Closing Transactions with PPP Loans
Diamond Financial Services
Now that the six-month payment incentive provided by the C.A.R.E.S. Act is off the list of our items of immediate attention, our focus returns to closing transactions that include Paycheck Protection Program, or P.P.P. loans. If you have closed any SBA transactions to date that include a P.P.P. loan, then you may have experienced the chaos and confusion on the forgiveness aspect that many lenders, sellers, and attorneys currently struggle with. Today, I will attempt to explain the methods that we have seen be used to help close transactions during these current conditions. PLEASE NOTE: We are not confirming that any of these methods are acceptable to SBA or will not cause a decline in forgiveness. These are only the ways we have witnessed these transactions close with P.P.P. loans in place.
The main concern is that if a seller retains the corporation and P.P.P. loan liability post-closing, then the buyer should have no exposure in the future (in theory). In most cases this would be true, but what many are not considering is that this is the Federal Government and they can go past a transaction if they deem it invalid. Hence the surrounding concern and nervousness. I will not go into specifics on this today, but you should know there is some level of validity to the above concern.
The SBA held a lender conference call in August, and on that call, they explained how specific guidelines for acquisitions that included P.P.P. loans would be published and sent out to all lenders within days. Days soon became weeks and as of today no such publication has been circulated. With no actual guidelines, aside from the two letters we have secured from District Representatives, the lenders have been on their own in creating safeguards surrounding these P.P.P. loan liability exposures to help clients close acquisition transactions. Below, I will describe the top four methods lenders utilized to close loans since March.
Our top choice from an active lender of ours allows an addendum to be included in the APA which simply states the following: “any Liabilities of the Seller or Principals associated with the Payroll Protection Program, including but not limited to any loans. Any Payroll Protection Program loan is and shall remain the exclusive obligation of Seller and Principals and is not being assumed by Buyer in this transaction.” By adding this addendum, our lender allows all transactions to close. A simple solution that many lenders choose not to utilize.
A more popular method is based on a version of an SBA letter that was circulated that requires an escrow account be set up with the seller’s P.P.P. lender matching the P.P.P. exposure amount, with deposits made using the seller’s personal funds. This seems to be the most accepted work around and another version of this makes it even easier. Some lenders will allow this escrow account to be held by an attorney until P.P.P. loan forgiveness is complete.
The least favorite of our available options, based off an SBA district letter, demands the P.P.P. loan be assumed 100% by the buyer and demands that the loan be processed GP. GP is when the entire loan package is sent directly to SBA’s central processing center for a complete review and subsequent eligibility determination. Most lenders will avoid this whenever possible as utilizing their PLP status allows them to bypass this step. The SBA GP program typically adds between one and three weeks to the overall loan process, time that most transactions would prefer to not waste.
If you are handling a transaction that includes a P.P.P. loan, be sure you explore the details of that loan to ensure the seller understands any concerns surrounding the forgiveness. If the buyer is securing an SBA loan for the acquisition of a business, be sure to address the same with the buyer’s SBA lender. Understanding the lender’s requirements and being sure all parties agree upfront will be critical to closing your deal and save you countless hours in the future.
The letters and documents mentioned above can all be found here. As always, our highly skilled Diamond Financial staff is always here to answer any specific questions regarding SBA transactions at any time. For more specific answers on these or any other SBA rules, please contact us at askdiamond@easysba.com, a no cost, no obligation, email solution to answer all of your SBA questions.
Diamond Financial specializes in larger goodwill transactions and we are always happy to share the information that makes them happen. Call us and experience the power of the experts and our three day yes or no guaranty!
Deductible Expenses Under PPP
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service issued the following, Notice 2020-32, to answer questions about how to handle the deductibility of certain expenses if a taxpayer gets a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program, created under the CARES Act.
The CARES Act, however, did not address whether the business expenses that result in PPP loan forgiveness will be deductible for tax purposes, according to a post by JD Supra, which posts a daily newsletter of news, commentary and analysis from leading lawyers and law firms. In this notice, released on April 30th, JD Supra concludes that “the IRS concludes that when the payment of business expenses results in the forgiveness of a PPP loan, such as payroll costs or rent, those business expenses will not be deductible for tax purposes. According to the IRS, this treatment prevents a “double tax benefit” and is consistent with Section 265(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code, which generally provides that no tax deduction is available for expenses that are paid with tax-exempt dollars.”
The full text of the IRS notice is reproduced below:
PURPOSE
This notice provides guidance regarding the deductibility for Federal income tax purposes of certain otherwise deductible expenses incurred in a taxpayer’s trade or business when the taxpayer receives a loan (covered loan) pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program under section 7(a)(36) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)(36)). Specifically, this notice clarifies that no deduction is allowed under the Internal Revenue Code (Code) for an expense that is otherwise deductible if the payment of the expense results in forgiveness of a covered loan pursuant to section 1106(b) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), Public Law 116-136, 134 Stat. 281, 286-93 (March 27, 2020) and the income associated with the forgiveness is excluded from gross income for purposes of the Code pursuant to section 1106(i) of the CARES Act.
BACKGROUND
I. Paycheck Protection Program
The Paycheck Protection Program was established by section 1102 of the CARES Act. Under the Paycheck Protection Program, a recipient of a covered loan may use the proceeds to pay (1) payroll costs, (2) certain employee benefits relating to healthcare, (3) interest on mortgage obligations, (4) rent, (5) utilities, and (6) interest on any other existing debt obligations. See section 7(a)(36)(F) of the Small Business Act (describing allowable uses of a covered loan). See also Q&A 2.r. in Part III of the interim final rule, Business Loan Program Temporary Changes; Paycheck Protection Program, Docket No. SBA-2020-0015, 85 Fed. Reg. 20811, 20814 (April 15, 2020).
Under section 1106(b) of the Cares Act, a recipient of a covered loan can receive forgiveness of indebtedness on the loan (covered loan forgiveness) in an amount equal to the sum of payments made for the following expenses during the 8-week “covered period” beginning on the covered loan’s origination date (each, an eligible section 1106 expense): (1) payroll costs, (2) any payment of interest on any covered mortgage obligation, (3) any payment on any covered rent obligation, and (4) any covered utility payment. See section 1106(a) (defining the terms “covered period”, “covered mortgage obligation,” “covered rent obligation,” “covered utility payment,” and “payroll costs”), (b) (regarding eligibility for covered loan forgiveness), and (g) (regarding covered loan forgiveness decisions). However, section 1106(d) of the CARES Act provides that the amount of the covered loan forgiveness is reduced if, during the covered period, (1) the average number of full-time equivalent employees of the recipient is reduced as compared to the number of full-time employees in a specified base period, or (2) the salary or wages of certain employees is reduced by more than 25 percent as compared to the last full quarter before the covered period. In addition, pursuant to an interim final rule issued by the Small Business Administration, no more than 25 percent of the amount forgiven can be attributable to non-payroll costs. See Q&A 2.o. in Part III of the interim final rule, Business Loan Program Temporary Changes; Paycheck Protection Program, Docket No. SBA-2020-0015, 85 Fed. Reg. 20811, 20813-20814 (April 15, 2020).
Section 1106(i) of the CARES Act addresses certain Federal income tax consequences resulting from covered loan forgiveness. Specifically, that subsection provides that, for purposes of the Code, any amount that (but for that subsection) would be includible in gross income of the recipient by reason of forgiveness described in section 1106(b) “shall be excluded from gross income.” Thus, section 1106(i) of the CARES Act operates to exclude from the gross income of a recipient any category of income that may arise from covered loan forgiveness, regardless of whether such income would be (1) properly characterized as income from the discharge of indebtedness under section 61(a)(11) of the Code, or (2) otherwise includible in gross income under section 61 of the Code.
II. Deductibility of Eligible Section 1106 Expenses
Neither section 1106(i) of the CARES Act nor any other provision of the CARES Act addresses whether deductions otherwise allowable under the Code for payments of eligible section 1106 expenses by a recipient of a covered loan are allowed if the covered loan is subsequently forgiven under section 1106(b) of the CARES Act as a result of the payment of those expenses. This Notice addresses the effect of covered loan forgiveness on the deductibility of payments of eligible section 1106 expenses.
III. Summary of Relevant Law
Section 161 of the Code provides that, in computing taxable income under section 63 of the Code, there shall be allowed as deductions the items specified in part VI, subchapter B, chapter 1 of the Code (for example, sections 162 and 163). However, section 161 of the Code provides that the allowance of these deductions is subject to the exceptions provided in part IX, subchapter B, chapter 1 of the Code. These exceptions include section 265 of the Code. See also section 261.
