Is my clergy income subject self-employment taxes?

Yes. Members of the clergy (ministers, members of a religious order, and Christian Science practitioners and readers), and some religious workers (church employees), must pay self-employment tax.

It includes the following income:

• Salaries and fees for your ministerial services
• Money for marriages, baptisms, funerals, masses, etc.
• The value of meals and lodging provided to you, your spouse, and your dependents
• The fair rental value of a parsonage (including the cost of furnished utilities) or the rental allowance (including an amount for utilities)
• Any amount a church pays toward your income tax or SE tax, other than withholding the amount from your salary

Clergy housing is only included as income when determining your self-employment taxes, not when calculating your federal income tax.

You're exempt if:

• You’re a member of a religious order that has taken a vow of poverty.
• You've requested, and the IRS has approved, an exemption from self-employment tax.
• You're subject only to the social security laws of a foreign country under the provisions of a social security agreement between the United States and that country.