Minister eligibility

Employers must enroll installed pastors in Pastor’s Participation, a comprehensive benefits package designed to meet the needs of ministers and their families, and are urged to provide Pastor’s Participation to all ministers scheduled to work 20 hours or more per week.

Installed pastors must be enrolled in Pastor’s Participation, a comprehensive benefits package designed to meet the needs of ministers and their families. Employers may choose — and are urged — to provide Pastor’s Participation to all ministers who are regularly scheduled to work 20 or more hours per week.

Medical Plan

You must enroll installed pastors in the PPO medical coverage option through Pastor’s Participation. The eligible family members of these ministers are automatically covered.

The EPO and HDHP medical options are not available to those in Pastor’s Participation.

You may offer PPO, EPO, and/or HDHP coverage through menu options to ministers of the Word and Sacrament who are regularly scheduled to work at least 20 hours a week. There is no work-hour requirement for ministers in self-employed validated service to participate in these coverage options.

Pension and death and disability

Ministers enrolled in Pastor’s Participation are automatically enrolled in the Pension and Death and Disability plans. Ministers in Pastor’s Participation are not eligible for group term life coverage because they are enrolled in the Death and Disability Plan.

You may offer the Pension and Death and Disability plans through menu options to ministers who are regularly scheduled to work at least 20 hours a week.

Retirement Savings Plan

Ministers in Pastor’s Participation must be enrolled in the Retirement Savings Plan of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). You may offer the plan to other ministers through menu options, regardless of the number of regularly scheduled work hours.

Dental and vision eyewear coverage

You must offer dental coverage and vision eyewear coverage to ministers enrolled in Pastor’s Participation. You may offer the plan to other ministers through menu options, regardless of the number of regularly scheduled work hours.

Flexible spending accounts

A self-employed individual is not considered an employee for FSA purposes, and therefore, is not eligible to participate. However, employed ministers are considered employees for federal income tax purposes even though they are considered self-employed for Social Security purposes (paying SECA instead of FICA).

Supplemental death coverage

Ministers in the Death and Disability Plan or those who have group term life coverage are eligible to apply for supplemental death benefits coverage.

Retirees may continue coverage they have in effect at retirement until age 70. Spouses may continue coverage until age 70, and children may continue coverage until age 26.

Supplemental disability coverage

Ministers in the Death and Disability Plan are eligible for supplemental disability coverage if they have an effective salary of at least $110,000.

When members purchase this coverage, their salary is rounded down to the nearest $10,000 to determine the maximum amount for which they are eligible to enroll.

Group term life coverage

Ministers who are not enrolled in the Death and Disability Plan (through Pastor’s Participation or menu options) are eligible for group term life coverage if they are scheduled to work at least 20 hours weekly. No evidence of insurability is required at any time.