Jan. 6 2021
On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (“CAA”) was signed into law. The CAA contains both the COVID-Related Tax Relief Act of 2020 (COVIDTRA) and the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 (TCDTR). In addition to providing for stimulus payments of $600 per taxpayer and qualifying child, the CAA also contains numerous tax provisions and extenders as follows:
Do note that any of the below provisions that are applicable to income tax at the state level, California may not conform.
Individual Provisions
Increased deduction for medical expenses – The CAA permanently decreases the limitation for deducting medical expenses to 7.5% of adjusted gross income (“AGI”). Previous law only allowed for a deduction of medical expenses in excess of 10% of AGI.
Child Tax Credit & Earned Income Credit (“CTC” & “EIC”) – The CAA allows individuals to use their earned income from 2019, if greater, to calculate their CTC & EIC for 2020.
Charitable contributions for taxpayers who do not itemize deductions – The CARES act, passed earlier in 2020, created a new above-the-line deduction for charitable contributions made in 2020 for taxpayers who do not itemize deductions. The maximum allowable deduction is $300 ($600 for a married couple). The CAA extends this rule through 2021.
Income limitations for charitable contributions – Under previous law, charitable contributions to qualified organizations were generally limited to 60% of a taxpayer’s AGI. The CARES act removed the limitation for 2020; the new Act also removes the limitation for 2021.
Education credits – The CAA removes the above the line deduction for tuition and fees in exchange for an expanded application of the Lifetime Learning credit. This applies to tax years 2021 and beyond.
Exclusion from income for forgiveness of qualified principal residence indebtedness – Forgiveness of debt is generally included in taxable income. An exception applied for forgiveness of debt that was used to acquire a personal residence. The maximum which could be excluded was $2 million for a married couple. This provision was set to expire in 2020. The CAA extends this exclusion through 2025, but at a reduced amount of $750,000.
Mortgage insurance premiums – The CAA extends the deduction for qualified mortgage insurance premiums through 2021.
Retirement plan distributions – The CAA allows for distributions from retirement plans of up to $100,000 without being subject to the 10% penalty that applies to early retirement distributions. The distribution, however, will be subject to income tax over a 3-year period. This extends the relief provided in the CARES Act & expands the eligibility to all taxpayers.
Payroll Provisions
FSA Plans – Employers may choose to allow a carryover of unused funds from 2020 to 2021 and from 2021 to 2022 or to extend the grace period for spending unused FSA funds to 12 months after the plan year.
Extension of Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) credits for paid sick and family leave – The FFCRA, passed earlier in 2020, provided employers a payroll tax credit for paid sick and family leave due to COVID-19. The Act extends this credit through March 31, 2021.
Employer tax credit for paid family and medical leave – Earlier tax law allowed businesses to claim a general business credit for paid family and medical leave up to 12 weeks per year. The provision was set to expire at the end of 2020; the Act extends this credit through 2025.
Work opportunity credit – The work opportunity credit is available to employers for hiring individuals from certain targeted groups. The credit was set to expire at the end of 2020. The CAA extends the credit through 2025.
Expansion of Employee Retention Credit (“ERC”) – The CARES Act provided a 50% credit for companies who continued to pay their employees during a COVID-19 imposed lockdown. The CAA expands eligibility for the ERC, increases the credit to 70%, and extends the credit through June 30, 2021.
Extension of deferred payroll taxes – President Trump signed an executive memorandum in August 2020 allowing employers to defer the employee’s share of social security taxes between September 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. The taxes were required to be repaid through a reduction in the employee’s pay between January 1, 2021 and April 30, 2021. The CAA extends the required repayment period to December 31, 2021.
Employer payment of student loans – The CAA extends the current CARES act provision which allows employers to repay education loans incurred by their employees, which was set to expire at the end of 2020. The CAA extends the provision to 2025. The maximum annual payment is $5,250.
Business Tax Provisions
Deductions for expenses paid using PPP loan proceeds – The CAA clarifies the original intention of the PPP loan program and allows for full deduction of any expense paid for using PPP loan proceeds.
Bringing back the business lunch – The CAA temporarily allows for a full 100% deduction for meals provided by restaurants that are paid or incurred in 2021 or 2022.
Qualified disaster relief contributions – The CAA creates a new category of “qualified disaster relief contributions” for qualifying contributions made to organizations for disaster relief efforts. Contributions must be made between January 1, 2020 and 60 days after passage of the Act. Corporations could receive a deduction of up to 100% of taxable income.
