You must pay SE tax if you had net earnings of $400 or more as a self-employed person. If you are in business for yourself or you are a farmer, you are self-employed.

You must also pay SE tax on your share of certain partnership income and your guaranteed payments. See Partnership Income or Loss on page SE-2.

If you had church employee income of $108.28 or more, you must pay SE tax. Church employee income is wages you received as an employee (other than as a minister or member of a religious order) of a church or qualified church-controlled organization that has a certificate in effect electing an exemption from employer social security and Medicare taxes.

In most cases, you must pay SE tax on salaries and other income for services you performed as a minister, a member of a religious order who has not taken a vow of poverty, or a Christian Science practitioner. But if you filed Form 4361 and received IRS approval, you will be exempt from paying SE tax on those net earnings. If you had no other income subject to SE tax, write “Exempt—Form 4361” on line 55 of Form 1040. However, if you had other earnings of $400 or more subject to SE tax, see line A at the top of Long Schedule SE.

If you must pay SE tax, include this income on line 2 of either Short or Long Schedule SE. But do not report it on line 5a of Long Schedule SE; it is not considered church employee income. Also, include on line 2:

However, do not include on line 2:

If you were a duly ordained minister who was an employee of a church and you must pay SE tax, the unreimbursed business expenses that you incurred as a church employee are allowed only as an itemized deduction for income tax purposes. Subtract the allowable amount from your SE earnings when figuring your SE tax.

If you were a U.S. citizen or resident alien serving outside the United States as a minister or member of a religious order and you must pay SE tax, you may not reduce your net earnings by the foreign housing exclusion or deduction.

See Pub. 517 for details.

If you have conscientious objections to social security insurance because of your membership in and belief in the teachings of a religious sect recognized as being in existence at all times since December 31, 1950, and which has provided a reasonable level of living for its dependent members, you are exempt from SE tax if you received IRS approval by filing Form 4029. In this case, do not file Schedule SE. Instead, write “Exempt–Form 4029” on Form 1040, line 55. See Pub. 517 for details.

You must pay SE tax on income you earned as a U.S. citizen employed by a foreign government (or, in certain cases, by a wholly owned instrumentality of a foreign government or an international organization under the International Organizations Immunities Act) for services performed in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), or the Virgin Islands. Report income from this employment on line 2 of either Short or Long Schedule SE. If you performed services elsewhere as an employee of a foreign government or an international organization, those earnings are exempt from SE tax.

If you are a self-employed U.S. citizen or resident alien living outside the United States, in most cases you must pay SE tax. You may not reduce your foreign earnings from self-employment by your foreign earned income exclusion.

Exception.   The United States has social security agreements with many countries to eliminate dual taxes under two social security systems. Under these agreements, you must generally pay social security and Medicare taxes to only the country you live in.

  The United States now has social security agreements with the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Additional agreements are expected in the future. If you have questions about international social security agreements, you can:

  If your self-employment income is exempt from SE tax, you should get a statement from the appropriate agency of the foreign country verifying that your self-employment income is subject to social security coverage in that country. If the foreign country will not issue the statement, contact the SSA at the address shown above. Do not complete Schedule SE. Instead, attach a copy of the statement to Form 1040 and enter “Exempt, see attached statement” on Form 1040, line 55.