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.
Matthew Whitledge is an associate clinical professor at Mississippi State University.
Ashley Foster, MBA, SHRM-SCP, is the Executive Vice President of Acute Partnerships at ShiftMed, where she leverages over 15 years of healthcare HR experience to drive innovative workforce solutions for hospitals and health systems. Ashley's expertise spans strategic human resource leadership, talent acquisition, and employee retention, having previously led HR teams at major health systems. Her work focuses on addressing the critical challenges facing healthcare today—recruitment, retention, and workforce sustainability—by championing flexible staffing models that empower healthcare organizations to meet evolving workforce demands while enhancing employee satisfaction and engagement.
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.