Accelerated depreciation of residential rental property for electing real property trade or business – Real property trades or businesses subject to the interest expense limitations of 163(j) may choose to make an election. Under the election, the interest limitations will not apply; however, the taxpayer must use ADS depreciation rules resulting in a longer useful life and lower depreciation expense each year. Under prior law, residential rental property placed in service prior to January 1, 2018 was subject to a 40-year ADS useful life. The CAA changes this to a 30-year ADS useful life if the taxpayer was not subject to ADS prior to January 1, 2018.
December 27, 2020
On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (“CAA”) was signed into law. The CAA contains both the COVID-Related Tax Relief Act of 2020 (COVIDTRA) and the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 (TCDTR). In addition to providing for stimulus payments of $600 per taxpayer and qualifying child, the CAA also contains numerous tax provisions and extenders as follows:
Do note that any of the below provisions that are applicable to income tax at the state level, California may not conform.
Individual Provisions
Increased deduction for medical expenses – The CAA permanently decreases the limitation for deducting medical expenses to 7.5% of adjusted gross income (“AGI”). Previous law only allowed for a deduction of medical expenses in excess of 10% of AGI.
Child Tax Credit & Earned Income Credit (“CTC” & “EIC”) – The CAA allows individuals to use their earned income from 2019, if greater, to calculate their CTC & EIC for 2020.
Charitable contributions for taxpayers who do not itemize deductions – The CARES act, passed earlier in 2020, created a new above-the-line deduction for charitable contributions made in 2020 for taxpayers who do not itemize deductions. The maximum allowable deduction is $300 ($600 for a married couple). The CAA extends this rule through 2021.
Income limitations for charitable contributions – Under previous law, charitable contributions to qualified organizations were generally limited to 60% of a taxpayer’s AGI. The CARES act removed the limitation for 2020; the new Act also removes the limitation for 2021.
Education credits – The CAA removes the above the line deduction for tuition and fees in exchange for an expanded application of the Lifetime Learning credit. This applies to tax years 2021 and beyond.
Exclusion from income for forgiveness of qualified principal residence indebtedness – Forgiveness of debt is generally included in taxable income. An exception applied for forgiveness of debt that was used to acquire a personal residence. The maximum which could be excluded was $2 million for a married couple. This provision was set to expire in 2020. The CAA extends this exclusion through 2025, but at a reduced amount of $750,000.
Mortgage insurance premiums – The CAA extends the deduction for qualified mortgage insurance premiums through 2021.
Retirement plan distributions – The CAA allows for distributions from retirement plans of up to $100,000 without being subject to the 10% penalty that applies to early retirement distributions. The distribution, however, will be subject to income tax over a 3-year period. This extends the relief provided in the CARES Act & expands the eligibility to all taxpayers.
Payroll Provisions
FSA Plans – Employers may choose to allow a carryover of unused funds from 2020 to 2021 and from 2021 to 2022 or to extend the grace period for spending unused FSA funds to 12 months after the plan year.
Extension of Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) credits for paid sick and family leave – The FFCRA, passed earlier in 2020, provided employers a payroll tax credit for paid sick and family leave due to COVID-19. The Act extends this credit through March 31, 2021.
Employer tax credit for paid family and medical leave – Earlier tax law allowed businesses to claim a general business credit for paid family and medical leave up to 12 weeks per year. The provision was set to expire at the end of 2020; the Act extends this credit through 2025.
Work opportunity credit – The work opportunity credit is available to employers for hiring individuals from certain targeted groups. The credit was set to expire at the end of 2020. The CAA extends the credit through 2025.
Expansion of Employee Retention Credit (“ERC”) – The CARES Act provided a 50% credit for companies who continued to pay their employees during a COVID-19 imposed lockdown. The CAA expands eligibility for the ERC, increases the credit to 70%, and extends the credit through June 30, 2021.
Extension of deferred payroll taxes – President Trump signed an executive memorandum in August 2020 allowing employers to defer the employee’s share of social security taxes between September 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. The taxes were required to be repaid through a reduction in the employee’s pay between January 1, 2021 and April 30, 2021. The CAA extends the required repayment period to December 31, 2021.
Employer payment of student loans – The CAA extends the current CARES act provision which allows employers to repay education loans incurred by their employees, which was set to expire at the end of 2020. The CAA extends the provision to 2025. The maximum annual payment is $5,250.
Business Tax Provisions
Deductions for expenses paid using PPP loan proceeds – The CAA clarifies the original intention of the PPP loan program and allows for full deduction of any expense paid for using PPP loan proceeds.
