Revoking A Church’s Tax-Exempt Status

 

I do not recall an audit of a church during my career.

I have however practiced at the other end: helping religious organizations obtain tax-exempt status.

Terms are important here. Let us look at two: churches and religious organizations.

A church is the immediate mental image: a congregation; an established place to meet; a code of doctrine; procedures for ordaining ministers, and so forth. A more intuitive term would be “a house of worship,” and worship would include Christianity and other religions.

A religious association is a religiously-oriented entity other than a church.

The terminology is important be cause churches do not need to apply for and obtain tax-exempt status. As long as they meet basic Section 501(c) requirements, they are deemed to be tax-exempt – the term is “per se” – just by being a church. That said, it is not unusual for a church to formally apply for tax-exempt status. Why? To tie to bow, so to speak. Chances are the church will regularly and routinely seek tax-deductible donations. It might be helpful to assure donors that the IRS recognizes the church as qualifying to receive such donations.

Since a church does not need to request and obtain 501(c) status, it is also not required to file annual Forms 990. It can, of course, the same as it can also formally apply for exempt status. The church can decide.

A religious organization – not being a church – must apply for exempt status, file annual Forms 990, and all the paperwork we routinely associate with being tax-exempt.

Let’s return to the requirements, and then we will discuss a church that crossed the line.

There are five basic requirements under Section 501(c):

·      The entity must be a corporation.

·      The entity must be organized and operated exclusively for religious, educational, scientific, and other charitable purposes.

·      Net earnings may not inure to the benefit of any private individual or shareholder.

·      No substantial part of the organization’s activity may be attempting to influence legislation.

·      The organization may not intervene in political campaigns.

These are the minimum hurdles. In practice there is some latitude (must be a corporation, for example, but the definition of corporation for this purpose is generous), but one must still keep the tires on the pavement.

The Community Worship Fellowship (CWF) was founded in 1998 by Lester Goddard and his family. The organizing documents with Oregon had all the magic words (“organized exclusively for …”), and it obtained tax-exempt status from the IRS. It was governed by an uncompensated council of elders.

There are two broad requirements in this area: what the paperwork says and what you actually do. So far, the paperwork seems normal.

However, it turned out that your name had to be “Goddard” (or related to) to be on the council of elders – the governing body of the church.

Bad start. They might want to address this as soon as possible.

After a decade the IRS began asking questions. There were reports that CWF assets were being used for personal benefit. The church blew off the initial inquiry. The IRS responded by auditing years 2013 through 2016.

COMMENT: Brilliant.

The IRS discovered the following:

·      Lester Goddard determined his own salary and bonus.

·      His salary and bonus were approved by the members, but most of the members were related to Lester.

·      CWF credit cards showed purchases of Prada handbags, jewelry, perfume, and furs.

·      CWF paid personal boat payments and private travel, including Disneyland and Hawaii.

·      CWF paid for improvements (think a pool) at Lester’s home.

·      CWF lent money to Lester and family. Let’s say CWF was … not rigorous … about the money being repaid.

In tax lingo, this money shuffle is called “private inurement.” In common conversation, we call it something else.

Meanwhile CWF moved its incorporation from Oregon to Hawaii. Why? I am not sure. The IRS – to the best of my knowledge – still reaches Hawaii.

In December 2018 the IRS revoked CWF’s exemption.

Problem: the IRS did not publicly disclose the revocation. How were donors to know?

In March 2019 CWF filed suit.

In October 2025 the Federal Court of Claims finally decided.

The reason for a six-year delay? There were 18 stays for additional discovery.

This is not a pretty story, and church exemptions is not an area the IRS likes to tread. Tax and constitutional law weave together closely, and even an IRS win might be construed as pyrrhic. There are more than 350,000 religious tax-exempt organizations, for example, but less than five lost their exemption in 2023. None of those five were churches.

Our case this time was Community Worship Fellowship v United States, No 19-352 (Fed Cl October 23, 2025).

Family First Coronavirus Response Act

Congress passed and the President signed a coronavirus-related bill this week. While mainly addressing employment benefits, it also includes payroll-tax-related provisions to mitigate the effect of the benefit expansion on employers.

Following is a recap of the Act. It is intended as an introduction and quick reference only. Please review the Act itself for detailed questions.

The Family First Corona Virus Response Act has two key employment-benefit components. Employers are to be reimbursed for the benefit expansion via a tax credit mechanism.

