The IRS has announced that Medicaid coverage of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing and diagnostic services is not minimum essential coverage for purposes of the premium tax credit under Code Sec. 36B.
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), certain taxpayers who obtain their coverage through an Exchange may claim a premium tax credit under Code Sec. 36B. However, taxpayers are only allowed the […]
Getting your business off the ground is an exciting time for any entrepreneur. Your hard work, commitment, and planning have provided the ultimate payoff—you’re making money! But many business owners aren’t equipped to handle the onslaught of financial questions and big decisions that their businesses face early on; how should I set up my business? How do I file my […]
The IRS has issued final regulations regarding the limitation for the business interest expense deduction under Code Sec. 163(j), including recent legislative amendments made for the 2019 and 2020 tax years. Also, a safe harbor has been proposed allowing taxpayers managing or operating residential living facilities to qualify as a real property trade or business for purposes of the limitation. […]
The IRS has issued proposed regulations that implement the “carried interest” rules under Code Sec. 1061 adopted by Congress as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 ( P.L. 115-97). Some key aspects of the lengthy proposed regulations include the definition of important terms, how the rules work in the context of tiered passthrough structures, the definition […]
The Treasury and the IRS have issued temporary and proposed regulations to:
reconcile advance payments of refundable employment tax credits provided under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Families First Act) ( P.L. 116-127) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act ( P.L. 116-136), and
recapture the benefit of the credits when necessary.
The text of the temporary […]
The IRS has provided guidance on the special rules relating to funding of single-employer defined benefit pension plans, and related benefit limitations, under Act Sec. 3608 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) (P.L. 116-136). The guidance clarifies application of the extended contribution deadline, and the optional use of the prior year’s adjusted funding target attainment […]
Proposed regulations adopt the post-2017 simplified accounting rules for small businesses.
Implementation
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ( P.L. 115-97) put in place a single $25 million gross receipts test (adjusted annually for inflation after 2018) for determining whether certain taxpayers can use the cash method of accounting, are not required to use inventories, are not required to apply the uniform […]
The IRS has modified two safe harbor explanations in Notice 2018-74, 2018-40 I.R.B. 529, that can be used to satisfy the requirement under Code Sec. 402(f) that certain information be provided to recipients of eligible rollover distributions. The modifications were necessary due to recent changes in law made by the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 […]
The IRS has reminded taxpayers that the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act ( P.L. 116-136) can provide favorable tax treatment for withdrawals from retirement plans and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Under the CARES Act, individuals eligible for coronavirus-related relief may be able to withdraw up to $100,000 from IRAs or workplace retirement plans before December 31, 2020, […]
The Treasury and IRS have issued final and proposed regulations under the global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) and subpart F provisions for the treatment of high-taxed income. The final regulations provide guidance on determining the type of high-taxed income that is eligible for the exclusion (the “GILTI high-tax exclusion” or GILTI HTE).
Proposed regulations generally conform the rules for the subpart […]
The IRS has issued guidance to employers on the requirement to report the amount of qualified sick and family leave wages paid to employees under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Families First Act) ( P.L. 116-127). This reporting provides employees who are also self-employed with information necessary for properly claiming qualified sick leave equivalent or qualified family leave equivalent credits […]
The IRS has issued guidance and temporary relief for required minimum distribution (RMD) changes in 2020. Distributions that would have been RMDs under old law are treated as eligible rollover distributions. The 60-day rollover period deadline for any 2020 RMDs already taken has been extended to August 31, 2020. Notice 2007-7, I.R.B. 2007-5, 395 is modified.
SECURE and CARES Acts
The new guidance […]
The IRS has clarified and provided relief for mid-year amendments reducing safe harbor contributions. An updated safe harbor notice and an election opportunity must be provided even if the change is only for highly compensated employees. Coronavirus (COVID-19) relief applies if a plan amendment is adopted between March 13, 2020, and August 31, 2020. For nonelective contribution plans, the supplemental […]
The IRS amended final regulations with guidance on the Code Sec. 199A deduction for suspended losses and shareholders of regulated investment companies (RICs). The amendments address the treatment of suspended losses included in qualified business income (QBI), the deduction allowed to a shareholder in a regulated investment company (RIC), and additional rules related to trusts and estates. The IRS had previously issued […]
The IRS has announced various extensions of deadlines for qualified opportunity funds and their investors due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
180-Day Investment Period
Generally taxpayers must reinvestment capital gain in a qualified opportunity fund (QOF) within 180 days after the gain is realized from a sale or exchange. Under the guidance, if the last day of the 180-day investment period falls on […]
Proposed regulations provide guidance regarding the elimination of the deduction for expenses related to qualified transportation fringe benefits (QTFs) provided to an employee. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (P.L. 115-97) eliminated the deduction, effective for amounts paid or incurred after December 31, 2017.
In general, the proposed regulations refine guidance previously provided in Notice 2018-99, 2018-52 I.R.B. 1067. They provide a […]
Proposed regulations would define expenditures for direct primary care arrangements and health care sharing ministry memberships as amounts paid for medical care. Thus, amounts paid for those arrangements may be deductible medical expenses. The proposed regulations also clarify that amounts paid for certain arrangements and programs, such as health maintenance organizations (HMO) and certain government-sponsored health care programs, are amounts […]
To encourage businesses that have experienced an economic hardship due to COVID-19 to keep employees on their payroll, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act ( P.L. 116-136) has provided several new credits for employers, including a new employee retention credit. The IRS has issued a fact sheet summarizing a few key points about the new credit.
Certain employers can […]
The IRS and the Employee Benefits Security Administration are extending certain timeframes during the Outbreak Period for group health plans, disability and other welfare plans, pension plans, and participants and beneficiaries of these plans during the COVID-19 National Emergency. The beginning of the Outbreak Period is March 1, 2020. The end date is yet to be determined.
Outbreak Period
Under the relief, […]
The IRS has issued guidance providing administrative relief under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act ( P.L. 116-136) for taxpayers with net operating losses (NOLs).
The CARES Act provides a five-year carryback for NOLs arising in tax years beginning in 2018, 2019, and 2020. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ( P.L. 115-97) had eliminated carryback periods effective for tax […]
The IRS has released guidance on making the following elections for the business interest deduction limitation:
the election out of the 50 percent adjusted taxable income (ATI) limitation for tax years beginning in 2019 and 2020 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act ( P.L. 116-136);
the election to use the taxpayer’s ATI for the last tax year […]
The IRS has provided emergency relief for health savings accounts (HSAs) and COVID-19 health plans costs. Under this relief, health plans that otherwise qualify as high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) will not lose that status merely because they cover the cost of testing for or treatment of COVID-19 before plan deductibles have been met. In addition, any vaccination costs will count […]
ROCHESTER,
NY (MARCH 30, 2020) – Ask any CPA what they’ve been up to lately, and the unanimous
answer is, “working.” Even though the
April 15 tax deadline has been extended to July 15, the team at Flaherty Salmin
CPAs is still busily preparing financial
reports and tax returns for their corporate, affordable housing, and
personal clients, while also helping businesses, organizations and individuals
navigate the financial […]
The IRS has provided guidance on qualifying for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC is a refundable tax credit that is intended to be a financial boost for families with low to moderate incomes.
Due to changes in marital, parental or financial status, millions of workers may qualify for EITC for the first time this year. The IRS urges […]
The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) ( P.L. 111-148) individual mandate is unconstitutional because it can no longer be read as a tax, and there is no other constitutional provision that justifies this exercise of congressional power. However, the central question of whether the rest of the ACA remains valid […]