Bringing back the business lunch – The CAA temporarily allows for a full 100% deduction for meals provided by restaurants that are paid or incurred in 2021 or 2022.
Qualified disaster relief contributions – The CAA creates a new category of “qualified disaster relief contributions” for qualifying contributions made to organizations for disaster relief efforts. Contributions must be made between January 1, 2020 and 60 days after passage of the Act. Corporations could receive a deduction of up to 100% of taxable income.
Accelerated depreciation of residential rental property for electing real property trade or business – Real property trades or businesses subject to the interest expense limitations of 163(j) may choose to make an election. Under the election, the interest limitations will not apply; however, the taxpayer must use ADS depreciation rules resulting in a longer useful life and lower depreciation expense each year. Under prior law, residential rental property placed in service prior to January 1, 2018 was subject to a 40-year ADS useful life. The CAA changes this to a 30-year ADS useful life if the taxpayer was not subject to ADS prior to January 1, 2018.
Rental Real Estate as Qualified Business Income Deduction effective to December 31, 2025
If you operate a rental real estate business, you may qualify to claim the business income deduction under Section 199A in one of two ways- details in our article detail.
Rental Real Estate as Qualified Business Income Deduction
If you operate a rental real estate business, you may qualify to claim the business income deduction under Section 199A in one of two ways.
Qualified Business Income Deduction (QBID)
Congress enacted Section 199A to provide a deduction to non-corporate taxpayers of up to 20 percent of the taxpayer's qualified business income from each of the taxpayer's qualified trades or businesses, including those operated through a partnership, S corporation, or sole proprietorship. Individuals, estates and trusts can also deduct 20 percent of aggregate qualified real estate investment trust (REIT) dividends and qualified publicly traded partnership income. The deduction is effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, and before January 1, 2026.
The QBI deduction is calculated as the lesser of:
i) combined qualified business income (up to 20% of qualified business income, plus 20% of REIT dividends and publicly traded partnership income); or
ii) 20% of the excess (if any) of taxable income over net capital gain.
In order to qualify for the deduction, the business must be a qualified trade or business which is defined as any trade or business other than a specified service trade or business (SSTB) or the trade or business of performing services as an employee.
Rentals meet the definition of a qualified trade or business in one of two ways:
1) rentals to a commonly owned business; or
2) under a safe harbor for certain rental real estate activities.
Rentals to a commonly owned business
A rental activity is treated as a qualified trade or business if it rents or licenses tangible or intangible property to a commonly owned trade or business. A business and a rental activity are commonly owned if the same person or group of persons directly or indirectly owns at least 50 percent of each of them. Businesses can meet this common-ownership test even if they are not otherwise eligible for aggregation.
Safe Harbor for Rental Real Estate Enterprise
Under a safe harbor, a rental real estate enterprise is treated as a trade or business for purposes of Section 199A only if:
a) separate books and records are maintained to reflect income and expenses for each rental real estate enterprise;
b) at least 250 hours of rental services are performed per year; and
c) for tax years beginning after 2019, the taxpayer maintains sufficient contemporaneous records.
For years 2021 and 2022 only, Meals and entertainment 100% deductible under certain conditions. California does not conform and will limit deduction to 50%.
2021 and 2022 Meals and entertainment deductibility:
Type of Expense | 2017 (old rules) | 2018 (new rules) | 2019 and yrs after |
Entertaining clients (concert tickets, golf games, etc.) | 50% deductible | 0% deductible | 0% deductible |
Business meals with clients | 50% deductible | 50% deductible | 50% deductible |
Office snacks and meals | 100% deductible | 50% deductible | 50% deductible |
Company-wide party | 100% deductible | 100% deductible | 100% deductible |
Meals & entertainment (included in compensation) | 100% deductible | 100% deductible | 100% deductible |
Fully deductible meals and entertainment
Here are some common examples of 100% deductible meals and entertainment expenses:
- A company-wide holiday party
- Food and drinks provided free of charge for the public
- Food included as taxable compensation to employees and included on the W-2
50% deductible expenses
Here are some of the most common 50% deductible expenses (for 2021 and 2022, they are 100% deductible if purchased from a restaurant):
- A meal with a client where work is discussed (that isn’t lavish)
- Employee meals at a conference, above and beyond the ticket price
- Employee meals while traveling (here’s how the IRS defines “travel”)
- Treating a few employees to a meal (but if it’s at least half of all employees, it’s 100 percent deductible)
- Food for a board meeting
- Dinner provided for employees working late
So what’s nondeductible?