A. The Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act

1.  Private employers employing less than 500 employees shall provide an employee with paid sick time if:

i. The employee is subject to quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19.

ii.  The employee has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID– 19.

iii.  The employee is experiencing symptoms of COVID– 19 and seeking a medical diagnosis.

iv. The employee is caring for an individual described in (i) or has been advised as described in (ii).

v. The employee is caring for a son or daughter of such employee if the school or place of care of the son or daughter has been closed, or the child care provider of such son or daughter is unavailable, due to COVID–19 precautions.

vi. The employee is experiencing any other substantially similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor.

2. Full-time employees are entitled to 80 hours of paid sick time.

3. Part-time employees are entitled to the average number of hours worked on over a 2-week period.  For employees with varying schedules, the employer shall use the employee’s average number of hours per day over the 6-month period ending on the date the employee takes leave under the Act.

4. If an employee takes time off for self-care, the employee shall be compensated at the employee’s regular pay rate.

     i. Not to exceed $511 per day and $5,110 in the aggregate

5. If an employee takes time off for a sick family member or child, the employee shall be compensated at 2/3 of the employee’s regular pay rate.

     i. Not to exceed $200 per day and $2,000 in the aggregate

6. There are comparable provisions for the self-employed.

7. The Act expires on December 31, 2020.

8. The Labor Secretary is authorized to exempt employers with less than 50 employees if the requirements would imperil the viability of the business.

9. Employers who violate this Act shall be considered to have failed to pay minimum wages in violation of the FLSA and be subject to penalties related to such a violation.

B. Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (E-FMLA)

1. The Act expands coverage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) for employers with fewer than 500 employees. Employees are typically not eligible for FMLA leave until they have worked at least 12 months and 1250 hours. 

i.  For purposes of E-FMLA, this threshold is reduced to 30 days.

2.  E-FMLA applies if the employee leave is to care for a child under 18 if the school or place of care has been closed or child care provider is unavailable due to a public health emergency.

3. Protected leave can be for up to 12 weeks, but the first 10 days may consist of unpaid leave.

4.  The employee shall be compensated not less than two-thirds of the employee’s regular rate of pay.

i. Not to exceed $200 per day and $10,000 in the aggregate (for each employee)  

5. There are comparable provisions for the self-employed.

6. The Act expires on December 31, 2020.

7. The Labor Secretary is authorized to exempt employers with less than 50 employees if the requirements would imperil the viability of the business.

8. Employers who violate this Act shall be considered to have failed to pay minimum wages in violation of the FLSA and be subject to penalties related to such a violation.

C. Tax Credits

1. The compensation paid under the Act is not subject to the Old-Age, Survivors and Disability portion of FICA (that is, the 6.2%).

2. The compensation paid under the Act is subject to the Hospital Insurance portion of FICA (that is, the 1.45%).

3. On a quarterly basis, employers can claim a payroll tax credit for the sum of the following:

                a. Wages paid under this Act

b. Allocable “qualified health plan expenses” 

      ... think health insurance

c. The employer portion of Hospital Insurance (that is, the 1.45%)

4. Treasury is authorized to issue Regulations waiving penalties for not making payroll tax deposits in anticipation of the credit to be allowed.

5. The credit is refundable if it exceeds the amount the employer owes in payroll tax.

6. Employer taxable income is to be increased by the amount of payroll credit received.

           i. Otherwise there would be a double tax benefit.    

Amending Your Way Into A Penalty

I have a set of tax returns in my office for someone who dropped off the tax grid for years. I suspect we will be fighting penalties and requesting a payment plan in the too-near future.

It reminded me of why not filing returns is a bad idea.

Here’s one: she has refunds she cannot use because the statute period has expired.

She could have used the refunds, as she has other years with tax due.

There is another reason.

Let’s say that you file a return, but you file it late. For example, you extend the return to October, but you don’t get around to filing until the following January or February. You have a refund so you do not care.

Many tax professionals would agree with you. Penalties apply on tax due. If there is no tax due, then – voila – no penalty (generally speaking).

But you later amend the return. Or the IRS adjusts the return for you. However it happened, you now owe tax.

Consider this:

          § 6651 Failure to file tax return or to pay tax

(a)  Addition to the tax.

