The IRS has released new Form 7202, Credits for Sick Leave and Family Leave for Certain Self-Employed Individuals. The form allows eligible self-employed individuals to calculate the amount to claim for qualified sick and family leave tax credits under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ( P.L. 116-127). They can claim the credits on their 2020 Form 1040 for leave taken between April 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020, and on their 2021 Form 1040 for leave taken between January 1, 2021, and March 31, 2021.

The IRS has released new Form 7202, Credits for Sick Leave and Family Leave for Certain Self-Employed Individuals. The form allows eligible self-employed individuals to calculate the amount to claim for qualified sick and family leave tax credits under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ( P.L. 116-127). They can claim the credits on their 2020 Form 1040 for leave taken between April 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020, and on their 2021 Form 1040 for leave taken between January 1, 2021, and March 31, 2021.

The FFCRA allows eligible self-employed individuals who, due to COVID-19, are unable to work or telework for reasons relating to their own health or to care for a family member, to claim the refundable tax credits. The credits are equal to either a qualified sick leave or family leave equivalent amount, depending on circumstances. To be eligible for the credits, self-employed individuals must:

• conduct a trade or business that qualifies as self-employment income; and
• be eligible to receive qualified sick or family leave wages under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act as if the taxpayer was an employee.

For IRS frequently asked questions on the credits, go to https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/covid-19-related-tax-credits-for-required-paid-leave-provided-by-small-and-midsize-businesses-faqs. The FAQs include a special section on provisions related to self-employed individuals.

The IRS is urging employers to take advantage of the newly-extended employee retention credit (ERC), which makes it easier for businesses that have chosen to keep their employees on the payroll despite challenges posed by COVID-19. The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 (Division EE of P.L. 116-260), which was enacted December 27, 2020, made a number of changes to the ERC previously made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) ( P.L. 116-136), including modifying and extending the ERC, for six months through June 30, 2021.

The IRS is urging employers to take advantage of the newly-extended employee retention credit (ERC), which makes it easier for businesses that have chosen to keep their employees on the payroll despite challenges posed by COVID-19. The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 (Division EE of P.L. 116-260), which was enacted December 27, 2020, made a number of changes to the ERC previously made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) ( P.L. 116-136), including modifying and extending the ERC, for six months through June 30, 2021.

Eligible employers can now claim a refundable tax credit against the employer share of Social Security tax equal to 70-percent of the qualified wages they pay to employees after December 31, 2020, through June 30, 2021. Qualified wages are limited to $10,000 per employee per calendar quarter in 2021. Thus, the maximum ERC amount available is $7,000 per employee per calendar quarter, for a total of $14,000 in 2021.

Effective January 1, 2021, employers are eligible if they operate a trade or business during January 1, 2021, through June 30, 2021, and experience either:

• a full or partial suspension of the operation of their trade or business during this period because of governmental orders limiting commerce, travel or group meetings due to COVID-19; or
• a decline in gross receipts in a calendar quarter in 2021 where the gross receipts for that calendar quarter are less than 80% of the gross receipts in the same calendar quarter in 2019 (to be eligible based on a decline in gross receipts in 2020, the gross receipts were required to be less than 50-percent of those in the same 2019 calendar quarter).

In addition, effective January 1, 2021, the definition of "qualified wages" for the ERC has been changed:

• For an employer that averaged more than 500 full-time employees in 2019, qualified wages are generally those wages paid to employees that are not providing services because operations were fully or partially suspended or due to the decline in gross receipts.
• For an employer that averaged 500 or fewer full-time employees in 2019, qualified wages are generally those wages paid to all employees during a period that operations were fully or partially suspended or during the quarter that the employer had a decline in gross receipts, regardless of whether the employees are providing services.

The IRS points out that, retroactive to the enactment of the CARES Act on March 27, 2020, the law now allows employers who received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to claim the ERC for qualified wages that are not treated as payroll costs in obtaining forgiveness of the PPP loan.