Most work-related meal purchases you can think of are either 100 or 50 percent deductible. But there are a few exceptions. For example, if you pay for your clients’ night out but you don’t actually go with them, it’s nondeductible. The same applies to a client meal at a restaurant where you invite friends or spouses—the cost of your friends is nondeductible (but you can write off half the client bill).
And of course, with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, client entertainment is also nondeductible—no more golf games or courtside tickets.
Following what was described as a successful launch of beneficial ownership information reporting requirements, officials from the Department of the Treasury found themselves before the House Financial Services Committee defending the regulations.
Following what was described as a successful launch of beneficial ownership information reporting requirements, officials from the Department of the Treasury found themselves before the House Financial Services Committee defending the regulations.
"The beneficial ownership registry successfully launched on January 1 this year," Andrea Gacki, director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, said during a February 14 oversight hearing of the committee. "In the first week alone, more than 100,000 companies successfully filed their beneficial ownership information. And I am pleased to report that today, so far, FinCEN has received more than half a million reports successfully filed."
Brian Nelson, Treasury undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, told the committee that there are 32 million companies that are expected to file a BOI report.
Gacki continued: "The now ongoing better collection of beneficial ownership information, paired with the forthcoming phased provision of access to the database by law enforcement and other authorized users will close what is long been identified as a gap in the United States anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism regime."
Gacki and Nelson were put on the defensive during the hearing as committee members challenged them on the effect of the reporting requirements on small businesses.
She noted that FinCEN took steps to make sure the filing system is "workable for small businesses," including making it simple with the ability to complete in 20 minutes without the need to seek professional help that could end up costing a small business more money.
Nelson also emphasized that Treasury is using all available tools to spread the word of the filing requirements and offer guides on how to file.
"We recognize that a number of these small businesses have never heard of FinCEN, so there’s a big educational campaign," he said, adding that the agency is working on a solution for those unable to file BOI electronically, such as businesses in Amish communities.
Gacki also stressed that if there are issues related to filing, FinCEN is not looking to take action against those who are simply having trouble filing their BOI report.
"I want to stress that, when it comes to enforcement, the statute is clear," she said. "We can only take enforcement action for willful violations. We are not out to take ‘gotcha’ enforcement actions. We want to educate about the requirement."
AICPA Calls For Suspension Of BOI Reporting Requirement
Despite the efforts FinCEN and the broader Treasury department are making to educate the public on the BOI reporting requirements, the American Institute of CPAs is calling for the suspension of BOI reporting requirements.
In a February 13, 2024, letter to the leadership of the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee, AICPA stated the BOI reporting rule "should be suspended until the small business community is considered well-informed of their requirement to report BOI information to FinCEN and the outstanding questions by the financial professionals who serve this community have been answered."
AICPA stated that small businesses "should have a reasonable chance at compliance" in addition to a timeframe to gain awareness of the requirements. "To comply and provide the information necessary, small businesses need additional time to work through these and other questions that have not been answered in the six weeks this rule has been in effect. We urge you to suspend the rule and give small entities the time necessary to work through this requirement so we can best support the small business community."
By Gregory Twachtman, Washington News Editor
The IRS has issued a warning to small businesses regarding potential issues with Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims as the March 22, 2024 deadline for the ERC Voluntary Disclosure Program approaches. Seven suspicious warning signs have been identified based on feedback from tax professionals and compliance personnel. These signs may indicate erroneous claims and could lead to IRS scrutiny.
The IRS has issued a warning to small businesses regarding potential issues with Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims as the March 22, 2024 deadline for the ERC Voluntary Disclosure Program approaches. Seven suspicious warning signs have been identified based on feedback from tax professionals and compliance personnel. These signs may indicate erroneous claims and could lead to IRS scrutiny. The ERC Voluntary Disclosure Program allows businesses to rectify incorrect claims by repaying just 80% of the amount claimed. Taxpayers who realize their claims are ineligible are urged to quickly pursue the claim withdrawal process.
The IRS has highlighted seven suspicious signs indicating potential inaccuracies in ERC claims. These include:
- Too many quarters being claimed: Employers should ensure they meet eligibilitycriteria for each quarter claimed.
- Government orders that dont qualify: Employers should have clear documentation demonstrating how and when government orders related to COVID-19 impacted their operations.The frequently asked questions about ERC – Qualifying Government Orders section of IRS.gov has helpful examples. Also, employers should avoid a promoter that supplies a generic narrative about a government order.
