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.
Kristin Hull is the founder and chief investment officer of Nia Impact Capital, a women-led impact asset management firm.
She is a conscious investor empowering individuals, families and organizations to invest in alignment with their values for the world they want to see. She serves on the leadership committee of How Women Lead, and she is on the board of directors for the Mosaic Project and American Rivers.
Bill Harter is principal ESG solutions advisor at Visual Lease.
Chris Spurio is president of the financial services group at CBIZ. He joined CBIZ in January 1998 and has held numerous positions in the company, including corporate controller, vice president of finance, executive managing director of the financial services group's Midwest region and the group's chief operating officer. He was formerly associated with KPMG from July 1988 to January 1998. He is a CPA, CGMA and a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Ohio Society of CPAs.
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.