Taxable Talk

On Friday, the IRS released draft instructions for Form 1040.  Buried on page 23 of the instructions (page 24 of the PDF) is the following:

Forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans

The forgiveness of a PPP Loan creates tax-exempt income, so although you don’t need to report the income from the forgiveness of your PPP Loan on Form 1040 or 1040-SR, you do need to report certain information related to your PPP Loan.

Rev. Proc. 2021-48, 2021-49 I.R.B. 835, permits taxpayers to treat tax-exempt income resulting from the forgiveness of a PPP Loan as received or accrued: (1) as, and to the extent that, eligible expenses are paid or incurred; (2) when you apply for forgiveness of the PPP Loan; or (3) when forgiveness of the PPP Loan is granted. If you have tax-exempt income resulting from the forgiveness of a PPP Loan, attach a statement to your return reporting each taxable year for which you are applying Rev. Proc. 2021-48, and which section of Rev. Proc. 2021-48 you are applying—either section 3.01(1), (2), or (3). Any statement should include the following information for each PPP Loan:

1. Your name, address, and ITIN or SSN;
2. A statement that you are applying or applied section 3.01(1), (2), or (3) of Rev. Proc. 2021-48, and for what taxable year (2020 or 2021) as applicable;
3. The amount of tax-exempt income from forgiveness of the PPP Loan that you are treating as received or accrued and for what taxable year (2020 or 2021); and
4. Whether forgiveness of the PPP Loan has been granted as of the date you file your return.

Write “RP2021-48” at the top of your attached statement.

As I read the instructions, this applies for any PPP loan for a sole proprietorship (Schedule C business) where there is PPP loan forgiveness in either 2020 or 2021.  So this includes people who had the loan forgiven last year!

As the IRS states, “The forgiveness of a PPP Loan creates tax-exempt income, so…you don’t need to report the income from the forgiveness of your PPP Loan on Form 1040 or 1040-SR….”  While Rev. Proc. 2021-48 states, “The IRS will publish form instructions for the 2021 filing season that will detail how taxpayers can report consistently with sections 3.01 through 3.03 of this revenue procedure,” wouldn’t the easiest and simplest method be that taxpayers must retain records of their forgiveness of their PPP loans and supply them to the IRS upon request?  Instead, we get more “make work” for tax professionals (and taxpayers) for 2021 tax returns.  It adds time to return preparation without giving IMHO the IRS any real benefit. 

I sometimes listen to music while working. I have a ~900 song playlist I cycle through, and today White Lion’s Wait came on. (White Lion was a hair band–if you watch the linked video, you will see why.) And it seemed an entirely apropos title to this post: a post where we’re dealing with PPP loan forgiveness.

Earlier this year many businesses applied for Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loans. These seemed like a great deal for struggling businesses: Use them for payroll or certain other expenses (rent, utilities, etc.) and the loan would be forgiven. It was money from the US government to help small businesses make their way through Covid.

Congress’s intent (at least according to Senators Grassley and Wyden) was that businesses would be able to receive the loan, have the loan forgiven (assuming the expenditures were used as noted above), and the loan would not be considered income. The IRS, though, had another idea. Sure, the loan isn’t income; however, the expenses would not be deductible: the IRS noting that per Section 265 of the Tax Code if you have nontaxable income, expenses used in production of that income are not deductible. Senators Grassley and Wyden complained earlier this summer when the IRS first announced this. The IRS double-downed on this, releasing Revenue Ruling 2020-27 and Revenue Procedure 2020-51 confirming the IRS’s initial position. Senators Grassley and Wyden complained again.

A few tax professionals have argued the IRS got this wrong. Unfortunately, a literal reading of the Tax Code verifies what’s in Section 265 of the Tax Code. That said, Congress can override this. They could, for example, write a new law stating that PPP loans that are forgiven do not cause the expenses used in production of that income to be taxable. Indeed, there is legislation pending in Congress to do just that. Whether such legislation passes is another question though. The legislation does have bipartisan support, so there is a good chance it passes either in the “lame duck” session or early next year.

So what should someone do who received a PPP loan? Generally, they should wait to request forgiveness. (An exception is a sole proprietorship who used the funds for replacement of the owner’s ‘pay’. Because such pay isn’t taxable, there are no expenses which would be non-deductible.) Generally, you have ten months from the end of the PPP covered period to request forgiveness. We’re likely to have clarity on this sooner rather than later (I’m hopeful we’ll know by February), so if you can wait do so.

Indeed, given the rules and procedures the IRS came up with in Revenue Ruling 2020-27 and Revenue Procedure 2020-51 it’s a good idea to know what the exact forgiveness is before filing your 2020 return…and that could be five months after applying for forgiveness. As always, it’s better to extend than amend. Yes, there are going to be quite a few extensions filed by PPP loan recipients in 2021.