Tag Archives: CARES

Is a new COVID-19 bill coming? The house and the senate have been apparently working on another bill.

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Here are the highlights from our perspective.

On December 15, 2020, two bipartisan COVID-19 relief bills, the Bipartisan COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020 and the Bipartisan State and Local Support and Small Business Protection Act of 2020, were introduced that contain payroll-related provisions.

 

Background. Earlier in 2020, the federal government enacted legislation with COVID-19 relief provisions aimed at helping employers and workers. This included the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Certain provisions in each bill provided aid for employers and workers such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).

 

Negotiations for further COVID-19 relief legislation between the White House, Senate and Congress have stalled several times.

 

A new hope? However, the two bipartisan bills introduced in the Senate on December 15 may make it to the finish line before the end of the year based on the statements made by Senators who introduced the bills. According to Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), who introduced “The Bipartisan COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020,” with other Senators: “We’re not going home for Christmas until this gets done.”

 

Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) who, with other Senators, introduced “The Bipartisan State and Local Support and Small Business Protection Act of 2020,” noted: “This compromise represents the best path forward for Congress and the Administration to provide much-needed relief for the American people before the end of the year.” Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) added: “The Senate should not adjourn until we have passed a new COVID-19 package to provide the relief Americans need.” The Bipartisan COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020. A summary of The Bipartisan COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020 says it contains the following payroll-related provisions:

 

PPP and small business support.  This bill would provide $300 million to the Small Business Administration (SBA) to allow the hardest hit small businesses to receive a second forgivable PPP loan. Eligibility for these loans would be limited to businesses with 300 or fewer employees that have sustained a 30% revenue loss in any quarter in 2020.

 

Forgivable expenses would be expanded to include supplier costs and investments in facility modifications and personal protective equipment needed to operate safely. Also, business expenses paid for with the proceeds of PPP loans are specifically tax deductible, “consistent with Congressional intent in the CARES Act,” according to the summary.

 

In addition, the loan forgiveness process would be simplified for borrowers with PPP loans of $150,000 or less.

 

Unemployment assistance. The bill would also provide for a 16 week extension of all pandemic unemployment insurance programs, including PUA and pandemic emergency unemployment compensation (PEUC). The 16 weeks would run from the end of December 2020. It would also ensure beneficiaries of Railroad Retirement Board received the same benefits as other workers.

 

In addition, federal supplemental unemployment insurance benefits would be expanded by $300 per week for 16 weeks, from the end of December into April 2021.

 

Payroll support program extension. The bill would extend the Payroll Support Program (PSP) through March 31, 2021. As in the CARES Act, funds will go directly to frontline aviation workers’ wages, salaries, and benefits. The Bipartisan State and Local Support and Small Business Protection Act of 2020. A summary of The Bipartisan State and Local Support and Small Business Protection Act of 2020 says it contains the following payroll-related provisions:

State, local and tribal government relief. This bill would provide for $160 billion for state, local and tribal assistance. And, would extend the deadline for spending CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) aid on COVID-related expenses through December 31, 2021.

 

Liability protection. This bill would also provide “liability protection” for employers. Employers would not be subject to liability under federal employment law in COVID-19 exposure cases or for changes in working conditions related to COVID-19 if the employer was trying to conform to public health standards and guidance.

 

The bill would also ensure that an employer’s personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, COVID-19 policies, procedures, or training, workplace testing, or financial assistance to an independent contractor does not create evidence of an employer-employee relationship.

The IRS clarifies the deductibility of PPP-funded expenses

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The IRS has issued new guidance addressing a question that has lingered since the launch of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) — whether expenses paid for with forgiven, tax-free PPP loan proceeds are deductible business expenses under Section 162 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). The guidance in IRS Notice 2020-32 doesn’t provide the answer borrowers hoped for, but that may yet come.

The root of the question

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act created the widely publicized PPP to help some employers cover their payrolls during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. PPP loans are subject to 100% forgiveness if certain criteria are met, and the amounts forgiven are excluded from the borrower’s gross income. This is notable because forgiven debt generally is taxed as cancellation of debt income.

The program is open to U.S. businesses with fewer than 500 employees — including sole proprietors, self-employed individuals, independent contractors and nonprofits — affected by COVID-19. The loans may be used to cover payroll, certain employee healthcare benefits, mortgage interest, rent, utilities and interest on any other existing debt, for eight weeks after receipt of funds. Forgiveness is available for payments for payroll, mortgage interest, rent and utilities.

While the CARES Act explicitly states that forgiven PPP loan amounts aren’t included in the borrower’s gross income, it doesn’t expressly state whether borrowers can claim business expense deductions for the expenditures the forgiven amounts cover. Notice 2020-32 comes in response to requests from the tax community for clarification on this point.

The IRS’s position

Unfortunately, the guidance states that no deduction is allowed for an expense that’s otherwise deductible if the payment of the expense results in forgiveness of a PPP loan. It explains that, to prevent a double tax benefit, IRC Sec. 265 disallows a deduction for any amount otherwise allowable as a deduction that’s allocable to tax-exempt income (other than interest). The IRS asserts that forgiven PPP funds constitute such tax-exempt income.

In other words, the IRS maintains that a business shouldn’t be allowed to avoid taxable cancellation of debt income on forgiven PPP loan amounts and also to deduct the payments made with those loan amounts. The result for borrowers essentially is an offset of the tax benefit — the forgiven amounts are excluded from gross income but the deduction(s) for those amounts are eliminated.

The pushback

The IRS may not have the last word on the deduction issue, though. Members of Congress are signaling that the expenses paid by forgiven PPP loan proceeds should indeed be tax deductible.

For example, both Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, have indicated that the IRS interpretation runs contrary to the goal of the PPP. They’ve said they would like the discrepancy to be remedied legislatively in the near future.

It’s also possible that a borrower will challenge the IRS stance in court. Or the IRS simply could succumb to pressure from the public, Congress and/or the administration and reverse its interpretation.

A juggling act

The tax consequences of obtaining PPP loan forgiveness and other federal relief options can prove complicated, especially with the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department regularly releasing new regulations and guidance. We can help you keep up with the latest developments and tax strategies and what they mean for you.

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