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.
April 2020

In some email readers, you may need to click on continuation dots to read the entirety of each article.
Going Green: Paperless Remitting for the UU Retirement Plan
Are you newly motivated to learn about paperless options for doing all that you do? You can send UU Retirement Plan contributions and data to TIAA – all electronically! "Going green" is not only more practical in this era of physical distancing, it also reduces paper waste, can increase contribution efficiency, and lessens the likelihood of errors.

How to Go Green

Have your authorized Remitting Admin contact Kelli Jackson, TIAA Client Services Manager. Ask for help with newly establishing electronic remitting of retirement contribution funds and data. (If you aren't sure of your Remitting Admin, contact UUA Retirement Plan Specialist, Charissa Benak.)

When contacting Kelli (UUA@tiaa.org) or Charissa (CBenak@uua.org), please include:
  • Name of congregation
  • UUA Member Congregation ID (4 digits) (Need your ID? See Find a Congregation.)
  • Remitting Admin's name, role/title, and best contact information (phone/email)
Employee Assistance Plan
For participants in UUA Dental, Life, and/or Long-Term Disability plans, Guardian offers the WorkLifeMatters Employee Assistance Program . Be sure to remind your staff of this benefit, especially as we navigate these complicated times.

Support is available for help with health, family, legal, and financial matters by phone, email, or on the website.
COVID-19 Resources and Highlights
Resources for Congregations and Staff During COVID-19


CARES ACT Provisions

While we are awaiting SBA confirmation, it is believed that religious organizations are eligible for the Pacheck Protection Program regardless of whether they have their own IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter. As of this writing mid-day on April 2, it remains an open question. We encourage you to move forward and apply. Contact your bank to see if it's an SBA-approved lender; act quickly to avoid bottlenecks! Applications will be accepted beginning Friday, April 3.

  • Please pay attention to the Paycheck Protection Program, a loan program through the Small Business Administration (SBA) designed to keep businesses (including nonprofit organizations) operating with staffing maintained. In brief, small employers can receive loans for up to 2.5 times their average monthly payroll over the past year. Loans may be forgiven if used for qualified expenses (payroll, mortgage interest and rent, utilities) and staffing is maintained.
  • You may have read that the CARES Act includes provisions which may allow temporary changes to some retirement participants' options and minimum distribution requirements. The UUA Retirement Plan Committee is carefully reviewing the details. Stay tuned for updates.

For more information, see our CARES Fact Sheet and other resources on our Federal Policies and Actions page. We will post on this page when we get clarity about the 501(c)(3) question.

Families First Sick and Family/Medical Leave

  • The Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires employers to provide 80 hours of additional sick leave (pro-rata for part-time staff) to their staff. Employers can receive a tax credit that pays for most, if not all, of this leave. If a staff member needs to take sick time for any purpose qualifying under Families First, have them use the designated Families First sick leave before other leave you may provide to take fullest advantage of the tax credit.
  • Take note of the Family and Medical Leave Expansion under Families First, covering employees unable to work due to closure of a child's school or daycare. Congregations are generally too small to have to comply with FMLA rules, but this expansion applies. (Payroll tax credit applies here, too.)
  • We know that you don't regularly have staff in your building right now. Please send this Families First Employee Rights poster, from the U.S. Department of Labor, to your staff via email.

Detailed information about Families First can be found on our Federal Policies and Actions page.

Webinars Covering Families First and CARES

Treasurers and administrators are invited to join Rev. Richard Nugent, Director, UUA Church Staff Finances, for a detailed look at Families First and CARES. These webinars are designed for those who want to "get in the weeds!" Cosponsored by the Association of Unitarian Universalist Administrators, webinars are scheduled for:

  • 8:00 pm ET, Thursday 4/2
  • 3:00 pm ET, Friday, 4/3
  • 12:00 noon ET, Monday, 4/6
  • 5:00 pm ET, Monday, 4/6

To register, email OCSF@uua.org with your name, congregation, position, and preferred webinar time. (If you register too close to the webinar time, your email might not get seen. Try to email at least two hours ahead.)

COVID-19 Pandemic Response Fund

In this time of national crisis, the UUA is working alongside congregations and their staff as they lead our communities through the COVID-19 pandemic. Gifts to the UUA's COVID-19 Pandemic Response Fund provide financial support for religious communities and their staff for whom the pandemic will create the greatest need. Thank you for your donation. Your generosity strengthens our congregations and provides crucial support at a time when we are called to live into our Seventh Principle: that we are indeed an interdependent web.
UUA Office of Church Staff Finances
24 Farnsworth Street | Boston, MA 02210