PPP Loan Forgiveness

In a recent posting on its webpage (see "Didn’t Get Requested PPP Loan Forgiveness? You Can Claim the Employee Retention Credit for 2020 on the 4th Quarter Form 941"), the IRS has clarified that, under section 206(c) of the 2020 Taxpayer Certainty Act, an employer that is eligible for the ERC can claim the credit even if the employer received a Small Business Interruption Loan under the PPP. Accordingly, eligible employers can claim ERS on any qualified wages that are not counted as payroll costs in obtaining PPP loan forgiveness. Note, however, that any wages that could count toward eligibility for ERC or PPP loan forgiveness can be applied to either program, but not to both programs.

If an employer received a PPP loan and included wages paid in the 2nd and/or 3rd quarter of 2020 as payroll costs in support of an application to obtain forgiveness of the loan (rather than claiming ERC for those wages), and the employer's request for forgiveness was denied, the employer an claim the ERC related to those qualified wages on its 4th quarter 2020 Form 941, Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return. An employer can could report on its 4th quarter Form 941 any ERC attributable to health expenses that are qualified wages that it did not include in its 2nd and/or 3rd quarter Form 941.

Employers that choose to use this limited 4th quarter procedure must:

• Add the ERC attributable to these 2nd and/or 3rd quarter qualified wages and health expenses on line 11c or line 13d (as relevant) of their original 4th quarter Form 941 (along with any other ERC for qualified wages paid in the 4th quarter).
• Include the amount of these qualified wages paid during the 2nd and/or 3rd quarter (excluding health plan expenses) on line 21 of its original 4th quarter Form 941 (along with any qualified wages paid in the 4th quarter).
• Enter the same amount on Worksheet 1, Step 3, line 3a (in the 941 Instructions).
• Include the amount of these health plan expenses from the 2nd and/or 3rd quarter on line 22 of the 4th quarter Form 941 (along with any health expenses for the 4th quarter).
• Enter the same amount on Worksheet 1, Step 3, line 3b.

The IRS recognized that it might be difficult to implement these special procedures so late in the timeframe to file 4th quarter returns. Therefore, employers can instead choose the regular process of filing an adjusted return or claim for refund for the appropriate quarter to which the additional ERC relates using Form 941-X.

More Information

For more information on the employee retention credit, the IRS urges taxpayers to visit its "COVID-19-Related Employee Retention Credits: How to Claim the Employee Retention Credit FAQs" webpage (at https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/covid-19-related-employee-retention-credits-how-to-claim-the-employee-retention-credit-faqs).

The IRS has announced that lenders who had filed or furnished Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Information, to a borrower, reporting certain payments on loans subsidized by the Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (Administrator) as income of the borrower, must file and furnish corrected Forms 1099-MISC that exclude these subsidized loan payments.

The IRS has announced that lenders who had filed or furnished Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Information, to a borrower, reporting certain payments on loans subsidized by the Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (Administrator) as income of the borrower, must file and furnish corrected Forms 1099-MISC that exclude these subsidized loan payments.

On January 19, 2021, the Department of the Treasury and the IRS issued, Notice 2021-6, I.R.B. 2021-6, pursuant to section 279 of the COVID Relief Act, to waive the requirement for lenders to file with the IRS, or furnish to a borrower, a Form 1099-MISC reporting the payment of principal, interest, and any associated fees subsidized by the Administrator under section 1112(c) of the CARES Act ( P.L. 116-136). The filing of information returns that include these loan payments could result in IRS correspondence to borrowers regarding underreported income, and the furnishing of payee statements that include these loan payments to borrowers could cause confusion.

The Service further announced that if a lender has already furnished to borrowers Forms 1099-MISC that report these loan payments, whether before, on, or after December 27, 2020, the lender must furnish to the borrowers corrected Forms 1099-MISC that exclude these loan payments. In addition, if a lender has already filed with the IRS Forms 1099-MISC that report these loan payments, whether before, on, or after December 27, 2020, the lender must file with the IRS corrected Forms 1099-MISC that exclude these loan payments. Directions for how to file corrected Forms 1099-MISC are included in the 2020 Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC and the 2020 General Instructions for Certain Information Returns. If a lender described in this announcement furnishes corrected payee statements within 30 days of the furnishing deadline, it will have reasonable cause for any failure-to-furnish penalty imposed under Code Sec. 6722. A lender described in this announcement must file corrected information returns by the filing deadline in order to avoid Code Sec. 6721 failure-to-file penalties.

