On March 17, 2021 the IRS announced an extension of the tax deadline for Individual Income Tax Returns (Form 1040) to May 17, 2021 from April 15. This extension applies to both the filing of the Form 1040 or the filing of an extension form. This also extends the due date for tax payments for individuals only for payments related to 2020 to May 17. This change does not apply to states, though it is likely some/all states will extend the deadline as well.

Long Term Care through a Mandatory Payroll Tax

The Concern: As baby boomers are rapidly moving into retirement, long-term care services provided by Medicare are putting an increasing strain on budgets. 7 out of 10 people will need long-term care after turning 65, and 70% of Americans rely on public benefits such as Medicaid to cover long-term care. In fact, Washington’s spending on Medicaid-funded long-term care is projected to double to $4.01 billion per year in 2030.¹

Earlier this month, the IRS issued notices to approximately 260,000 taxpayers stating they haven't filed their 2019 federal tax return. These notices, referred to as CP59 notices, are issued yearly to identified taxpayers who have failed to file tax returns due the prior calendar year (Tax Year 2019).

As post-COVID recovery efforts gain momentum, many businesses are taking a fresh look at some federal stimulus and tax relief programs they had not previously considered. One such program, the employee retention credit contained in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, could be especially useful in helping companies bring back furloughed or laid-off employees.

The American Institute for Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) recently issued a Technical Question and Answer (TQ&A) that provides guidance on accounting for loans issued under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

They are two of the most common questions that many businesses sponsoring an employee retirement plan ask: Do we need to have an annual audit performed on our plan? And if so, how can we best prepare for the audit?

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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the temporary closure, or a reduction of operating hours, of office buildings, shopping centers, restaurants, and other businesses. As a result, many lessors have, or will be, providing lease concessions to tenants who have faced economic disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lease concessions may vary in form, but payment forgiveness and deferral of payments are expected to be the most common types of concessions granted. As a result of lease agreements not containing provisions for rent concessions specific to COVID-19, in early April, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued a question-and-answer document (Q&A) addressing questions on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on lease concessions.

Today, May 13th, the Treasury released FAQ #46, which provides that any borrower where they, together with affiliates, received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of less than $2 million are deemed to have met the economic uncertainty test. This decision comes on the heels of extensive discussion regarding how businesses that received PPP loans could verify that, due to economic uncertainty, they needed the funds to support their ongoing operations.

On April 24, the President signed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, providing $310 billion in additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), $10 billion for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (EIDL), as well as funding for other critical healthcare needs.