Small businesses that manage to get their Paycheck Protection Program loans forgiven may find themselves losing valuable tax breaks, according to new guidance from the Internal Revenue Service.
Companies that qualify for loan forgiveness under legislation Congress approved won’t be able to deduct the wages or other businesses expenses they paid for using the loan, according to an IRS notice published Thursday.
“This treatment prevents a double tax benefit,” the agency said in the notice. “This conclusion is consistent with prior guidance of the IRS.”
The guidance clarifies a point of confusion in the $670 billion small business loan program to help businesses struggling as the coronavirus has brought the economy to a standstill. The law states that the forgiven loan won’t be taxed, but didn’t specify whether companies could still write off the expenses they covered with that money.
Louise Doyle is the visionary co-founder and CEO of needi, a corporate gifting service that uses AI-powered gift-matching technology to connect businesses with the perfect sustainable gifts while supporting local independent businesses.
Alongside co-founder Steph Scholes, needi has grown to work with over 150 B2B clients, including high-profile companies like Microsoft, Spotify, and Virgin, generating over £1 million in sales for small businesses.
Stephanie Miller is SAP's global vice president for finance, risk and quote-to-cash. She has over two decades of experience driving customer success while simultaneously building and leading high-performing teams. She is focused on establishing trusted relationships with finance executives to help them identify, prioritize and deliver on business outcomes.
Tom Madonna is vice president of SAP America's North American industry advisory for services and financial service industries.
The tax code permits companies to write off businesses expenses, such as wages, rent and transportation expenses, but generally doesn’t allow write-offs for tax-exempt income.
The ruling adds to the list of stumbling blocks facing businesses as they try to qualify for the Paycheck Protection Program loans.
Small businesses have reported technical issues in trying to apply for the funds, which restarted Monday after the first round of funding ran out after just 13 days.
The program, run by the Small Business Administration, provides funds to cover eight weeks of payroll costs and the loans are forgiven if the employers keep workers on the job or quickly rehire laid-off workers.