In case of failure-

(1)    to file any return required under authority […]on the date prescribed therefor (determined with regard to any extension of time for filing), unless it is shown that such failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect, there shall be added to the amount required to be shown as tax on such return 5 percent of the amount of such tax if the failure is for not more than 1 month, with an additional 5 percent for each additional month or fraction thereof during which such failure continues, not exceeding 25 percent in the aggregate;

This is called the “late filing” penalty.

I am looking at a tax case from 1998. Greg Vinikoor (GK) married Melissa Vinikoor (MV). Best I can figure, her dad must have been loaded, as he was repeatedly transferring shares of stock to the newlyweds. GK graduated from college and took a job making $12 grand a year. They got everything out of that $12 grand, including:

·      trips to Hawaii, San Diego, Scottsdale and San Francisco

·      shopping trips to Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrum

·      membership at the Tucson Country Club

We both know that they were not paying for this on that $12,000 salary. They were either borrowing against or selling stock that dad had transferred.

The IRS wanted to know why they were not reporting stock gains on their tax returns. There had been quite the run-up in value since dad had acquired the stock. In the case of a gift, dad’s low basis in the stock would carryover to the couple. Since gain = price – basis, that low basis meant a juicy gain, and the IRS wanted its cut.

Good question.

Uhhh…. Because we bought the stock from dad, they answered. Yeah, that’s it. We have a new – and higher! - basis because we bought the stock. We bought it on loan, and we have to pay dad back.

Fine, said the IRS. Show us the loan agreement.

Don’t have one, they replied.

Show us where you paid interest to dad.

We haven’t – not yet, they responded.

Is there a fixed repayment date?

Just an understanding, they susurrated.

How about security? Did you give any collateral for the loan?

No, not really, they murmured.

The Court was zero impressed.

After the stock rose, XXX [dad], the supposed creditor in these transactions never made any demand on petitioners for repayment, even though the value of the stock had increased substantially and petitioners were diminishing the stock with spendthrift habits.”

The Court decided this was a gift. There was gain, there was tax.

Guess who failed to file their tax return on time?

Yep, the Vinikoors.

Now they had penalties.

More specifically, that 25% penalty we talked about. It totaled over $38 grand.

And there is the trap. That late filing can haunt and hurt you if you later amend or the IRS adjusts the return to increase income. That penalty goes to back when, not the date you amended or the IRS adjusted.

File those returns on time, folks. Amend later if you do not have all the information, but at least you got the horse over the wire on time.

Our case this time – as you may have guessed – was Vinikoor v Commissioner.

Blowing Up An IRA

I am not a fan of using retirement funds to address day-to-day financial stresses.

That is not to downplay financial stresses; it is instead to point out that using retirement funds too easily can open yet another set of problems.

Those who have followed me for a while know that I disapprove of using retirement funds to start a business: the so-called Rollovers as Business Startups, whose humorous acronym is ROBS. I know that – in a seminar setting – it is possible to mitigate the tax risks that ROBS pose. I do not however practice in a seminar setting. Heck, I am lucky if a client calls in advance to discuss whatever he/she is getting ready to do.

Let me give you a couple of ROBS pitfalls:

(1) You have your IRA buy a fourplex. You spend time cleaning, doing maintenance and repairs and routinely running to Home Depot.

Question: Is there a tax risk here?

(2) You have your IRA buy a business. You have your son and daughter run the business. You work there part-time and draw a paycheck.

Question: Is there a tax risk here?

The answer to both is yes. Consider:

(1) You are buying stuff at Home Depot, stuff that the IRA should have been buying - as the IRA owns the fourplex, not you. If you are over age 50, you can contribute $6,500 to the IRA annually. Say that you have already written that check for the year. You are now overfunding the IRA every time you go to Home Depot. Granted, one trip is not a big deal, but make routine trips – or incur a major repair – and the facts change. That triggers a 6% penalty – every year - until you take the money back out.

(2) There are restrictions on direct and indirect benefits from an IRA. You are receiving a paycheck from an asset the IRA owns. While arguable, I am confident that your paycheck is a prohibited benefit.

I am looking a Tax Court case where the taxpayer had her IRA lend $40,000 to her dad in 2005. A few years went by and she had the IRA lend $60,000 to a friend.

In 2013 she changed IRA custodians. The new custodian saw those two loans, and she had problems. Perhaps the custodian could not transfer the promissory notes. Perhaps there were no notes. Perhaps the custodian realized that a loan to one’s dad is not allowed. This part of the case is not clear.

