20 Apr Taxation of election board earnings

Q. Do I have to declare the money I’m paid when I work on election boards?
— Worker

A. That’s a timely question.

Money earned working on an election board is taxable, said Howard Hook, a certified financial planner and certified public accountant with EKS Associates in Princeton.

However, Hook said, you may not have received a W-2 form if the total wages for the year were less than $600.

He said there is no requirement that taxes be withheld from the wages, but tax can be withheld voluntarily.

Hook said the other quirk is whether or not the wages are subject to Social Security and Medicare tax, commonly referred to as FICA.

“If the position the worker held is covered by a Section 218 agreement — an agreement between the state and the Social Security Administration to provide coverage to state and local government employees — then that agreement will stipulate whether the wages are subject to FICA.” Hook said. “If the position is not covered by a Section 218 agreement then FICA is owed only if the election wages for the year exceed a threshold — $1,600.”

Consider speaking with a tax advisor about your specific situation.

Good luck!

Email your questions to .

This post was first published in April 2016.