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.
Raphael Bostic is the 15th president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
Ms. Washburn is a Managing Director at Municipal Market Analytics (MMA), an independent research and consulting group that publishes commentary on the US municipal bond market. Prior to MMA, Lisa was a managing director at Moody’s Investors Service where she managed several ratings teams and led various high profile projects, including the agency’s first municipal default study and the 2010 municipal rating recalibration.� Lisa is currently serving as the 2016 Chair of the National Federation of Municipal Analysts (NFMA) and has been on the Board of Governors and led many of the organization’s committees since 2008.�� She is also a member of the Municipal Analysts Group of New York (MAGNY).� She has an undergraduate degree in finance from Lehigh University and holds the designation of Certified Management Accountant.��
Nicole Byrd is Chair of the National Federation of Municipal Analysts
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.