On December 27, 2020, President Trump signed a number of bills, including one that breathes new life into the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). While the headline was that employers receiving Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans could now also claim the ERC, did you know the credit was significantly enhanced? Especially in 2021, we see the expanded credit as an incredible opportunity for employers.

On January 19, 2021 additional guidance was released to assist borrowers in applying for the second round of PPP loans. These loans became available based upon legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Trump in late December and included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

One of the more tax-troubling issues this year has been the distribution of the Economic Impact Payments, also known as stimulus checks. These payments were meant to provide financial assistance to individuals and families struggling during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but many people are reporting a missing stimulus check.

While the COVID-Related Tax Relief Act has been passed, it is now up to other governmental agencies (the Treasury and SBA, notably) to write the regulations associated with the Act. As these regulations are written we will keep you informed of additional developments. In the meantime, please contact us today with any questions.

On December 27, 2020, President Trump signed the COVID-Related Tax Relief Act of 2020 (COVIDTRA). Here are the main, time sensitive provisions of COVIDTRA. In a future blog we will review some of the non-time sensitive provisions.

If you received a PPP loan, and expect to receive loan forgiveness, you can breathe a sigh of relief. The loan proceeds are not taxable and you will not have phantom income tax due to your not being able to deduct expenses paid with PPP loans.

The IRS has warned taxpayers of a clever stimulus payment text scam by internet scammers that tricks taxpayers into revealing their bank account information under the guise of receiving the $1,200 Economic Impact Payment (EIP).

Needless to say, the contemplation of free money had businesses scrambling to take out PPP loans, whether they were impacted by economic effects of COVID-19 or not. Therefore, the Treasury had initially indicated the need for all PPP loans to be audited, but later specified only those of $2 million or more would be subject to an audit.