- Too many employees and wrong calculations : Employers should accurately calculate the credit based on changes in the law and avoid overclaiming. For details about credit amounts, see the Employee Retention Credit - 2020 vs 2021 Comparison Chart.
- Business citing supply chain issues :Employers should carefully review the rules on supply chain issues and examples in the 2023 legal memo on supply chain disruptions.
- Business claiming ERC for too much of a tax period: Businesses should check their claim for overstated qualifying wages and should keep payroll records that support their claim.
- Business didn’t pay wages or didn’t exist during eligibility period: Employers can only claim ERC for tax periods when they paid wages to employees.
- Promoter says there’s nothing to lose: Businesses should be on high alert with any ERC promoter who urged them to claim ERC because they have nothing to lose.
The Employee Retention Credit (ERC) is available to eligible employers who paid qualified wages to some or all employees between March 12, 2020, and January 1, 2022. Eligibility varies based on the time period:
- For 2020 and the first two quarters of 2021: Eligibility is based on trade or business operations being fully or partially suspended due to a COVID-19-related government order or experiencing a decline in gross receipts.
- For the third quarter of 2021: Eligibility includes suspension of trade or business operations, a decline in gross receipts, or being classified as a recovery startup business.
- For the fourth quarter of 2021: Only recovery startup businesses are eligible.
The IRS has issued the luxury car depreciation limits for business vehicles placed in service in 2024 and the lease inclusion amounts for business vehicles first leased in 2024.
The IRS has issued the luxury car depreciation limits for business vehicles placed in service in 2024 and the lease inclusion amounts for business vehicles first leased in 2024.
Luxury Passenger Car Depreciation Caps
The luxury car depreciation caps for a passenger car placed in service in 2024 limit annual depreciation deductions to:
- $12,400 for the first year without bonus depreciation
- $20,400 for the first year with bonus depreciation
- $19,800 for the second year
- $11,900 for the third year
- $7,160 for the fourth through sixth year
Depreciation Caps for SUVs, Trucks and Vans
The luxury car depreciation caps for a sport utility vehicle, truck, or van placed in service in 2024 are:
- $12,400 for the first year without bonus depreciation
- $20,400 for the first year with bonus depreciation
- $19,800 for the second year
- $11,900 for the third year
- $7,160 for the fourth through sixth year
Excess Depreciation on Luxury Vehicles
If depreciation exceeds the annual cap, the excess depreciation is deducted beginning in the year after the vehicle’s regular depreciation period ends.
The annual cap for this excess depreciation is:
- $7,160 for passenger cars and
- $7,160 for SUVS, trucks, and vans.
Lease Inclusion Amounts for Cars, SUVs, Trucks and Vans
If a vehicle is first leased in 2024, a taxpayer must add a lease inclusion amount to gross income in each year of the lease if its fair market value at the time of the lease is more than:
- $62,000 for a passenger car, or
- $64,000 for an SUV, truck or van.
The 2024 lease inclusion tables provide the lease inclusion amounts for each year of the lease.
The lease inclusion amount results in a permanent reduction in the taxpayer’s deduction for the lease payments.
Vehicles Exempt from Depreciation Caps and Lease Inclusion Amounts
The depreciation caps and lease inclusion amounts do not apply to:
- cars with an unloaded gross vehicle weight of more than 6,000 pounds; or
- SUVs, trucks and vans with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of more than 6,000 pounds.
So taxpayers who want to avoid these limits should "think big."
The Internal Revenue Service has reviewed, redesigned and deployed 31 notices for the 2024 tax filing season in an effort to simplify the notices and improve their clarity.
This is a part of a broader effort to simplify up to 90 percent of the notices the agency sends out to taxpayers on an annual basis.
The Internal Revenue Service has reviewed, redesigned and deployed 31 notices for the 2024 tax filing season in an effort to simplify the notices and improve their clarity.
This is a part of a broader effort to simplify up to 90 percent of the notices the agency sends out to taxpayers on an annual basis.
Included in the first wave of redesigned notices are notices to taxpayers who served in combat that may be eligible for tax deferment, notices that remind a taxpayer that they may have an unfiled return, and notices that remind a taxpayer about their balance due and where they can go for assistance.
