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.
Debra Andrianopoulos is a principal in the engagement practice at HR and benefits consulting firm Buck, a Gallagher company.
Julia Khandoshko is CEO at Mind Money, a European investment technology and financial engineering hub.
Khandoshko is a finance industry professional with 10 years of experience in technology and capital markets. Her extensive familiarity with technology applications in financial services is underscored by five years of managing business development initiatives in the IT education sector. This background proved to be a valuable asset when navigating Mind Money's transformation into a financial hub guided by a scientific, data-driven approach.
Neeraj Baid, founder and CEO, Atlantic Money.
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.