Moving Expenses

by Lois
(Riverview, FL USA)

My husband (ordained elder) and I moved to Florida to because he was offered a position as assistant pastor at a church. However, after moving that position was canceled so we founded and started our own church in June 2010. My husband is not on salary nor does he recieve any allowances. Can we deduct moving expenses paid to move to Florida?


My husband (ordained elder) and I moved to Florida to because he was offered a position as assistant pastor at a church. However, after moving that position was canceled so we founded and started our own church in June 2010. My husband is not on salary nor does he receive any allowances. Can we deduct moving expenses paid to move to Florida?

vickey’s reply

It would depend on if you meet the time and distance tests. However...with no self-employment income...I’m not sure you could claim a moving expense deduction.

See this informative article on deducting moving expenses.

Note: I would speak to a tax professional before I tried to claim this deduction.


Know the answer? Face the same situation? Please post your answer or comment by using the "comment" link below. Thank you!

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Church Accounting FAQs.

If you want to DIY your payroll, I highly recommend you look at using Gusto! It is very user friendly and their support is awesome! Plus they know how to set up and maintain payrolls for churches and nonprofit organizations.

Note: I am a "partner" of Gusto, but as I have told you before ... I never recommend anything that we or our clients have not tried and love =)



Share this page:
Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.