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.
Jenn Kischell serves as vice president of Workforce Engagement, a unit within MetLife’s Financial Wellness and Engagement organization. With more than 25 years of experience, Kischell works with internal and external partners and customers to provide key enrollment communications and financial literacy. She is responsible for ensuring an understanding of the market, responding to customer demands, and supporting an infrastructure to drive successful sales and engagement with group customers and their employees.
Rob Levy is vice president of research and measurement at the Financial Health Network, where he leads the research and thought leadership practice.
Ryan McMahon leads Cambridge Mobile Telematics' Insurance and Government Affairs group, which works with partners around the globe to deliver results from their connected insurance programs. Ryan is passionate about technological innovation in the insurance industry. Before CMT, he worked in claims, product, corporate, and field marketing for both personal and commercial lines carriers. Ryan spent five years at Plymouth Rock Assurance where he ran the “More Than Just Insurance” platform and worked on a team to introduce the first of it’s kind telematics based rewards program to the U.S.
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.