In general, section 162 of the Code provides for a deduction for all ordinary and necessary expenses paid or incurred during the taxable year in carrying on any trade or business. Covered rent obligations, covered utility payments, and payroll costs consisting of wages and benefits paid to employees comprise typical trade or business expenses for which a deduction under section 162 of the Code generally is appropriate. Section 163(a) of the Code provides a deduction for certain interest paid or accrued during the taxable year on indebtedness, including interest paid or incurred on a mortgage obligation of a trade or business.
However, section 265(a)(1) of the Code and §1.265-1 of the Income Tax Regulations provide that no deduction is allowed to a taxpayer for any amount otherwise allowable as a deduction to such taxpayer that is allocable to one or more classes of income other than interest (whether or not any amount of income of that class or classes is received or accrued) wholly exempt from the taxes imposed by subtitle A of the Code. See generally section 265(a)(1); §1.265-1. The term “class of exempt income” means any class of income (whether or not any amount of income of such class is received or accrued) that is either wholly excluded from gross income under any provision of subtitle A of the Code or wholly exempt from the taxes imposed by subtitle A of the Code under the provisions of any other law. See §1.265-1(b)(1). The purpose of section 265 of the Code is to prevent a double tax benefit.
Section 265(a)(1) of the Code applies to otherwise deductible expenses incurred for the purpose of earning or otherwise producing tax-exempt income. It also applies where tax exempt income is earmarked for a specific purpose and deductions are incurred in carrying out that purpose. In such event, it is proper to conclude that some or all of the deductions are allocable to the tax-exempt income. See Christian v. United States, 201 F. Supp. 155 (E.D. La. 1962) (school teacher was denied deductions for expenses incurred for a literary research trip to England because the expenses were allocable to a tax-exempt gift and fellowship grant); Banks v. Commissioner, 17 T.C. 1386 (1952) (certain educational expenses paid by the Veterans’ Administration that were exempt from income tax, were not deductible); Heffelfinger v. Commissioner, 5 T.C. 985 (1945), (Canadian income taxes on income exempt from U.S. tax are not deductible in computing U.S. taxable income); and Rev. Rul. 74-140, 1974-1 C.B. 50, (the portion of a state income tax paid by a taxpayer that is allocable to the cost-of-living allowance, a class of income wholly exempt under section 912, is nondeductible under section 265).
In Manocchio v. Commissioner, 78 T.C. 989 (1982), a taxpayer attended a flight-training course that maintained and improved skills required in the taxpayer’s trade or business. As a veteran, the taxpayer was entitled to an educational assistance allowance from the Veterans’ Administration pursuant to 38 U.S.C. section 1677 (1976) equal to 90 percent of the costs incurred. Because the payments received were exempt from taxation under 38 U.S.C. section 310(a) (1976), the taxpayer did not report them as income. The taxpayer did, however, deduct the entire cost of the flight training course, including the portion that had been reimbursed by the Veterans’ Administration. In a reviewed opinion, the court held that the reimbursed flight-training expenses were nondeductible under section 265(a)(1) of the Code.
NON-DEDUCTIBILITY OF PAYMENTS TO THE EXTENT INCOME RESULTING FROM LOAN FORGIVENESS IS EXCLUDED UNDER SECTION 1106(i) OF THE CARES ACT
To the extent that section 1106(i) of the CARES Act operates to exclude from gross income the amount of a covered loan forgiven under section 1106(b) of the CARES Act, the application of section 1106(i) results in a “class of exempt income” under §1.265- 1(b)(1) of the Regulations. Accordingly, section 265(a)(1) of the Code disallows any otherwise allowable deduction under any provision of the Code, including sections 162 and 163, for the amount of any payment of an eligible section 1106 expense to the extent of the resulting covered loan forgiveness (up to the aggregate amount forgiven) because such payment is allocable to tax-exempt income. Consistent with the purpose of section 265, this treatment prevents a double tax benefit.
This conclusion is consistent with prior guidance of the IRS that addresses the application of section 265(a) to otherwise deductible payments. In particular, Rev. Rul. 83-3, 1983-1 C.B. 72, provides that, where tax exempt income is earmarked for a specific purpose, and deductions are incurred in carrying out that purpose, section 265(a) applies because such deductions are allocable to the tax-exempt income. In accordance with the analysis set forth in Rev. Rul. 83-3, the direct link between (1) the amount of tax exempt covered loan forgiveness that a recipient receives pursuant to section 1106 of the CARES Act, and (2) an equivalent amount of the otherwise deductible payments made by a recipient for eligible section 1106 expenses, constitutes a sufficient connection for section 265(a) to apply to disallow deductions for such payments under any provision of the Code, including sections 162 and 163, to the extent of the income excluded under section 1106(i) of the CARES Act.