COMMENT: It is possible to have an IRA lend money. I have a client who does so on a regular basis. Think however of acting like a bank, with due diligence, promissory notes, periodic interest and lending to nonrelated independent third-parties.

The IRS saw easy money:

(1)  There was a taxable distribution in 2013;

(2)  … and a 10% penalty for early distribution;

(3)  … and the “substantial understatement” penalty because the tax numbers changed enough to rise to the level of “substantial.”

How do you think it turned out for our tax protagonist?

Go back to the dates.

She loaned money to her dad in 2005.

Let’s glance over IRC Section 408(e)(2)

 (2)  Loss of exemption of account where employee engages in prohibited transaction.

(A)  In general. If, during any taxable year of the individual for whose benefit any individual retirement account is established, that individual or his beneficiary engages in any transaction prohibited by section 4975 with respect to such account, such account ceases to be an individual retirement account as of the first day of such taxable year.

The loan was a prohibited transaction. She blew up her IRA as of January 1, 2005. This means that she should have reported ALL of her IRA as taxable income in 2005, of which we can be quite sure she did not.

Can the IRS assess taxes for 2005?

Nope. Too many years have gone by. The standard statute of limitations for assessments is three years.

So, the IRS will tag her in 2013, right?

Nope, they cannot. For one thing, the prohibited transaction did not occur in 2013, and the IRS is not allowed to time-travel just because it serves their purpose.

But there is a bigger reason. Read the last part of Sec 408(e)(2) again.

There was no IRA in 2013. There could be no distribution, no 10% penalty, none of that, as “that” would require the existence of an IRA.

And there was no IRA.

The name of the case for the home gamers is Marks v Commissioner.

Worst. Tax. Advice. Ever.

Dad owned a tool and die company. Son-in-law worked there. The company was facing severe foreign competition, and - sure enough - in time the company closed. For a couple of years the son-in-law was considerably underpaid, and dad wanted to make it up to him.

The company's accountant had dad infuse capital into the business. The accountant even recommended that the money be kept in a separate bank account. Son-in-law was allowed to tap into that account near-weekly to supplement his W-2. The accountant reasoned that - since the money came from dad - the transaction represented a gift from dad to son-in-law.

Let's go through the tax give-and-take on this.

In general, corporations do not make gifts. Now, do not misunderstand me: corporations can make donations but almost never a gift. Gifts are different from donations. Donations are deductible (within limits) by the payor and can be tax-free to the payee, if the payee has obtained that coveted 501(c)(3) status. Donations stay within the income tax system.

Gifts leave the income tax system, although they may be subject to a separate gift tax. Corporations, by the way, do not pay gift taxes, so the idea of a gift by a corporation does not make tax sense.

The classic gift case is Duberstein, where the Supreme Court decided that a gift must be made under a "detached and disinterested generosity" or "out of affection, respect, admiration, charity or like impulses." The key factor the Court was looking for is intent.

And it has been generally held that corporations do not have that "detached and disinterested" intent that Duberstein wants.  Albeit comprised of individuals, corporations are separate legal entities, created and existing under state law for a profit-seeking purpose. Within that context, it becomes quite difficult to argue that corporations can be "detached and disinterested."

It similarly is the reason - for example - that almost every job-related benefit will be taxable to an employee - unless the benefit can fit under narrow exceptions for nontaxable fringes or awards. If I give an employee a $50 Christmas debit card, I must include it in his/her W-2. The IRS sees an employer, an employee and very little chance that a $50 debit card would be for any reason other than that employment relationship.   

What did the accountant advise?

Make a cash payment to the son-in-law from corporate funds.

But the monies came from dad, you say.

It does not matter. The money lost its "dad-stamp" when it went into the business.

What about the separate bank account?

You mean that separate account titled in the company's name?

It certainly did not help that the son-in-law was undercompensated. The tax Code already wants to say that all payments to employees are a reward for past service or an incentive for future effort. Throw in an undercompensated employee and there is no hope.

The case is Hajek and the taxpayer lost. The son-in-law had compensation, although I suppose the corporation would have an offsetting tax deduction. However, remember that compensation requires FICA and income tax withholding - and no withholdings on the separate funds were remitted to the IRS - and you can see this story quickly going south. Payroll penalties are some of the worst in the tax Code.

What should the advisor have done?

Simple: have dad write the check to son-in-law. Leave the company out of it.