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Note

International Bonuses will now be now as International Expense Allowances! For the most part, the process and policies remain the same, but we have updated the form and this page to provide better clarity, instructions, and process.

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International

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Allowance Request Form

Complete the form below and share it with international@reliant.org as well as your supervisor (if supervisor approval is required). 

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titleInternational Bonus Request Allowance Form
urlhttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sJ4SMzWndf3aAqDzOU71F6mtV0_iumM6Pu4HqknXEcM/copy/1jFayAgEIQz2LkYPjUAffDz5HIIlObZMwCAaZOZo4pPw/copy#gid=0

Note
titleFederal Taxes

If you have not communicated to Reliant on your W4 that you are exempt from federal tax withholdings, due to Foreign Earned Income Exclusion or the Foreign Tax Credit, a large one-time payment on your paycheck will usually inflate your tax withholdings to a higher percentage than is usually withheld, affecting not just the Allowance, but your normal monthly salary. For example, if your normal salary is $3,000, and you submit an allowance for $10,000, you could be taxed on that paycheck as if you earn $156,000/year (13,000x12). You may request a one-time adjustment to your withholdings to control the amount that is withheld. See the instructions below and please talk to a tax professional if you have questions about how much you should be withholding.

In the case that an employee wants to make a one-time Federal tax change to a certain paycheck (without making a permanent change to their federal withholdings), the employee may send an email to payroll@reliant.org before last day of any given month in order to affect the following month's paycheck. The email should be from the employee's @reliant.org email account and must clearly state how much money the employee would like withheld for the specific pay date. 

For example, an employee could send an email stating "From my XX/XX/XXXX (Month/Day/Year) paycheck, please withhold $X (specify the dollar amount) in Federal taxes". 

If you are unsure what is currently being withheld, please refer to your most recent paystub, which should have been emailed to your Reliant email address on payday.

Please keep in mind, even if you are exempt from federal income tax, you will still be required to pay Social Security (FICA) on any International Allowance. If you are not ordained, 7.65% will be paid from the MTD fund for the Employer Portion, in addition to the total amount of the allowance. 


See below for more details on :

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exclude(New!) International Expense Allowance Request F

General Principles

  1. Expense Allowances are for larger expenses that are not expected to come from your monthly salary.
  2. They may be related to your ministry, but are considered personal (and taxable) by the IRS.
  3. Allowance Allowances are lump-sum amounts for a specified specific purpose, but do not require receipts.
  4. They do not replace the responsibility to budget and save.
  5. International Expenses Allowances are submitted to international@reliant.org (not Payroll or Reimbursements)

Timing and Deadlines

Requests sent in by the 16th of the month will be paid on the following month's paycheck. If you need the funds sooner, you may request that on the form (see Form Instructions below).

Allowance SubmittedAllowance Paid
January 17-February 16, 2023
September 30

October

March

15, 2023

February 17-March 16, 2023April
October 31November 15, 2023

Types of Allowances

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titleSettling-In
  • Generally 2 months of salary, received on the 15th of the month before launching overseas
  • Covers expenses such as apartment deposits, house furnishing, appliances, etc
  • A second settling-in allowances allowance may be submitted during the first year if needed

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titleMoving
  • If you move locations during your overseas assignment.
  • Covers expenses such as apartment deposits, moving company fees, new furnishings, etc.
  • Needs supervisor Approval


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titleHardship
  • Large one-time needs that are not included in your monthly salary
  • Expense must be at least $500*
  • Ex : Medical Deductible on a furlough year
  • Ex : Local taxes paid annually in your host country**
  • Ex : School fees for kids paid annually or bi-annually**
  • Ex : If your visa requires a large amount of balance in your bank account.
  • Needs supervisor Approval

*The provision for savings in your salary should be sufficient to cover expenses lower than $500. If this is not the case, please reach out about your current support goal.

**If these an expense is already included in your monthly salary on your support goal worksheet, you may request a salary advance to make a large, up-front payment.


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titleVehicle
  • For purchasing a motor vehicle in your country of service, including a car or moped.
  • If you own a vehicle overseas, you will be required to carry minimum liability coverage.
  • Needs supervisor Approval


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titleRe-entry
  • For workers returning to the US permanently
  • A month salary for every year on the field.
  • Covers expenses related to settling back in the US

Form Instructions

Here is a step-by-step guide to answer FAQs about the fields on the form. Each dropdown corresponds to a section on the form.

