UPDATED:
Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practice reports:
Last week, Bishop Curry of the Diocese of North Carolina learned that two of the congregations in his diocese were eligible for a tax credit through the Health Care Act of 2010. Kristin Hoyle, a Raleigh CPA specializing in nonprofits who worked with these congregations, contacted the Diocesan Canon for Administration so that information about this credit could be shared throughout the diocese.
…In the video, Kristin explains that churches with 25 or fewer employees who pay 50% or more of their employees health insurance and have a payroll of $50,000 or less, may qualify for a tax credit through the Health Care Act of 2010. And, because clergy do not participate in social security, their salaries are not included in the $50,000 cap. While the deadline for filing form 990T was May 15, when the IRS recognized that many churches did not realize that they could apply for this special tax credit, they extended the filing deadline.
…
To find out if your congregation qualifies, Kristin recommends working with a CPA in your area. Or, you can contact her at her office.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the United Methodist Church (UMC) have already published this information for their congregations:
ELCA January 2011 document here
UMC Dec 2010 here.
Relevant links from IRS here.
Pursuant to this notice, because a church welfare benefit plan is subject to State insurance law enforcement as if it were licensed under State law, it will be treated as satisfying the requirements for health insurance coverage for purposes of the § 45R credit. Therefore, for these purposes, an arrangement under which a small church employer pays premiums for employees who receive medical care provided through a church welfare benefit plan may be a qualifying arrangement and a small church employer paying for employees’ medical coverage under such a plan may be a tax-exempt eligible small employer. This treatment of church plan coverage as health insurance coverage applies solely for purposes of § 45R, which applies to the tax treatment of the employer but does not affect the rights of plan participants and
beneficiaries.
See also here
h/t to John Chilton for the ELCA, UMC and IRS links
See the video below: