relief - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

COBRA Provisions Play Critical Role in COVID-19 Relief Law

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees and their families have lost group health plan coverage because of layoffs or reduced hours. If your business has had to take such steps, and it’s required to offer continuing health care coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), the recently passed American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes some critical provisions that you should be aware of.

100% subsidy

Under the ARPA, assistance-eligible individuals (AEIs) may receive a 100% subsidy for COBRA premiums during the period beginning April 1, 2021, and ending on September 30, 2021.

An AEI is a COBRA qualified beneficiary — in other words, an employee, former employee, covered spouse or covered dependent — who’s eligible for and elects COBRA coverage because of a qualifying event of involuntary termination of employment or reduction of hours. For purposes of the law, the subsidy is available for AEIs for the period beginning April 1, 2021, and ending September 30, 2021.

Extended election period

Individuals without a COBRA election in effect on April 1, 2021, but who would be an AEI if they did, are eligible for the subsidy. Those who elected but discontinued COBRA coverage before April 1, 2021, are also eligible if they’d […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-03-24T21:18:41+00:00March 24th, 2021|covid-19, Health care, New Tax Laws|0 Comments

California Tax Updates for 3/24

Update 1:

Two more California cities, Pomona and Santa Ana, have adopted Hero Pay Ordinances to give extra pay to certain workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pomona’s ordinance is effective from 3/1/21 through 6/29/21, requiring qualifying retail businesses to pay an additional $4.00 per hour to their workers. Here are the details for Pomona, including which businesses are affected: https://bit.ly/3cCcAkt. Santa Ana’s ordinance also requires $4 per hour of additional pay (from 3/3/21 through 6/30/21). Here are the details for Santa Ana, including which businesses are affected. https://bit.ly/3cEREsX. Or, contact your Linkenheimer CPA with questions.

Update 2:

In his 2021 State of the State address, California Governor Gavin Newsom didn’t propose new or higher taxes. The address was delivered virtually from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles earlier this month. Newsom devoted most of his address to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the state’s progress in battling […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-03-24T18:46:37+00:00March 24th, 2021|ca, CA tax, california, covid-19, small business|0 Comments

California Tax Updates for July 2nd

Post 1:

Businesses that hold unclaimed property in California get extra time to file reports. Due to COVID-19, the CA State Controller (SCO) has postponed the due date for holders of such property, including unclaimed wages, to submit their Remit Reports and Remittances for properties reported on their 2019 Notice Reports. Regarding the June 1-15 period for holders to submit their reports and remittances for properties reported on 2019 Notice Reports is extended from June 1, 2020, to August 15, 2020. Holders or agents of holders who are able to submit their Remit Reports and remittances during the original reporting period are encouraged to do so. Contact your Linkenheimer CPA with questions.

Post 2:

As Tax Day approaches, the Franchise Tax Board offers tips to help Californians prepare to file by the July 15 deadline. Among other things, the tips include the following: COVID-19 relief […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:02:21+00:00July 2nd, 2020|california, tax deadlines|0 Comments

Fortunate Enough To Get A PPP Loan? Forgiven Expenses Aren’t Deductible

The IRS has issued guidance clarifying that certain deductions aren’t allowed if a business has received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. Specifically, an expense isn’t deductible if both:

The payment of the expense results in forgiveness of a loan made under the PPP, and
The income associated with the forgiveness is excluded from gross income under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

PPP basics

The CARES Act allows a recipient of a PPP loan to use the proceeds to pay payroll costs, certain employee healthcare benefits, mortgage interest, rent, utilities and interest on other existing debt obligations.

A recipient of a covered loan can receive forgiveness of the loan in an amount equal to the sum of payments made for the following expenses during the 8-week “covered period” beginning on the loan’s origination date: 1) payroll costs, 2) interest on any covered mortgage obligation, 3) payment on any covered rent, and 4) covered utility payments.

The law provides that any forgiven loan amount “shall be excluded from gross income.”

Deductible expenses

So the question arises: If you pay for the above expenses with PPP funds, can you then deduct the expenses on your tax […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:02:57+00:00May 18th, 2020|business, New Tax Laws, small business|0 Comments

The CARES Act Liberalizes Net Operating Losses

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act eliminates some of the tax-revenue-generating provisions included in a previous tax law. Here’s a look at how the rules for claiming certain tax losses have been modified to provide businesses with relief from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

NOL deductions

Basically, you may be able to benefit by carrying a net operating loss (NOL) into a different year — a year in which you have taxable income — and taking a deduction for it against that year’s income. The CARES Act includes favorable changes to the rules for deducting NOLs. First, it permanently eases the taxable income limitation on deductions.

Under an unfavorable provision included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), an NOL arising in a tax year beginning in 2018 and later and carried over to a later tax year couldn’t offset more than 80% of the taxable income for the carryover year (the later tax year), calculated before the NOL deduction. As explained below, under the TCJA, most NOLs arising in tax years ending after 2017 also couldn’t be carried back to earlier years and used to offset taxable income […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:03:01+00:00May 4th, 2020|business, deduction, New Tax Laws|0 Comments