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.
Judy Morrill has over 30 years of investment experience working with high net worth families and non-profit institutions. She is currently is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Silvercrest Asset Management Group, an independent wealth management firm based in New York. She holds an MBA in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business, and a BA in Political Science and French from Hollins University.
Ed DeMarco is the head of non-financial risk at the Risk Management Association.
Jennifer Nuckles is EVP + Group Business Unit Leader at SoFi, which serves as a loyal partner to a fast-growing community of 900+ employer partners through SoFi at Work. SoFi at Work is a holistic and data-driven financial well-being benefits platform that offers a full suite of services, tools, insights, and educational resources tailored to address the unique and evolving needs of each workforce through a dynamic dashboard experience.
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.