The deductibility of payments of eligible section 1106 expenses that result in loan forgiveness under section 1106(b) of the CARES Act is also subject to disallowance under case law and published rulings that deny deductions for otherwise deductible payments for which the taxpayer receives reimbursement. See, e.g., Burnett v. Commissioner, 356 F.2d 755, 759-60 (5th Cir. 1966); Wolfers v. Commissioner, 69 T.C. 975 (1978); Charles Baloian Co. v. Commissioner, 68 T.C. 620 (1977); Rev. Rul. 80-348, 1980-2 C.B. 31; Rev. Rul. 80-173, 1980-2 C.B. 60.
CONTACT INFORMATION
The principal authors of this notice are Sarah Daya and Patrick Clinton of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Income Tax & Accounting). For further information regarding the application of sections 161, 162, 163, and 261 please contact Ms. Daya at (202) 317-4891 (not a toll-free call); for further information regarding the application of section 265, please contact Mr. Clinton at (202) 317-7005 (not a toll-free call).
Read More
Unemployment Guidelines During the Pandemic
Georgia Department of Labor Employer Update
The CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act
Tips for Filing Successfully
- You must file your claims each week for benefits to be paid to your employees. Your employees do not request their weekly payments. Do not file subsequent claims less than 7 days after the week ending date (WED) of the previous week’s claims. Claims submitted for a WED that is less than 7 days after the previous week’s WED will not be paid.
- You must use the GDOL Excel template for multi-claim upload. Do NOT alter the template.
- You cannot submit claims for a future WED. The earliest you can file is the 8th day after the previous WED.
- Verify employees’ earnings for other employment and report combined gross earnings for each WED submitted, if applicable. Failure to do so could result in an overpayment.
- Enter the employees’ names as First Name Last Name. The first name must be entered first to match their GDOL wage record.
- Try to limit the Mailing Street Address to 25 characters. Do not use periods when abbreviating. Use # instead of “Apt.”
- If you answer “Yes” to the question “Did the employee earn at least $7,300 in your employ?”, do NOT enter an amount in Question 15 on Single Entry or Column R on the Excel spreadsheet.
- If you answer “No” to the question “Did the employee earn at least $7,300 in your employ?” enter the amount as four (4) characters, disregarding cents.
- Enter the employee’s gross weekly earnings in Question 16 on Single Entry or Column S on the Excel spreadsheet as five (5) characters with the last two (2) characters representing cents. Example: earnings are $125.75, enter as 12575. If the employee earned $1,000 or more during the week, enter 99999 ($999.99).
- Report all gross earnings, including any earned from another employer. Earnings over $50 will be deducted dollar for dollar from your employee’s benefit payment for weeks ending on or before March 28, 2020. Earnings over $300 will be deducted from the benefit payment for weeks ending April 4, 2020 or later.
- if you make an error on a claim, resubmit the claim for the individual as soon as possible with the corrected information.
What to Tell Your Employees
- Email the link to the COVID-19 Individual FAQs to your employees and review it yourself to help answer their questions.
- When you file the first week of claims, they will receive a Georgia Way2Go Debit MasterCard® within 7-10 days loaded with their first payment, unless they have direct deposit information on file with GDOL from a previous claim within the last 18 months.
- After the first week of claims, they can expect payment within 24-48 hours of you submitting their weekly claims.
- Do NOT tell your employees to claim their weekly benefits with GDOL. You are claiming their weekly benefits for them by filing each week.
- They can create a PIN online using UI Benefit Payment Methods after their claim is processed by GDOL.
- They can check the status of their claim and payments using My UI (Check My UI Claim Status). Their PIN is required.
- They can enroll in direct deposit using Benefit Payment Methods.
- They cannot enroll in direct deposit until AFTER the first claim is processed by GDOL.
- They can reset their PINs using Reset Your PIN
- They are exempt from work search requirements.
- eliminating mail delivery.
- ensuring complete information is provided the first time.
- reducing the need for phone calls.
- reducing paper handling, staff time, and postage costs.