Which states do you work with?

We work with clients in all 50 states. Because we are a fully virtual firm, your location never limits the tax planning, advisory, or bookkeeping support you can get from us. If you run a business or file taxes anywhere in the U.S., you are eligible to work with us today.

Is an in-person visit required?

No in-person visit is required. We are a virtual firm by design, so the entire relationship, from your first call to document sharing and year-round planning, happens securely online. That means you get a dedicated CPA on your schedule, without the drive, the parking, or the limited office hours of a local firm.

I am a missionary or work overseas. Can you still handle my U.S. taxes and filings?

Yes. We regularly serve U.S. missionaries, overseas workers, and nonprofits that are based in the States but operate around the world. We understand the issues that come with serving abroad, things like the foreign earned income exclusion, housing for missionaries, and keeping your U.S. and overseas obligations straight, and we coordinate it all from one place. No matter where in the world you are serving, you can work with us entirely online and stay fully compliant back home.

How are your engagements priced?

Our engagements are priced as flat, predictable packages, so you will never get a surprise bill or be charged for every phone call. Pricing depends on the complexity of your situation, which is exactly what we map out together on your call. You will get a clear, written quote before you commit to anything. Book a Discovery Call and you will get access to our full pricing page right away.

Can you handle my personal, business, and ministry taxes together?

Yes. We bring your personal taxes, your business, and your ministry under one roof, with one team that already understands how all three connect. Instead of one person for your return, another for the books, and a separate accountant who does not understand church and ministry rules, you get a single firm that sees the full picture and plans across all of it. That means fewer handoffs, no conflicting advice, and a strategy where every piece is working together.

How do you protect my information?

Protecting your information is something we take seriously. As a fully virtual firm, security is built into how we operate, so your personal, business, and ministry records are shared and stored through encrypted, secure systems, never loose email attachments or unprotected files. You stay in control of your documents, and we treat the sensitive details of your finances and your ministry with the confidentiality they deserve. When you are ready, book your call below and we will walk you through exactly how it works.

CPA Services for Churches

Bookkeeping, payroll, compliance, and financial oversight for churches, handled with reverence and care.

Your church is not a business, and it should never be treated like one. It is a body of believers stewarding what the Lord has provided. We help you carry that responsibility well, so your leaders can stay focused on ministry.

We Speak Both Languages: Faith and Finance

Most accountants can read a balance sheet. Few understand why a love offering, a designated gift, or a pastor’s housing allowance is handled the way it is. We sit at the intersection of sound accounting and faithful stewardship, and we treat your church’s finances as the sacred trust they are.

Whether you are a new church plant or an established congregation with staff and multiple ministries, we meet you where you are and grow with you.

Two people shaking hands at a formal event with others holding coffee cups in the background.

“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

1 Corinthians 4:2

Tax-Exempt Does Not Mean Tax-Free of Consequences

Most churches never file an income tax return, and that leads many to assume taxes simply are not part of the conversation. The truth is that your church makes decisions every month that carry real tax ramifications, both for the church and for the people it supports.

How you classify and pay workers determines whether the church owes payroll taxes and penalties
How you reimburse expenses decides whether those dollars are tax-free to your staff or become taxable income
How you handle benevolence, love offerings, and designated gifts affects what must be reported and to whom
Unrelated business income, debt-financed property, and certain rentals can create a filing obligation for a church

There is a smarter way to take care of the people who serve your church.

There are entirely legitimate, tax advantaged ways to compensate pastors, staff, and ministry workers, from accountable reimbursement plans to a properly designated housing allowance to the right benefits structure. Done well, the same dollar goes further for the worker and costs the church less in avoidable tax. We help you set these up correctly and keep them clean.

What We Handle for Churches

A complete back office for the financial side of ministry, so your leadership team can give its attention to people, not paperwork.

Bookkeeping & Accounting

Bookkeeping kept current and clean
Fund accounting that honors restricted and designated gifts
Clear tracking of tithes, offerings, and special collections
Reconciled accounts you and your board can trust
Software setup and cleanup when books are behind

Worker Compensation Strategy

Accountable reimbursement plans that keep comp tax-free
Housing allowance structured and documented properly
Guidance on benefits, stipends, and love offerings
Contractor versus employee decisions made correctly
Compensation that stewards both the worker and the church

Board & Financial Oversight

Clear monthly and annual financial statements
Budgets your leadership can actually use and follow
Reporting formatted for board and congregational review
Internal controls that protect the church and its volunteers
A steady advisor in the room for big financial decisions

Church Payroll

Clergy and lay staff payroll set up correctly from day one
Proper handling of the minister’s dual-status
Housing allowance designation and documentation
Quarterly and year-end filings, W-2s, and 1099s
Worker classification done right, so you avoid costly mistakes

Compliance & Filings

Form 990-T preparation (when required)
Unrelated business income (UBIT) review
State and local registration and reporting guidance
Charitable contribution acknowledgment best practices
Help responding to IRS or state notices

Setup & Advisory

Guidance for new church plants getting organized
Entity, governance, and exempt-status questions
Building, expansion, and major purchase planning
Designated and capital fund structuring
A year-round partner, not a once-a-year contact

Order in the House, Confidence on the Board

Good financial order is not about red tape. It is about protecting the church, the people who serve it, and the trust of the congregation that gives faithfully each week.

Books that are accurate, current, and ready for review at any time
Internal controls that guard against error and temptation alike
Reporting your board can understand without an accounting degree
A clear paper trail for designated and restricted gifts
Calm, plain-language answers when hard questions come up

A person wearing a dark long-sleeve shirt sitting at a desk with a lit desk lamp, a computer, a calculator, some papers, a coffee mug, and a pen holder, with a cross and a potted plant in the background.

One Firm for the Church and Its Pastor

Here is something most firms cannot offer. We serve churches and we serve pastors, which means the church’s books and the pastor’s personal return can live under the same roof, with the same CPA who already understands clergy taxation.

No more explaining the housing allowance to a new accountant every year. No more disconnect between what the church reports and what the pastor files. Just one trusted relationship that sees the whole picture.

Why this matters

Clergy taxation is one of the most misunderstood corners of the tax code. When the same firm handles both sides, the books, the housing allowance, the W-2, the self-employment tax, and the personal return all line up the way they should.

Questions Churches Often Ask

Because your church still makes decisions with real tax consequences. How you pay staff, reimburse expenses, handle love offerings, and classify workers all carry tax ramifications, even though no income tax return is filed. A CPA who knows church finance helps you make those decisions correctly and keep more resources directed toward ministry.
Yes, and that is one of the things that sets us apart. We serve churches and we serve pastors and clergy, so the church’s books and the pastor’s personal taxes can be handled by the same firm that already understands clergy taxation.
Yes. We regularly take on churches whose records have fallen behind or were never set up well. We will clean up the books, get your accounts reconciled, and put a simple, sustainable system in place going forward.
We do not provide audit, review, or attestation services. What we do is keep your books accurate and current, prepare clear financial statements for your board and congregation, handle payroll and required filings, and advise you on the financial decisions in front of you.
Not at all. We work with church plants and small congregations as well as established churches with staff and multiple ministries. We scale what we do to fit where you are, and we grow with you.
Yes. Salt of the Earth CPA is a virtual firm based in Tennessee that serves churches across the United States. Working together remotely is a normal part of what we do.

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Give Your Leaders Back Their Time for Ministry

If your church is ready for a CPA who understands both the books and the calling behind them, we would love to talk. Let us handle the financial side so you can keep your eyes on the people God has entrusted to you.

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