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titleEmployee Info

Name: This is the name of the person whose paycheck the bonus should be added to. Please do not put two people's name. If you are a couple, and both spouses would like a portion of the bonus, you will need to fill out a separate form for each spouse with the desired amount.

Fund Number: The MTD fund you are responsible for.

What is your ordination status? : This helps us determine how much Social Security taxes to add to the bonus, if applicable. You will need to choose a dropdown option.

  • I am not ordained - The form will default to this, since this is the status for most international workers. 
  • I am ordained and DO participate in Social Security - Select this if you have submitted an ordination certificate to Reliant, but have not opted out of Social Security with the IRS. If you receive the FICA bonus on your paycheck, you are in this category.
  • I am ordained and have opted out of Social Security - Only select this option if you have submitted FORM 4029 to officially opt out of Social Security.  


What paycheck would you like this bonus to be added to? : The form should default to the next available paycheck. Allowances must be requested by the 16th of the month to appear on the following months paycheck. You may choose a later date if you want.

Do you need the money before your next paycheck? : Select "Yes" if you need your funds early. Typically, we can advance the funds within 5 business days, or by the date requested. In cases of more urgent need, there may be a $10 charge to the MTD fund. 

By what date do you need the funds : If you select that you need the funds early, you will need to enter the date by which you need the funds. This will determine if we can include it in a normal batch of processing, or if it is a more urgent need.

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titleTiming
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titleExpense Amount

What type of Expense are you submitting? : All allowances should fall into one of the categories mentioned. Select the one that describes your need.

Give any additional information about this expense : This is only required for Hardship Allowances, but you are welcome to include any additional information that you think might be helpful for Reliant.

What amount do you need? : Enter the dollar amount that you are requesting. 

Additional Allowance for Social Security of FICA Bonus : This defaults yes, because we highly recommend included an allowance for social security contributions. The amount is based on your previous selection of ordination status. You can see the amount to be added in the cell to the right.

  • I am not ordained - An additional 7.65% will be added for the Employee portion of Social Security which will then be deducted from.your paycheck
  • I am ordained and DO participate in Social Security - An additional 15.3% will be added as a FICA Bonus. Reliant will not deduct this amount from your paycheck. ,You are responsible to save and plan accordingly to cover these taxes at tax time. 
  • I am ordained and have opted out of Social Security - Even if "yes" is selected, no additional allowance will be added.

Additional Allowance for Federal Income Tax : This defaults to 10%, but you are encouraged to think through your own federal tax obligations and change as necessary. For larger allowances, you should consider how this will affect your annual taxes and may need or want to select a higher percentage. 


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titleTotal AmountTiming

Next Available Paycheck : The form should default to the next available paycheck. Allowances must be requested by the end of the month to appear on the following months paycheck. You may choose a later date if you want.

Do you need the money earlier? : Due to the extensive process for advancing funds, this option will only appear on the form where the bonuses is higher than 2,000. If you select "yes", you'll see some additional fields pop up at the bottom of the form.

Next Available Advance : We have a normal rhythm of processing advances on the last Friday of the month. That date will populate at the bottom. If you do need funds sooner than the next paycheck and the next advance date, share the form with international@reliant.org and let us know your need.

Advance Amount : 

Total Amount (with taxes included) : The total allowance with additional amounts for Social Security and Federal Income Tax based on your selections

Paycheck Date : Your allowance will be added to this paycheck as taxable wages.

To be Advanced : This is only the allowance amount, without the additional amount for taxes. The full amount will still be on your next paycheck, but there will be an "After tax deduction" of the amount you were advanced, so that you are not paid twice.By : This is the date that you indicated you need the funds advanced. You may receive them before this date. In general, try to give us at least 5 business days for processing

For more information on Advances: See International Payroll Advances


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titleTotal Amount

Total Amount (with taxes included) : The total allowance with additional amounts for Social Security and Federal Income Tax based on your selections

Paycheck Date : Your allowance will be added to this paycheck as taxable wages.


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titleApprovals

Supervisor Approval : Vehicle, Moving and Hardship Allowances require Supervisor Approval. The form will only show this line if you have selected one of those options.

Reliant International Approval : All Allowances must be approved by the International Program Team.

Additional Director Approval : For allowances above a certain amount, the International Team will get approval from a Director.

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