The IRS is providing a safe harbor for eligible educators to deduct certain unreimbursed COVID-19-related expenses. The safe harbor applies to expenses for personal protective equipment, disinfectant, and other supplies used for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 in the classroom, paid or incurred after March 12, 2020. All amounts remain subject to the $250 educator expense deduction limitation.

The IRS is providing a safe harbor for eligible educators to deduct certain unreimbursed COVID-19-related expenses. The safe harbor applies to expenses for personal protective equipment, disinfectant, and other supplies used for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 in the classroom, paid or incurred after March 12, 2020. All amounts remain subject to the $250 educator expense deduction limitation.

Deduction for Educator Classroom Expenses

Employees generally cannot deduct unreimbursed business expenses as miscellaneous itemized deductions in tax years 2018 through 2025. Despite this general rule, teachers may be able to treat some of their unreimbursed classroom expenses as an "above the line" deduction and deduct them from gross income. An eligible educator can deduct up to $250 each year for classroom expenses ( Code Sec. 62(a)(2)(D)). Deductible expenses include those for books, supplies, and computer equipment used in the classroom.

An eligible educator is a kindergarten through grade 12 teacher, instructor, counselor, principal, or aide in a school for at least 900 hours during a school year.

COVID Act Expands Eligible Expenses

The COVID Tax Relief Act of 2020 ( P.L. 116-260) requires the Secretary of the Treasury to clarify that COVID-19 protective items used for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 paid or incurred after March 12, 2020 are eligible educator classroom expenses. As a result, the IRS has issued a safe harbor revenue procedure.

Under the revenue procedure, COVID-19 protective items include face masks; disinfectant for use against COVID-19; hand soap; hand sanitizer; disposable gloves; tape, paint, or chalk used to guide social distancing; physical barriers (such as clear plexiglass); air purifiers; and other items recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be used for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19.

The revenue procedure applies to such unreimbursed expenses paid or incurred after March 12, 2020. All amounts remain subject to the $250 educator expense deduction limitation.

With some areas seeing mail delays, the IRS has reminded taxpayers to double-check before filing a tax return to make sure they have all their tax documents, including Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, and Forms 1099. Many of these forms may be available online. However, when other options are not available, taxpayers who have not received a W-2 or Form 1099, or who received an incorrect W-2 or 1099, should contact the employer, payer, or issuing agency directly to request the documents before filing their 2020 tax returns.

With some areas seeing mail delays, the IRS has reminded taxpayers to double-check before filing a tax return to make sure they have all their tax documents, including Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, and Forms 1099. Many of these forms may be available online. However, when other options are not available, taxpayers who have not received a W-2 or Form 1099, or who received an incorrect W-2 or 1099, should contact the employer, payer, or issuing agency directly to request the documents before filing their 2020 tax returns.

Taxpayers who are unable to reach the employer, payer, or issuing agency, or who cannot otherwise get copies or corrected copies of their Forms W-2 or 1099, must still file their tax return on time by the April 15 deadline (or October 15, if requesting an automatic extension). They may need to use Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, or Form 1099-R, Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans, IRAs, Insurance Contracts, etc. to avoid filing an incomplete or amended return. If the taxpayer does not receive the missing or corrected form in time to file their return by the April 15 deadline, they can estimate their wages or payments made to them, as well as any taxes withheld.

If the taxpayer receives the missing or corrected form after filing and the information differs from their previous estimate, the taxpayer must file Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.

Unemployment Benefits

Taxpayers who receive an incorrect Form 1099-G, Certain Government Payments, for unemployment benefits they did not receive should contact the issuing state agency to request a revised Form 1099-G showing they did not receive these benefits. Taxpayers who are unable to obtain a timely, corrected form should still file an accurate tax return, reporting only the income they received.

The IRS has highlighted how corporations may qualify for the new 100-percent limit for disaster relief contributions, and has offered a temporary waiver of the recordkeeping requirement for corporations otherwise qualifying for the increased limit. The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 ( P.L. 116-260) temporarily increased the limit, to up to 100 percent of a corporation’s taxable income, for contributions paid in cash for relief efforts in qualified disaster areas.

