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.
Anastasia Su is a marketing specialist at Synder. As a content creator and Synder expert, she focuses on integrations between accounting software such as QuickBooks and Xero, and various payment platforms and online marketplaces, including Stripe, Shopify, and Amazon.
Kathleen Greer is the founder of KGA, Inc., a leading provider of Employee Assistance and Work Life Programs. Kathy's career has been dedicated to reducing the stigma of mental health by delivering innovative wellbeing programs that address the challenges faced by employees and managers. As a senior advisor to the National Behavioral Consortium, Kathy continues to champion the work of top-tier EAPs across the country.
Stephen T. Romano is the founder of Romano Strategic Communication and has more than 25 years' experience developing branding, messaging, and marketing communications programs for American Express, Honeywell, Keurig, MIT, Texas Medical Center, KGA, Cleveland Clinic, Hewlett-Packard, the Smithsonian, and other leaders. His articles have appeared in Newsday, The Boston Herald, People Magazine, EBN, and various trade and industry publications.
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.