In this article we will see what requirements it is necessary to meet in order to be granted the permits to operate a church in the United States, although you will be forming a non-profit organization and therefore the tax exception is a fact …
There are rules that as a religious organization you must comply with according to what is established by the Internal Revenue Service.
For this reason you will read everything that your church must respect so that you can access the permits.
The IRS: one of the permits is needed to obtain the operating permits of a church in the United States
The IRS will approve your tax-exempt church, as it controls that the religious organization is established with precepts within the truth and with a legal belief in accordance with what is stipulated in public policy.
In turn the IRS affirm that your church is for example a non-profit organization whose worship is recognized, formalizes a code of discipline and doctrine and you have established the place of worship,
In addition, you hold regular worship services on a specified day of the week, your church ministers are licensed, commissioned, or ordained, the ministers have been trained in a school, and the church has its own literature.
Even young people can attend Sunday schools to be instructed in religion and the church maintains the organization of their worship.
By complying with several of these precepts, your church may be approved by the IRS, as you must bear in mind that there is an important difference for the IRS in the definition of a church and a religious institution.
In fact, a religious organization is not always considered a church, because even if you do not have an established place but you have specified places for weekly meetings, the IRS will conclude that you qualify as a church, because there is a ruling that established jurisprudence for it despite that you do not meet the federal criteria for religious entities.
Well, the IRS created certain guidelines on religious entities and churches to be able to correctly determine the tax situation.
For this reason, it is not necessary that you meet all the requirements
However, keep in mind everything that is needed to get the operating permits for a church in the United States and to access the tax exemption, as your church must not be a member of political groups or participate in political campaigns or illegal activities.
Even no natural person can receive a financial benefit. However, you can generate payments for the value of real or personal property and other assets that are exempt from taxes since it is considered a reasonable payment.
But you will not be able to ask your faithful for a cash donation as many pastors are taking this freedom, as it is prohibited.
Form SS-4: permits are needed to obtain the operating permits of a church in the United States
When you complete the SS-4 form, you will receive the employer identification number, it is the EIN, also known as the tax identification number.
The Internal Revenue Service It is offered free of charge, but only apply once the church has legally formed, as it may be subject to revocation outside of tax-exempt status in the meantime.
The statement of faith: In order for you to conclude with the statement of faith and the draft statutes that make up a church, you must have thought about the reason why you create a church, what will be the beliefs of your ministry, what will distinguish your church according to its creed or doctrine, then It is essential that you have these questions in mind because they are the ones that correspond to the statement of faith.
However, the organization will be governed by statutes that function as if they were rules for your church to operate.
For example, you should know if you plan to carry out funerals and celebrate weddings, if you are going to abide by a protocol and what it will be and if your church will participate in some of the community outreach programs,
Well, think about all these purposes because it will be essential to comply with the statutes for which you can use those that are online.
Your church must have officials, then think about the board of directors and the members that will be incorporated, since all those who participate will have to cover different functions so that your church can function without problems.
You should know who will make up the board of directors, since you can take care of the people who will occupy secretarial and cleaning positions later.
But it is also essential that you have already thought about the name of the church, which of course must be unique and according to your ministry.
Once you have with you all the necessary documentation to obtain the permits, it is convenient to have it controlled by a lawyer, since it is important to make sure that you comply with all the guidelines to obtain tax exemption.
In fact, your organization should only operate with the objective of religious, scientific or educational charity.
There should not be any type of benefit for shareholders or individuals.
The activity of the church must not in any way influence the legislation and remember that it cannot participate in politics either and must respect public policy.