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.
Tiffany Huey is a senior manager in BPM LLP's ESG Advisory group. Reach her at THuey@bpm.com.
Integrating intent data into your marketing strategy
Priya is the VP of Government and Workforce Partnerships at General Assembly, focused on developing innovative public-private partnerships that build accessible pathways to GA's industry leading digital skills training. Priya began her public sector and workforce development career in New York, working in strategy roles for government and non-profit organizations, including at the NYC Department of Small Business Services and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation.
In her work, Priya is committed to lifting up nontraditional educational pathways that are focused on skills of the future and remove barriers to economic prosperity for diverse talent that still remain grossly underrepresented across growing industries, like technology.
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.