Question for what to put in under Clergy Housing Qualifying Expenses

[schism169]

Hi, I'm under the Clergy Housing Qualifying Expenses portion of my tax refund. I'm a bit confused on what to put for the qualifying expense amount. 

My situation: I am renting an apartment and my housing covers almost all of the rent - utilities. 

Under the Qualifying Expenses do I put all my housing allowance (box 14) + utilities? 

[JohnW152]

No, don't include your housing allowance. 

According to Housing Allowance on the IRS's Topic No. 417 Earnings for Clergy page, excludible housing expenses include rent, mortgage interest, utilities, and other expenses directly relating to providing a home. The amount excluded can't be more than reasonable compensation for the minister's services.

A clergy member receiving a housing allowance is allowed to exclude the allowance from gross income, to the extent it's used to pay expenses in providing a home.