The deadline for completing statistical Tables I, II and III has been extended to February 15, 2010. Due to heavy usage during peak operating hours, data entry on the on-line forms is being delayed. Various memory and bandwidth issues are being resolved currently but are not producing the expected results in system performance. We apologize for any delay you are experiencing and any frustration that this delay may cause. If there is additional assistance we can provide, please contact us at 800-849-4433. Updates on the progress of resolving these issues will be posted on the Conference Information Technology blog at nccumc.org/it. If you are unable to complete your statistical tables on-line due to these system delays, you may fax your completed forms to the Conference Statistician at (919) 882-1414 prior to the February 15 deadline and your on-line forms will be updated for you.
People who give to charities providing earthquake relief in Haiti can claim these donations on the tax return they are completing this season, according to the Internal Revenue Service. Taxpayers who itemize deductions on their 2009 return qualify for this special tax relief provision, enacted Jan. 22. Only cash contributions made to these charities after Jan. 11, 2010, and before March 1, 2010, are eligible. This includes contributions made by text message, check, credit card or debit card. The new law only applies to cash (as opposed to property) contributions. The contributions must be made specifically for the relief of victims in areas affected by the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti. Taxpayers have the option of deducting these contributions on either their 2009 or 2010 returns, but not both.
A video of the Local Church Treasurer and Finance Committee training event that was held on December 5, 2009 is available on the Conference website in the Video Room. The handouts to follow the presentation are available in the Training Materials section of the Treasurer’s Office website. The training event covered fraud survey findings and local church minimum internal control recommendations in the first section as shown in Part 1 of the training video. The second part of the video contains stewardship best practices and questions and answers.
Local churches and pastors are reminded that clergy compensation should be reported by the local church to the pastor on a W-2 form on or before January 31. In general, non-employees providing miscellaneous services to the church should receive a 1099-MISC reporting payments if payments are equal to or exceed $600 for 2009 by January 31. Instructions for completing a W-2 for clergy and information on the differences in employees and contractors can be found on our Training Materials page. Instructions for completing a 1099 form can be found on the IRS website.
Statistical Tables I, II and III are now available on the Online Data Collection System for data entry. These tables are due to be completed by January 31, 2010. Please contact us at helpdesk@nccumc.org with any data entry problems or questions and contact our Conference Statistician at gspeake@nccumc.org with any questions on the information requested on the forms. There are new questions and wording changes to other questions so please review the instructions prior to completing the forms.
Local church pastors and trustees are reminded to consider Worker’s Compensation coverage as local church property and liability insurance needs are evaluated. Churches are required by NC law to have coverage if there are three or more regular employees (full or part-time). The NC Conference recommends coverage for all churches regardless of the number of employees. The Conference does not maintain a group policy for this as each church is an individual salary-paying unit. Your health insurance provider will not pay medical claims resulting from a work injury and the church and employee will be responsible. Please see a memo on this topic on the Treasurer’s Office Training Materials website for more information. Group discounts may be available for NC Conference churches for worker’s compensation coverage through the NCC PACT insurance program. Please contact the Treasurer’s Office at nccpact@nccumc.org to request a quote for your church on this important coverage.
Effective January 1, 2010, the business mileage rate will be reduced to 50 cents per mile. The new rate for computing deductible medical or moving expenses will be reduced to 16.5 cents per mile. The rate for providing services for charitable organizations is set by statute, not the IRS, and remains at 14 cents per mile. The mileage rates for 2010 reflect generally lower transportation costs compared to a year ago. The standard mileage rate for business is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile. See news release IR-2009-111 for more details.
The 2010 apportionment information packets have been mailed out to all the churches. These packets also included information regarding the 2009 World Service & Connectional Ministries credit that was approved at Annual Conference. Pastors should contact Jennifer Walls in the Treasurer’s Office immediately if they have not yet received their packet, so that the information can be resent. jwalls@nccumc.org or 1-800-849-4433 ext 229.
Churches can also view their 2010 apportionment amounts online by logging in to the Online Data Collection System. The 2010 reports are listed under the statements menu. For general information on the calculation of apportionments, please visit our Training Materials page.
Effective January 1, 2010, all congregations with pastors living in church-owned parsonages are asked to begin paying utilities for the parsonage directly to the utility company instead of through cash allowances to the pastor. Guidance on the details of doing this, including who this applies to, amounts, utility categories, etc., can be found on the Downloads page. If you have further questions, please contact your district superintendent for clarification.
We are happy to offer training materials from the Local Church Treasurer and Finance Committee Training session on-line. Please visit the Training Materials page, and feel free to email our Help Desk with questions or suggestions.
Visit the NCC Builds web page to view the project development timeline on the construction of the new NC Conference headquarters from start to finish.
The 2008 Annual Conference approved the construction of a new conference headquarters in Greenfield Park in Garner. Share with the team your thoughts and experiences related to the project. Visit the NCC Builds web page for details.
The NC Conference offers insurance through the United Methodist Property and Casualty Trust (PACT). PACT is an all-lines (including Worker’s Compensation) nonprofit insurance trust that is owned by its member United Methodist annual conferences, agencies and local churches. For more information on PACT, please contact the Conference Treasurer’s Office at (800) 849-4433. Click here to learn more about NC Conference PACT.
Please email any questions to nccpact@nccumc.org.
An email discussion group is in place for those interested in local church finance to enable you to discuss issues facing you with your peers at other local churches. This list was requested by local church treasurers because of the need for an easy way to ask each other questions about local church policy and procedures, accounting software, auditing issues, etc. To join the discussion group, click on the following link: http://listserv.nccumc.org/mailman/listinfo/lcfinance.
With the focus on political elections, churches are reminded that organizations exempt from income tax under the Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3) may not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office. The Internal Revenue Service has issued Revenue Ruling 2007-41 to provide guidance on situations that may or may not be considered to fall under these guidelines. If your church has involvement in election matters or activities, you are encouraged to read the situations listed in the Revenue Ruling to make sure your involvement is not in violation of the guidelines. The Revenue Ruling can be found on the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rr-07-41.pdf.