The IRS has highlighted how corporations may qualify for the new 100-percent limit for disaster relief contributions, and has offered a temporary waiver of the recordkeeping requirement for corporations otherwise qualifying for the increased limit. The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260) temporarily increased the limit, to up to 100 percent of a corporation’s taxable income, for contributions paid in cash for relief efforts in qualified disaster areas.

Qualified Disaster Areas

Under the new law, qualified disaster areas are those in which a major disaster has been declared under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. This does not include any disaster declaration related to COVID-19. Otherwise, it includes any major disaster declaration made by the President during the period beginning on January 1, 2020, and ending on February 25, 2021, as long as it is for an occurrence specified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as beginning after December 27, 2019, and no later than December 27, 2020. See FEMA.gov for a list of disaster declarations.

The corporation must pay qualified contribution during the period beginning on January 1, 2020, and ending on February 25, 2021. Cash contributions to most charitable organizations qualify for this increased limit, but contributions made to a supporting organization or to establish or maintain a donor advised fund do not qualify. A corporation elects the increased limit by computing its deductible amount of qualified contributions using the increased limi,t and by claiming the amount on its return for the tax year in which the contribution was made.

Substantiation

The 2020 Taxpayer Certainty Act, which was enacted December 27, 2020, added an additional substantiation requirement for qualified contributions. For corporations electing the increased limit, a corporation's contemporaneous written acknowledgment (CWA) from the charity must include a disaster relief statement, stating that the contribution was used, or is to be used, by the eligible charity for relief efforts in one or more qualified disaster areas.

Because of the timing of the new law, the IRS recognizes that some corporations may have obtained a CWA that lacks the disaster relief statement. Accordingly, the IRS will not challenge a corporation's deduction of any qualified contribution made before February 1, 2021, solely on the grounds that the corporation's CWA does not include the disaster relief statement.

The IRS has announced that tax professionals can use a new online tool to upload authorization forms with either electronic or handwritten signatures. The new Submit Forms 2848 and 8821 Online tool is now available at the IRS.gov/TaxPros page. The new tool is part of the IRS's efforts to develop remote transaction options that help tax practitioners and their individual and business clients reduce face-to-face contact.

The IRS has announced that tax professionals can use a new online tool to upload authorization forms with either electronic or handwritten signatures. The new Submit Forms 2848 and 8821 Online tool is now available at the IRS.gov/TaxPros page. The new tool is part of the IRS's efforts to develop remote transaction options that help tax practitioners and their individual and business clients reduce face-to-face contact.

Here are a few highlights related to the new online tool:

• The Submit Forms 2848 and 8821 Online has "friendly" web addresses that can be bookmarked: IRS.gov/submit2848 and IRS.gov/submit8821.
• Authorization forms uploaded through this tool will be worked on a first-in, first-out basis along with mailed or faxed forms.
• To access the tool, tax professionals must have a Secure Access username and password from an IRS account such as e-Services. Tax professionals without a Secure Access username and password should see IRS.gov/SecureAccess for information they need to successfully authenticate their identity and create an account.
• Forms 2848 and 8821 and the instructions are being revised. Versions dated January 2021 are available. The prior version of both forms will be accepted for a period of time.
• Tax professionals may use handwritten or any form of an electronic signature for the client or themselves on authorization forms submitted through the new online tool. Authorization forms that are mailed or faxed must still have handwritten signatures.
• Tax professionals must authenticate the identities of unknown clients who signed the authorization form with an electronic signature in a remote transaction. IRS Frequently Asked Questions (at https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/submit-forms-2848-and-8821-online#2848-8821-faqs) provide authentication options for individual and business clients.
• For business clients, in addition to authenticating the taxpayer, tax professionals must also verify that the individual has a covered relationship with the business.
• Tax professionals entering the tool for the first time must accept the terms of service. This is a one-time entry.
• The tool will ask a series of questions that a user must answer to correctly route the forms to the proper Centralized Authorization File (CAF) unit.
• The client’s taxpayer identification number must be entered before the tax professional selects the authorization file for upload.
• Once the uploaded file is visible, the tax professional selects "submit" to send the file to the CAF.
• Tax professionals can use various file formats, including PDF or image files such as JPG or PNG. Only one file may be uploaded at a time.
• The word "success" will appear if the submission goes through. The tool then gives tax professionals the option to upload another file without the need to go through secure access again.
• Tax professionals can also view an "Uploading Forms 2848 and 8821 with Electronic Signatures" webinar, at https://www.irsvideos.gov/Webinars/UploadingForms2848And8821WithElectronicSignatures.

