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.
Akhila Chandrashekar is a qualified CPA, CMA, CIA, CFE with over 18 years of experience in audit and taxation practice in organizations such as EY & PKF and over 5 years in professional education. She currently serves as the Chief Learning Officer at Hock International, overseeing the learning and Exam Preparation strategies for the CMA, CIA and EA credentials in more than 100 countries. She is also pursuing her doctoral research at ARKA JAIN University examining the opportunities and challenges educators face in using artificial intelligence in higher education. The intersection of these experiences -accounting practice, professional education, and academic research into AI gives her the vantage point to understand the growth and development of the next generation of accounting professionals.
Tim Mattke is CEO of MGIC Investment Corporation and Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation. He also serves as chair of U.S. Mortgage Insurers.
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.