Guidance issued on 2021 qualified sick and family leave wage reporting
Information reporting on Form W-2 or a separate statement allows self-employed taxpayers to claim qualified sick leave and qualified family leave equivalent credits.
Advocacy & Tax Relief
Interruption of LIFO inventories due to COVID-19 and Sec. 473 relief
Global supply chain problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have made it difficult for US companies to replace inventories, potentially subjecting them to additional taxable income. The AICPA has requested relief under Sec. 473.
Certification deadline extended for work opportunity tax credit
Certain employers have until Nov. 8 to submit a required worker certification request to a designated local agency for purposes of the work opportunity credit.
New safe harbor for ERC gross receipts calculation
Under the safe harbor, an employer can exclude certain amounts received from other coronavirus economic relief programs in determining whether it qualifies for the employee retention credit based on a decline in gross receipts.
Guidance on claiming the ERC for third and fourth quarters of 2021
New guidance clarifies the application of the credit to “recovery startup businesses” and the treatment of wages paid to majority owners and their spouses.
COBRA premium assistance credit clarified further
The IRS has supplemented its guidance on COBRA premium payment assistance and the corresponding business tax credit under the American Rescue Plan Act.
When is food and drink ‘provided by a restaurant’?
The IRS explains which meals qualify for a temporary 100% expense deduction.
2021 child tax credit, EITC, and premium tax credit limits updated
ARPA temporary measures are quantified in a revenue procedure.
Draft employer’s payroll tax return incorporates ARPA changes
A proposed new version of Form 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return, reflects relief provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act.
COBRA premium assistance credit under ARPA clarified
The IRS answered questions concerning COBRA continuation coverage premium assistance and the corresponding tax credit that employers, plan administrators, and insurers may claim under the American Rescue Plan Act.
Taxpayers deserve pandemic penalty relief, AICPA says
In a letter to the IRS and Treasury, the AICPA recommended, in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, that the IRS implement fair, reasonable and practical penalty relief measures, including targeted relief from both the underpayment-of-estimated-tax penalty and the late-payment penalty for the 2020 tax year.
IRS clarifies pandemic relief for dependent care assistance programs
Dependent care assistance program benefits carried over or available during an extended claims period under special temporary COVID-19 relief provisions retain their status as excludable from employees’ gross income and wages, the IRS explains in a notice.
American Rescue Plan Act enacts many tax provisions
Here’s a look at changes affecting 2020 and 2021 that were included in Congress’s stimulus legislation.
2021 child tax credit, EITC, and premium tax credit limits updated
The IRS issued guidance on the amount of and limitations on the child tax credit, earned income tax credit, and premium tax credit available for taxpayers for the 2021 tax year as a result of changes to those provisions enacted by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, P.L. 117-2.
Expenses paid with 2020 PPP loans can be deducted on 2021 tax returns
The IRS issued guidance on a safe harbor permitting qualifying taxpayers who have PPP loans, who did not deduct expenses related to those loans paid or incurred in 2020 on their 2020 returns, to deduct the expenses on their returns for the immediately subsequent tax year, instead of on an amended return or administrative adjustment request for the 2020 tax year.
IRS extends penalty relief for pandemic payroll credits
The IRS provided for penalty relief under Sec. 6656 for an employer’s failure to timely deposit certain employment taxes with the IRS to allow employers to immediately take advantage of various credits enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
AICPA recommendations on Q1 estimates and 2020 Form 709 extensions
The AICPA has released some recommendations for practitioners concerning various issues that have arisen due to the postponement of the April 15 tax deadline for individuals.
IRS explains which meals qualify for temporary 100% expense deduction
The IRS issued guidance on the temporary rule that allows a 100% deduction for eligible restaurant meals in 2021 and 2022.
Bill to postpone estimated tax due date to be introduced in Congress
Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R.-Pa., announced he will introduce a bill that pushes back the due date for first-quarter 2021 estimated tax payments from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021. The AICPA expressed its support for the bill.
How to claim the employee retention credit for the first half of 2021
The IRS issued guidance on how to claim the employee retention credit for the first and second quarters of 2021. It will issue guidance on the employee retention credit from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2021, provided in new Sec. 3134, at a later date.