"The IRS has a large number of these letters as well as other standard correspondence,"IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said during a January 23, 2024, teleconference with reporters."And as we’ve heard from tax professionals as well as taxpayers, these notices can be confusing. They cover complex topics. They can include a lot of legal language, and with our current systems and machines, the letters can be a mishmash of looks that do not always have a consistent familiar look you might get from a credit card company or a bank."
Werfel said that these issues made it clear the agency management that they need to redesign the notices to utilize clearer, plain language that a taxpayer can act upon without potentially needing to consult with a tax professional to help understand the information being sent and potentially requested. About 20 million of these 31 notices were sent to taxpayers in calendar year 2022, he said.
He highlighted the potential that the redesigned notices will have by discussing the pilot program that redesigned Notice 5071C, which asks questions about possible identity theft. The IRS made the language clearer and included a QR code to direct taxpayers to the appropriate web page to allow them to respond to the notice.
"In all, 60,000 taxpayers received this pilot letter compared to taxpayers who received the original letter,"Werfel said."There was a 16 percent reduction in taxpayers who called the IRS as their first action and a 6 percent increase in taxpayers who used the online option. The IRS will apply the lessons learned from this pilot to a larger redesign initiative."
By the 2025 tax filing season, Werfel said the IRS is hoping to have redesigned up to 200 notices, which make up about 90 percent of the notices sent out to individual taxpayers in 2022.
By Gregory Twachtman, Washington News Editor
The IRS, with its Criminal Investigation (CI) arm, has urged businesses to review eligibility for the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). To combat fraud, they intensified compliance efforts related to this pandemic-era credit. Businesses wrongly claiming the ERC are advised to consider applying for the Voluntary Disclosure Program before the March 22 deadline. A special withdrawal program is also available for those with eligibility concerns on pending claims.
The IRS, with its Criminal Investigation (CI) arm, has urged businesses to review eligibility for the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). To combat fraud, they intensified compliance efforts related to this pandemic-era credit. Businesses wrongly claiming the ERC are advised to consider applying for the Voluntary Disclosure Program before the March 22 deadline. A special withdrawal program is also available for those with eligibility concerns on pending claims. Both programs aimed to help employers to avoid penalties and interest on incorrect claims. CI special agents plan to conduct nationwide educational sessions in February for tax professionals, focusing on the ERC. These sessions, part of a broader initiative, will be held in at least 23 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The IRS has implemented several initiatives to address inappropriate claims by businesses. Some key points are listed below.
ERC Voluntary Disclosure Program (Open until March 22, 2024):
- businesses with erroneous claims and received payments can participate;and
- the program runs until March 22, 2024.
Withdrawal Program for Pending ERC Claims:
ERC Eligibility Information:
- special information is available to help businesses understand Employee Retention Tax Credit guidelines; and
- resources include ERC FAQs and the ERC Eligibility Checklist, offered as an interactive toolor a printable guide.
Increased IRS Compliance Activity:
- letters notifying taxpayers of disallowed ERC claims have been sent;
- letters related to claiming an erroneous or excessive credit are planned; and
- ongoing compliance efforts include Audits, Civil Investigations, and Criminal Investigations.
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has published a Small Entity Compliance Guide (Guide) to provide an overview of the Beneficial Ownership Information Access and Safeguards Rule (Access Rule) requirements for small entities that obtain beneficial ownership information (BOI) from FinCEN.
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has published a Small Entity Compliance Guide (Guide) to provide an overview of the Beneficial Ownership Information Access and Safeguards Rule (Access Rule) requirements for small entities that obtain beneficial ownership information (BOI) from FinCEN. Under the Access Rule, issued in December 2023, BOI reported to FinCEN is confidential, must be protected and may be disclosed only to certain authorized federal agencies; state, local, tribal and foreign governments; and financial institutions. The guide includes sections summarizing the Access Rule’s requirements that pertain to small financial institutions’ access to BOI.
Further, FinCEN intends to provide access to certain categories of financial institutions with obligations under the current Customer Due Diligence (CDD) Rule. Therefore, this Guide includes sections summarizing the Access Rule’s requirements that pertain to these small financial institutions only
The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service have released new analysis that shows the additional funding provided to the IRS under the Inflation Reduction Act can increase revenues by"as much as" $561 billion.
The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service have released new analysis that shows the additional funding provided to the IRS under the Inflation Reduction Act can increase revenues by"as much as" $561 billion.
