New Tax Laws - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

Can Your Business Benefit From The Enhanced Employee Retention Tax Credit?

COVID-19 has shut down many businesses, causing widespread furloughs and layoffs. Fortunately, employers that keep workers on their payrolls are eligible for a refundable Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC), which was extended and enhanced in the latest law.

Background on the credit

The CARES Act, enacted in March of 2020, created the ERTC. The credit:

Equaled 50% of qualified employee wages paid by an eligible employer in an applicable 2020 calendar quarter,
Was subject to an overall wage cap of $10,000 per eligible employee, and
Was available to eligible large and small employers.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, enacted December 27, 2020, extends and greatly enhances the ERTC. Under the CARES Act rules, the credit only covered wages paid between March 13, 2020, and December 31, 2020. The new law now extends the covered wage period to include the first two calendar quarters of 2021, ending on June 30, 2021.

In addition, for the first two quarters of 2021 ending on June 30, the new law increases the overall covered wage ceiling to 70% of qualified wages paid during the applicable quarter (versus 50% under the CARES Act). And it increases the per-employee covered wage ceiling to $10,000 of qualified […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-01-14T22:57:48+00:00January 14th, 2021|cares act, covid-19, New Tax Laws|0 Comments

Need Another PPP Loan For Your Small Business? Here Are The New Rules

Congress recently passed, and President Trump signed, a new law providing additional relief for businesses and individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. One item of interest for small business owners in the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) is the opportunity to take out a second loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

The basics

The CAA permits certain smaller businesses who received a PPP loan to take out a “PPP Second Draw Loan” of up to $2 million. To qualify, you must:

Employ no more than 300 employees per physical location,
Have used or will use the full amount of your first PPP loan, and
Demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts in the first, second or third quarter of 2020 relative to the same 2019 quarter. Applications submitted on or after Jan. 1, 2021, are eligible to use gross receipts from the fourth quarter of 2020.

Eligible entities include for-profit businesses (including those owned by sole proprietors), certain nonprofit organizations, housing cooperatives, veterans’ organizations, tribal businesses, self-employed individuals, independent contractors and small agricultural co-operatives.

Additional points

Here are some additional points to consider:

Loan terms. Borrowers may receive a PPP Second Draw Loan of up to 2.5 times […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-01-06T21:26:20+00:00January 6th, 2021|cares act, covid-19, New Tax Laws|0 Comments

The COVID-19 Relief Law: What’s In It For You?

The new COVID-19 relief law that was signed on December 27, 2020, contains a multitude of provisions that may affect you. Here are some of the highlights of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which also contains two other laws: the COVID-related Tax Relief Act (COVIDTRA) and the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act (TCDTR).

Direct payments

The law provides for direct payments (which it calls recovery rebates) of $600 per eligible individual ($1,200 for a married couple filing a joint tax return), plus $600 per qualifying child. The U.S. Treasury Department has already started making these payments via direct bank deposits or checks in the mail and will continue to do so in the coming weeks.

The credit payment amount is phased out at a rate of $5 per $100 of additional income starting at $150,000 of modified adjusted gross income for marrieds filing jointly and surviving spouses, $112,500 for heads of household, and $75,000 for single taxpayers.

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-01-05T19:34:59+00:00January 5th, 2021|covid-19, New Tax Laws|0 Comments

New Law Doubles Business Meal Deductions And Makes Favorable PPP Loan Changes

The COVID-19 relief bill, signed into law on December 27, 2020, provides a further response from the federal government to the pandemic. It also contains numerous tax breaks for businesses. Here are some highlights of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA), which also includes other laws within it.

Business meal deduction increased

The new law includes a provision that removes the 50% limit on deducting business meals provided by restaurants and makes those meals fully deductible.

As background, ordinary and necessary food and beverage expenses that are incurred while operating your business are generally deductible. However, for 2020 and earlier years, the deduction is limited to 50% of the allowable expenses.

The new legislation adds an exception to the 50% limit for expenses of food or beverages provided by a restaurant. This rule applies to expenses paid or incurred in calendar years 2021 and 2022.

The use of the word “by” (rather than “in”) a restaurant clarifies that the new tax break isn’t limited to meals eaten on a restaurant’s premises. Takeout and delivery meals from a restaurant are also 100% deductible.

Note: Other than lifting the 50% limit for restaurant meals, the legislation doesn’t change the rules […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-01-04T23:16:46+00:00January 4th, 2021|business, covid-19, expensing, New Tax Laws|0 Comments

New California Relief Grant Program For Small Businesses Opens Today

California small businesses can now begin applying for some extra relief as part of a $475 million grant program the state is offering. Round 1 for applications starts Wednesday, December 30th and runs through Friday, January 8th at 11:59pm. These grants are limited to small businesses with gross revenue under $2.5 million.

Some highlights of the grant program include:

• $475 million of funding administered by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate will be distributed by Lendistry as the Intermediary, with certain third-parties designated by Lendistry to provide additional support (“Partners”).
• Anticipate issuing grants in the following two (2) rounds of distributions:
o Round 1 – approximately $237.5 million
o Round 2 – approximately $237.5 million
• The program is not on a “first come, first served” basis.
• The application portal for each round will open for applicants for a Open to active For-Profit businesses and Non-Profits.
• Grants will range from $5,000 to $25,000 per eligible business (based on gross revenue).
• Yearly Gross revenue must be at minimum $1,000 and maximum $2.5 million.

Funds from the grant can be used to pay for an establishment’s rent, utilities, resources, employee expenses and other relevant costs.

Eligibility requirements include:

• […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-12-31T01:12:49+00:00December 31st, 2020|ca, california, covid-19, New Tax Laws, small business|0 Comments