Shepherds Advisor offer tax/retirement workshops for diocesan priests and/or deacons. We custom design the workshop to meet the particular needs of the (arch)diocese. Generally, the workshops are held at a central diocesan location and begin mid-morning and dismiss by 3:00 PM. In some instances, longer workshops or shorter workshops can be provided.
All workshops are presented by Scott A. Hoselton, CPA, CDFM, CGMA
Custom designing a workshop begins with a telephone interview with the appropriate (arch)diocesan officials usually the Director of Priests’/Deacon Personnel (Vicar for Clergy, etc.) and the diocesan finance officer. They provide compensation policies, salary scales, health benefits, pension benefits, expense reimbursement policies, etc. Mr. Hoselton reviews the material and proposes an outline for the presentation. Although topics vary widely depending upon the needs of the (arch)diocese, common topics include:
- The ten tax differences between priests/deacons and lay employees
- Analysis of the compensation policy of the diocese
- Taxable and non-taxable allowances
- “Business” expenses
- Expense reimbursement plans
- Stipends and stole fees
- Sample tax calculations based on the particular diocesan compensation plan
- Taxable vs. non-taxable “gifts”
- Determining the value of room and board
- Tax aspects of retirement planning
- Tax calculation on pension benefits
- Tax issues for Social Security retirement benefits
- Tax issues for foreign born or extern priests
- Recent tax law changes
- Planning for future tax law changes
- Tax issues for permanent deacons
- Personal investment strategies
- Payroll and tax procedures for parish bookkeepers
- Questions from priests
Costs for the workshops vary depending upon the the location, but the cost of a tax/retirement planning workshop is often less than $100 per participant.
Please email us at ShepherdsAdvisor@gmail.com or call 701.371.9681 for more information.