"This analysis provides a more comprehensive assessment of the revenue effects of the transformational enforcement and modernization efforts enabled by the IRA" Greg Leiserson, Treasury deputy assistant secretary for tax analysis, said February 6, 2024, during a press teleconference."The IRS estimates that the IRA, as enacted, would increase revenue by as much as $561billion through fiscal year 2034, substantially more than earlier estimates. If IRA funding is renewed with it runs out, as the administration has proposed, estimated revenue would be as much as $851 billion."
A previous estimate had the IRA generating an additional $390 billion over the next 10 years based primarily on enforcement hires as the key revenue driver and assuming a diminished return over time.
Leiserson noted that previous estimates"were limited to revenues generated by direct enforcement activities resulting from higher enforcement staffing. This narrow focus does not consider the significant impact of the technology, data, and service improvements made possible by the IRA or any deterrent effect the greater enforcement capabilities and activities would have in order to better assess the revenue raised by this transformation."
The new analysis is broken down into five categories:
- Direct Revenue: payments received related to enforcement actions
- Revenue Protected: stopping illegitimate refund claims before the refund is issued
- Impact of Service on Compliance: making it easier for taxpayers to pay what they owe
- Compliance Assurance: increasing transparency and tax certainty for complex tax situations
- Efficiency Gains: including from IT investments and improvements to data analytics
The IRS has traditionally made estimates in the first two categories listed.
IRS Chief Data and Analytics Officer Melanie Krause during the call highlighted that in addition to the heightened compliance and enforcement efforts going on against the wealthy individuals that may not be paying taxes they legitimately owe, the improvements to things such as customer service and to improving access to Taxpayer Assistance Centers also helps.
"For example, whether we have the resources to serve taxpayers by being available to answer the phone" when they have question is important for voluntary compliance, she said, adding that the same is true for when people use TACs.
She noted that the analysis being published"is a pioneering step forward for developing a more exhaustive and accurate estimates of the return on investment for IRS funding, which will enrich our understanding of how these investments yield tangible outcomes,"she said.
Taking into consideration everything and not just enforcement gains "illustrate the bottom-line importance of investing in our nation’s tax system really can’t be overstated," Krause said."And the resulting changes will ripple out and create benefits for taxpayers and the nation in many ways."
By Gregory Twachtman, Washington News Editor
The American Institute of CPAs offered a series of guidance recommendations to the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service to help provide clarity on a notice issued by the IRS on changes to the regulation for Roth IRA catch-up contributions made by SECURE 2.0.
The American Institute of CPAs offered a series of guidance recommendations to the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service to help provide clarity on a notice issued by the IRS on changes to the regulation for Roth IRA catch-up contributions made by SECURE 2.0.
In a January 17, 2024, letter to the agencies, AICPA recommend that guidance be issued across areas.
First, the organization recommended that Treasury and the IRS "ssue guidance stated that federal income tax withholding with respect to a participant’s mandatory Roth IRAcatch-up contribution is not required before February 1 of the year in which the amount is contributed," the letter stated.
Second, AICPA called for guidance "allowing an elective deferral which is treated as a Roth catch-up contribution due to being recharacterized based on the failure of the ADP [actual deferral percentage] test, to be taxable to the participant in the year of recharacterization."
Third, it was recommended that future guidance issued in relation to Section V.3 of the Notice 2023-62"clarifies that for purposes of determining if an employee’s participating wages exceeds $145,000 (as adjusted0, only wages from the employee’s specific common law employer in the previous year are included, and only if it is a participating employer in the plan."
Finally, AICPA recommends the agencies "issueguidance stating that an individual who had deferrals characterized as Roth contributions as a result of not contributing deferrals equal to the regular limit be permitted to have them designated as regular deferrals."
The organization characterized these guidance recommendations as helping to bring more simplicity to the tax system.
"Due to the mandate in SECURE 2.0 requiring certain catch-up contributions be made on a Roth IRA basis, the IRS issued notice 2023-62 to help implement the provision," Kristin Esposito, AICPA director of tax policy and advocacy, said in a statement. "AICPA want to highlight certain administrability issues noticed in the guidance that we believe will make for a smoother transition."
By Gregory Twachtman, Washington News Editor
As part of the ongoing efforts to improve tax compliance in high income categories, the IRS will begin dozens of audits on business aircraft involving personal use.
As part of the ongoing efforts to improve tax compliance in high income categories, the IRS will begin dozens of audits on business aircraft involving personal use. The audits will be focused on large corporations, large partnerships and other high income taxpayers, and will scrutinize whether the use of jets is being properly allocated between business and personal reasons. "During tax season, millions of people are doing the right thing by filing and paying their taxes, and they should have confidence that everyone is also following the law," said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel, "These aircraftaudits will help ensure high-income groups aren’t flying under the radar with their tax responsibilities."
