Compensation and Staffing News
UUA Office of Church Staff Finances Mission
Guided by the values of our faith,
we equip congregations for excellence as employers
and their staff for financial competence and well-being.
December 2019

In some email readers, you may need to click on continuation dots to read the entirety of each article.
Getting Ready for 2020
Reminders for the new calendar year:
  • Effective January 1, twenty-six states and numerous localities will have a new minimum wage.
  • The exempt salary threshold increases to $684/week on January 1. See the final article ("Exempt or Nonexempt?") in our October 2019 issue.
  • Our Form W-2 Instructions have been updated for the 2019 tax year. By January 31, W-2 forms must be given to employees and filed with the Social Security Administration.
  • Rates for UUA insurance plans rise on January 1. Changes will be reflected on the invoice you receive later in December. (January invoices are going out about 10 days later than usual due to a high volume of Open Enrollment changes.) Be sure to recalculate employee deductions for contributions to their insurance plans based on 2020 rates. Rates for the Health Plan can be found on our Health Insurance Premium Calculator page; see our main Insurance Plans page for Dental, Life, and Long-Term Disability rates.
  • The ministerial housing allowance must be formally designated by the congregation's leadership before any expenses can be applied to it. Designating a 2020 Housing Allowance by the end of 2019 ensures that your minister(s) can take full advantage of it in the new calendar year. (Ministers, see our housing allowance calculation form.)
Also for 2020: New Form W-4
The IRS is introducing a substantially revised Form W-4 (Employee's Withholding Certificate). Employees hired in 2020 must use the new version of the form. Continuing employees who wish to change their withholding will also use the revised form but are not required to submit a new form.

IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig says, "The primary goals of the new design are to provide simplicity, accuracy, and privacy for employees while minimizing burden for employers and payroll processors."

Employers will use Form 15-T to figure the amount of federal income tax to withhold from employees.
Gratitude From Our Office
At this turning of the year, the UUA Office of Church Staff Finances team thanks each of you for helping make your congregation an excellent employer.

Compensation practices, benefit plan compliance, payroll administration, tax rules, personnel policies, and the list goes on. There is always more to learn. We're here to help and we're pleased that you take the time to read Compensation and Staffing News each month.

We encourage you to forward this issue to others who have staff-supporting roles in your congregation – board members, treasurers, administrators, ministers and other supervisors, and personnel and finance team members. Many congregational staff are also on our distribution list so that they can stay on top of employment matters that affect them. New readers can subscribe through the link at the bottom of the newsletter or sign up here . As a reminder, past issues are posted on our Publications page.

Blessings for the holiday season. See you in 2020!
Richard, Jim, Patti, Tamika, Linda, Charissa, Alex, & Jan
UUA Office of Church Staff Finances
24 Farnsworth Street | Boston, MA 02210