The tool is intended to be a bridge until an all-digital option launches in the summer of 2021. The IRS has plans to launch the Tax Pro Account in 2021 which will allow tax professionals to digitally sign third-party authorizations and send them to the client's IRS online account for digital signature.

The IRS has urged taxpayers to e-file their returns and use direct deposit to ensure filing accurate tax returns and expedite their tax refunds to avoid a variety of pandemic-related issues. The filing season opened on February 12, 2021, and taxpayers have until April 15 to file their 2020 tax return and pay any tax owed.

The IRS has urged taxpayers to e-file their returns and use direct deposit to ensure filing accurate tax returns and expedite their tax refunds to avoid a variety of pandemic-related issues. The filing season opened on February 12, 2021, and taxpayers have until April 15 to file their 2020 tax return and pay any tax owed.

"The pandemic has created a variety of tax law changes and has created some unique circumstances for this filing season," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "To avoid issues, the IRS urges taxpayers to take some simple steps to help ensure they get their refund as quickly as possible, starting with filing electronically and using direct deposit," he added.

With the April 15th filing season deadline now behind us, it’s not too early to turn your attention to next year’s deadline for filing your 2014 return. That refocus requires among other things an awareness of the direct impact that many "ordinary," as well as one-time, transactions and events will have on the tax you will eventually be obligated to pay April 15, 2015. To gain this forward-looking perspective, however, taking a moment to look back … at the filing season that has just ended, is particularly worthwhile. This generally involves a two-step process: (1) a look-back at your 2013 tax return to pinpoint new opportunities as well as "lessons learned;" and (2) a look-back at what has happened in the tax world since January 1st that may indicate new challenges to be faced for the first time on your 2014 return.

Your 2013 Form 1040

Examining your 2013 Form 1040 individual tax return can help you identify certain changes that you might want to consider this year, as well encourage you to continue what you’re doing right. These "key ingredients" to your 2014 return may include, among many others considerations, a fresh look at:

Your refund or balance due. While it is nice to get a big refund check from the IRS, it often indicates unnecessary overpayments over the course of the year that has provided the federal government with an interest-free loan in the form of your money. Now’s the time to investigate the reasons behind a refund and whether you need to take steps to lower wage withholding and/or quarterly estimated tax payments.

If on the other hand you had to pay the IRS when filing your return (or requesting an extension), you should consider whether it was due to a sudden windfall of income that will not repeat itself; or because you no longer have the same itemized deductions, you had a change in marital status, or you claimed a one-time tax credit such as for energy savings or education. Likewise, examining anticipated changes between your 2013 and 2014 tax years—marriage, the birth of a child, becoming a homeowner, retiring, etc.—can help warn you whether your're headed for an underpayment or overpayment of your 2014 tax liability.

Investment income. One area that blindsided many taxpayers on their 2013 returns was the increased tax bill applicable to investment income. Because of the "great recession," many investors had carryforward losses that could offset gains realized for a number of years as markets gradually improved. For many, however, 2013 saw not only a significant rise in investment income but also a rise in realized taxable investment gains that were no longer covered by carryforward losses used up during the 2010–2012 period.

Furthermore, dividends and long-term capital gains for the first time in 2013 were taxed at a new, higher 20 percent rate for higher income taxpayers and an additional 3.8 percent net investment income tax surtax for those in the higher income brackets. Short-term capital gains saw the highest rate jump, from 35 percent to 43.4 percent rate, which reflected a new 39.6 percent regular rate and the new 3.8 percent net investment income tax rate. This tax structure remains in place for 2014.