These audits of corporate jet usage is part of the IRS Large Business and International division’s "campaign" program and includes issue-focused examinations, taxpayer outreach and education, tax form changes and focusing on particular issues that present a high risk of noncompliance. "The IRS continues to increase scrutiny on high-income taxpayers as we work to reverse the historic low audit rates and limited focus that the wealthiest individuals and organizations faced in the years that predated the Inflation Reduction Act," Werfel said. In addition to the work on corporate jets,the IRS has a variety of efforts underway to improve tax compliance in complex, overlooked high-dollar areas where the agency did not have adequate resources prior to Inflation Reduction Act funding.
The IRS has released additional Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness guidance.
The IRS has released additional Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness guidance. The guidance addresses (1) timing issues; (2) partner and consolidated group member basis adjustments; and (3) filing of amended partnership returns and information statements.
Timing of Tax-exempt Income
A taxpayer that received a PPP loan may treat tax-exempt income resulting from the partial or complete forgiveness of the PPP loan as received or accrued as follows:
- As the taxpayer pays or incurs eligible expenses. Under the safe harbor that allows certain taxpayers who relied on prior guidance and did not deduct certain PPP-related expenses on a tax return filed before the COVID Tax Relief Act was enacted, to deduct the expenses in the next tax year. A taxpayer that has elected to use the safe harbor will be treated as paying or incurring the eligible expenses during the taxpayer’s immediately subsequent tax year following the taxpayer’s 2020 tax year in which the expenses were actually paid or incurred, as described in Rev. Proc. 2021-20;
- When the taxpayer files an application for forgiveness of the PPP loan; or;
- When the PPP loan forgiveness is granted.
The timing treatment also applies to the extent tax-exempt income resulting from the partial or complete forgiveness of a PPP loan is treated as gross receipts under a federal tax provision.
If a taxpayer received PPP loan forgiveness of less than the amount that the taxpayer previously treated as tax-exempt income, the taxpayer must file an amended return, information return, or administrative adjustment request as applicable.
Partnership Allocations and Basis Adjustments
If covered partnerships meet certain requirements, the IRS will treat the covered taxpayer’s allocation of amounts treated as tax exempt income and allocation of deductions as determined in accordance with Code Sec. 704(b). A partner's basis in its interest is increased by the partner’s distributive share of tax exempt income and is decreased by the partner’s distributive share of deductions. If certain conditions are met, the treatment generally applies in connection with:
- deductions and amounts treated as tax exempt income arising in connection with the forgiveness of a PPP loan;
- deductions and amounts treated as tax exempt income arising in connection with payments made by the SBA on behalf of the taxpayer with respect to a covered loan under § 1112(c) of the CARES Act; and
- the allocation of deductions and amounts treated as tax exempt income arising in connection with the taxpayer receiving a Supplemental Targeted EIDL Advance or a Restaurant Revitalization Grant.
Consolidated Group Members
For consolidated group members, the IRS will treat any amount excluded from gross income under § 7A(i) of the Small Business Act, § 276(b) of the COVID Tax Relief Act, or § 278(a)(1) of the COVID Tax Relief Act, as applicable, as tax exempt income for purposes of Reg. §1.1502-32(b)(2)(ii) investment adjustments. For the treatment to apply, the consolidated group must attach a signed statement to its consolidated tax return.
Amended Returns
Eligible partnerships subject to the centralized partnership audit regime (BBA partnerships) that filed a Form 1065 and furnished all required Schedules K-1 for tax years ending after March 27, 2020 and before Rev. Proc. 2021-50 was issued may file amended partnership returns and furnish amended Schedules K-1 on or before December 31, 2021. The amended returns must take into account tax changes under Rev. Proc. 2021-48 or Rev. Proc. 2021-49, but eligible BBA partnerships may make any additional changes on their amended returns.
The amended return applies to any partnership tax year ending after March 27, 2020 and before the issuance of Rev. Proc. 2021-48 and Rev. Proc. 2021-49. The BBA partnership must clearly indicate the application of this revenue procedure on the amended return and write "FILED PURSUANT TO REV PROC 2021-50" at the top of the amended return and attach a statement with each amended Schedule K-1 furnished to its partners with the same notation.
Special rules apply to pass-through partners. A partnership under examination that wishes to use this amended return procedure must notify the revenue agent coordinating the partnership’s examination.