Category: Professional Services

Partners in professional service firms must sometimes pay for certain firm-related business expenses out of their own pockets. For instance, a law firm partner may have to personally absorb the costs of entertaining prospective clients who are not on a designated firm-wide list of potential clients for which the firm will reimburse the costs of wining and dining. Also, a partner may incur personal auto expenses to drive to and from client meetings and to and from other locations where… Read more ›

Economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis may cause some cash-strapped individuals to default on loans they’ve taken out from company qualified retirement plans, including 401(k) and profit-sharing plans. Defaulting on a plan loan will cause adverse tax and retirement-saving consequences. Further details on how the COVID-19 pandemic has effected it are below. Retirement Plan Basics A participant in an employer-sponsored qualified retirement plan can borrow money from the plan if it allows loans. Under the normal rules, the loan amount… Read more ›

In response to increasing public pressure, the Small Business Administration announced on June 19 that it would release the names of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan recipients awarded at least $150,000 in funds. No timeline for the disclosure has been announced, but the SBA said it would “disclose the business names, addresses, NAICS codes, zip codes, business type, demographic data, not-for-profit information, jobs supported, and loan amount ranges as follows:” $150,000-$350,000 $350,000-$1 million $1-2 million $2-5 million $5-10 million Participants… Read more ›

Since passage of the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 on June 5, 2020, the Small Business Administration has continued to bring current and prospective borrowers up to speed through a series of interim rules for the program, as well as the release of a revised loan forgiveness application, a revised loan borrower application, and a new EZ form of the loan forgiveness application. Updated PPP Loan Forgiveness Application (and a new EZ Version) On June 17, the Small… Read more ›

The U.S. Senate has passed the bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, which loosens several of the Paycheck Protection Program’s (PPP’s) more onerous restrictions regarding loan forgiveness. President Trump has signed the bill into law. The new law follows the May 22, 2020, release of an interim final rule from the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Small Business Administration (SBA) on PPP loan forgiveness requirements. Among other areas, that guidance addresses the calculation of full-time employees and… Read more ›

Last week, the Small Business Administration clarified which businesses can expect to be audited once they certify in good faith that they received Paycheck Protection Program loans based on economic need. The SBA also delivered requirements for Maryland employers whose furloughed workers refuse to accept a recall to work. Read more below. Good Faith Certification and the Safe Harbor Deadline Extension The goal of the Paycheck Protection Program since it was established in late March under the CARES Act has… Read more ›

The IRS has issued new guidance addressing a question that has lingered since the launch of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) — whether expenses paid for with forgiven, tax-free PPP loan proceeds are deductible business expenses under Section 162 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). The guidance in IRS Notice 2020-32 doesn’t provide the answer borrowers hoped for, but that may yet come. The root of the question The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act created the widely… Read more ›

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has extended the repayment deadline for Payroll Protection Program (PPP) borrowers that wish to take advantage of the “good faith” self-certification of eligibility option. The deadline is now May 14, 2020. Companies that repay their loans by that date preempt the possibility of criminal liability if they’re subsequently found ineligible for PPP loans. The loans are intended to help small businesses with fewer than 500 employees weather the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but some large… Read more ›

Congress and the Trump administration have struck a deal on another piece of legislation, the latest in a series of federal measures intended to provide relief in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The $484 billion legislation, which is being referred to as the Interim Stimulus Plan, amends the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act enacted in late March. Among other things, it provides additional funding to two loan programs designed to help small businesses slammed by… Read more ›

The Senate has approved $320 billion in additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, the Small Business Administration’s business relief program that passed as part of the CARES Act on March 27, 2020. The PPP originally received $349 billion in funding to support businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding quickly ran out however, as a surge in applications for relief and skyrocketing unemployment numbers reflected the significant need. The House of Representatives is expected to pass the legislation on… Read more ›