Personal exemption/itemized deductions. Effective January 1, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) revived the personal exemption phaseout (PEP). The applicable threshold levels are $250,000 for unmarried taxpayers; $275,000 for heads of households; $300,000 for married couples filing a joint return (and surviving spouses); and $150,000 for married couples filing separate returns (adjusted for inflation after 2013). Likewise, for it revived the limitation on itemized deductions (known as the "Pease" limitation after the member of Congress who sponsored the original legislation) for those same taxpayers.

Medical and dental expenses. Starting in 2013, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) increased the threshold to claim an itemized deduction for unreimbursed medical expenses from 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI) to 10 percent of AGI. However, there is a temporary exemption for individuals age 65 and older until December 31, 2016. Qualified individuals may continue to deduct total medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income through 2016. If the qualified individual is married and only one spouse is age 65 or older, the taxpayer may still deduct total medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income.

Recordkeeping. If you cannot find the paperwork necessary to prove your right to a deduction or credit, you cannot claim it. An organized tax recordkeeping system—whether on paper or computerized–therefore is an essential component to maximizing tax savings.

Filing Season Developments

So far this year, the IRS, other federal agencies and the courts have issued guidance on individual and business taxation, retirement savings, foreign accounts, the ACA, and much more. Congress has also been busy working up a "tax extenders" bill as well as tax reform proposals. All these developments can impact how you plan to maximize benefits on your 2014 income tax return.

Tax reform. President Obama, the chairs of the House and Senate tax writing committees, and individual lawmakers all made tax reform proposals in early 2014. The proposals range from comprehensive tax reform to more piece-meal approaches. Although only small, piecemeal proposals have the most promising chances for passage this year, taxpayers should not ignore the broader push toward tax reform that will be taking shape in 2015 and 2016.

Tax extenders. The Senate Finance Committee (SFC) approved legislation (EXPIRE Act) in April that would extend nearly all of the tax extenders that expired after 2013. Included in the EXPIRE Act are individual incentives such as the state and local sales tax deduction, the higher education tuition deduction, transit benefits parity, and the classroom teacher’s deduction; along with business incentives such as enhanced Code 179 small business expensing, bonus depreciation, the research tax credit, and more. Congress may now move quickly on an extenders bill or it may not come up with a compromise until after the November mid-term elections. Many of these tax benefits are significant and will directly impact the 2014 tax that taxpayers will pay.

Individual mandate. The Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate took effect January 1, 2014. Individuals failing to carry minimum essential coverage after January 1, 2014 and who are not exempt from the requirement will make an individual shared responsibility payment when they file their 2014 federal income tax returns in 2015. There are some exemptions, including a hardship exemption if the taxpayer experienced problems in signing up with a Health Insurance Marketplace before March 31, 2014. Further guidance is expected before 2014 tax year returns need to be filed, especially on how to calculate the payment and how to report to the IRS that an individual has minimum essential coverage.

Employer mandate. The ACA’s shared responsibility provision for employers (also known as the “employer mandate”) will generally apply to large employers starting in 2015, rather than the original 2014 launch date. Transition relief provided in February final regulations provides additional time to mid-size employers with 50 or more but fewer than 100 employees, generally delaying implementation until 2016. Employers that employ fewer than 50 full-time or full time equivalent employees are permanently exempt from the employer mandate. The final regulations do not change this treatment under the statute.

Other recent tax developments to be aware of for 2014 planning purposes include:

• IRA rollovers. The IRS announced that, starting in 2015, it intends to follow a one-rollover-per-year limitation on Individual Retirement Account (IRA) rollovers as an aggregate limit.
• myRAs. In January, President Obama directed the Treasury Department to create a new retirement savings vehicle, “myRA,” to be rolled out before 2015.
• Same-sex married couples. In April, the IRS released guidance on how the Supreme Court’s Windsor decision, which struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), applies to qualified retirement plans, opting not to require recognition before June 26, 2013.
• Passive activity losses. The Tax Court found in March that a trust owning rental real estate could qualify for the rental real estate exception to passive activity loss treatment.
• FATCA deadline. The IRS has indicated that it is holding firm on the July 1, 2014, deadline for foreign financial institutions (FFIs) to comply with the FATCA information reporting requirements or withhold 30 percent from payments of U.S.-source income to their U.S. account holders.
• Vehicle depreciation. The IRS announced that inflation-adjusted limitations on depreciation deductions for business use passenger autos, light trucks and vans first placed in service during calendar year 2014 are relatively unchanged from 2013 (except for first year $8,000 bonus depreciation that may be removed if Congress does not act in time.
• Severance payments. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court held that supplemental unemployment benefits (SUB) payments made to terminated employees and not tied to the receipt of state unemployment benefits are wages for FICA tax purposes.
• Virtual currency. The IRS announced that convertible virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin, would be treated as property and not as currency, thus creating immediate tax consequences for those using Bitcoins to pay for goods.

Please contact this office if you’d like further information on how an examination of your 2013 return, and examination of recent tax developments, may point to revised strategies for lowering your eventual tax bill for 2014.

Code Sec. 162 permits a business to deduct its ordinary and necessary expenses for carrying on the business. However, Code Sec. 274 restricts the deduction of entertainment expenses incurred for business by disallowing expenses of entertainment activities and entertainment facilities. Many expenses are totally disallowed; other amounts, if allowed under Code Sec. 274, are limited to 50 percent of the expense.

The income tax regulations define entertainment as any activity of a type generally considered to be entertainment, amusement, or recreation, such as entertaining at night clubs, lounges, theaters, country clubs, golf and athletic clubs, and sports events, as well as hunting, fishing, vacation and similar trips. There are special rules for the costs of facilities used to entertain the customer, such as a boat or a country club membership. Dues or fees for any social, athletic or sporting club or organization are treated as items involving facilities.

Deduction allowed

Expenses are allowed if the expense was either "directly related" to the active conduct of the taxpayer’s trade or business, or "associated with" the conduct of the trade or business. An activity is "associated with" business if the activity directly precedes or follows a substantial and bona fide business discussion.

Entertainment expenses are not directly related to the business if the activity occurred under circumstances with little or no possibility of engaging in the active conduct of the trade or business. These circumstances include an activity where the distractions are substantial, such as a meeting or discussion at a night club, theater, or sporting event. However, taking a customer to a meal at a restaurant or for drinks at a bar can be considered conducive to a business discussion, if there are no substantial distractions to a discussion.

Substantial business discussion

For expenses that are either directly related to or associated with business, the taxpayer must establish that the he or she conducted a substantial and bona fide business discussion with the customer. The IRS has said that there is no specified length for a discussion to be substantial; all facts and circumstances will be considered. The discussion is substantial if the active conduct of the business was the principal character of the combined business and entertainment activity, but it is not necessary that more time be devoted to business than to entertainment.

For an activity that is associated with, the discussion can directly precede or follow the activity. For a discussion to be directly before or after the activity, it generally must be on the same day as the activity. However, facts and circumstances may allow the entertainment and the discussion to be on consecutive days, for example if the customer is from out of town.

Season tickets

The special rules for facilities do not apply to season tickets. Instead, the taxpayer must allocate the cost of the season tickets to each separate entertainment event. The amount deductible is limited to the face value of the ticket. For a "skybox" or other area leased and used exclusively by the taxpayer and guests, the amount deductible is limited to the face value of non-luxury seats for the area covered by the lease.

Under these rules, it appears that the deductible costs of baseball season tickets must be determined separately for each baseball game. Attendance at a baseball game would involve a "distracting" activity that is not conducive to a business discussion, so the cost of the game would not be directly related to the conduct of the trade or business. However, attendance at a game before or after the conduct of a substantial business discussion could qualify as being associated with the business; in these circumstances, the cost of the event would be deductible.

If the taxpayer provided food to the customer at the baseball game, the cost of the food would be deductible as part of the cost of the event. Some "luxury" seats include food provided by the baseball team to the ticket user. It appears that the taxpayer would have to determine the fair market value of the ticket and the food separately, although the costs of food actually provided to the customer may still be deductible.