the equivalent of a lay wage of $30,000, then for a lay person, the church pays a gross salary of $30,000 plus the church pays $2295 in employment tax, an additional $2295 is deducted from the employee's wage, and the employee nets $27705 before income tax.  To gross up a clergy person's wage, the church would pay $32,295, so that after paying the 15.3% SE tax, the clergy person ends up with the same $27,705 as a lay person making the same salary.