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For 2022, the Social Security wage cap will be $147,000, and Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will increase by 5.9 percent. These changes reflect cost-of-living adjustments to account for inflation.

For 2022, the Social Security wage cap will be $147,000, and Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will increase by 5.9 percent. These changes reflect cost-of-living adjustments to account for inflation.

Wage Cap for Social Security Tax
The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax on wages is 7.65 percent each for the employee and the employer. FICA tax has two components:

• a 6.2 percent social security tax, also known as old age, survivors, and disability insurance (OASDI); and
• a 1.45 percent Medicare tax, also known as hospital insurance (HI).

For self-employed workers, the Self-Employment tax is 15.3 percent, consisting of:

• a 12.4 percent OASDI tax; and
• a 2.9 percent HI tax.

OASDI tax applies only up to a wage base, which includes most wages and self-employment income up to the annual wage cap.

For 2022, the wage base is $147,000. Thus, OASDI tax applies only to the taxpayer’s first $147,000 in wages or net earnings from self-employment. Taxpayers do not pay any OASDI tax on earnings that exceed $147,000.

There is no wage cap for HI tax.

Maximum Social Security Tax for 2022
For workers who earn $147,000 or more in 2022:

• an employee will pay a total of $9,114 in social security tax ($147,000 x 6.2 percent);
• the employer will pay the same amount; and
• a self-employed worker will pay a total of $18,228 in social security tax ($147,000 x 12.4 percent).

Additional Medicare Tax
Higher-income workers may have to pay an additional Medicare tax of 0.9 percent. This tax applies to wages and self-employment income that exceed:

• $250,000 for married taxpayers who file a joint return;
• $125,000 for married taxpayers who file separate returns; and
• $200,000 for other taxpayers.

The annual wage cap does not affect the additional Medicare tax.

Benefit Increase for 2022
Finally, a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will increase social security and SSI benefits for 2022 by 5.9 percent. The COLA is intended to ensure that inflation does not erode the purchasing power of these benefits.

The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the district court's judgment that the cap on the federal income tax deduction for money paid in state and local taxes (SALT) is constitutional.

The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the district court's judgment that the cap on the federal income tax deduction for money paid in state and local taxes (SALT) is constitutional. Four states brought a claim against the government alleging that the $10,000 cap on the federal income tax deduction for money paid in state and local taxes, enacted as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ( P.L. 115-97) (TCJA), violated the Constitution. The states argued that the state and local tax deduction was constitutionally mandated, or alternatively that the cap violated the Tenth Amendment because it coerced them to abandon their preferred fiscal policies. The district court held that the states had standing and that their claims were not barred by the Anti-Injunction Act (AIA). However, the district court concluded that the claims lacked merit. The states' allegations that the cap decreases the frequency and price at which taxable real estate transactions occur by measurably increasing the cost of those transactions reflect specific lost tax revenues and suffice to support standing. Moreover, the exception in South Carolina v. Regan, 84-1 USTC ¶9241, 465 U.S. 367, 373 (1984), applied to the facts of this case, therefore, the court held that the AIA did not foreclose its review of the states' claim.

Background
The federal tax code’s state and local tax (SALT) deduction permitted taxpayers to deduct from their taxable income all the money they paid in state and local income and property taxes. However, in 2017, Congress passed the TCJA which imposed a cap on the SALT deduction. The immediate impact of this cap was felt most acutely in states where the state and local tax liability of residents often exceeded the $10,000 maximum. Four of the most affected states, namely, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Maryland, sued the government asserting that the cap on the SALT deduction was unconstitutional on its face and unconstitutionally coerced them to abandon their preferred fiscal policies. The government responded by stating that the district court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to consider the states' claims and also defended the cap on the merits. The district court rejected the government's jurisdictional defense but dismissed the complaint for failure to state a claim. On appeal, the states argued that the district court erred on the merits.

Affirming an unpublished District Court opinion.

The IRS has reminded employers to check the Work Opportunity Tax Credit available for hiring long-term unemployment recipients and other groups of workers facing significant barriers to employment.

The IRS has reminded employers to check the Work Opportunity Tax Credit available for hiring long-term unemployment recipients and other groups of workers facing significant barriers to employment.

Cash contributions made either to supporting organizations or to establish or maintain a donor advised fund do not qualify. Also, cash contributions carried forward from prior years do not qualify, nor do cash contributions to most private foundations and most cash contributions to charitable remainder trusts.

Subject to certain limits, taxpayers who itemize could generally claim a deduction for charitable contributions made to qualifying charitable organizations. These range from 20 percent to 60 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI) and vary by the type of contribution and type of charitable organization. The law now permits electing individuals to apply an increased limit of up to 100 percent of their AGI, for qualified contributions made during 2021. More information can be found at https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-526.

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit encourages employers to hire workers certified as members of any of the following targeted groups facing barriers to employment:

• temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients;
• unemployed veterans, including disabled veterans;
• formerly incarcerated individuals;
• designated community residents living in Empowerment Zones or Rural Renewal Counties;
• vocational rehabilitation referrals;
• supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients;
• supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients;
• long-term family assistance recipients; and
• long-term unemployment recipients.

An employer must first request certification by submitting IRS Form 8850, Pre-screening Notice and Certification Request for the Work Opportunity Credit to their state workforce agency (SWA) to qualify for the credit within 28 days after the eligible worker commences work. However, under a special relief provision, a submission deadline on November 8, 2021, applies to qualified summer youth employees residing in Empowerment Zones and designated community residents residing in Empowerment Zones.

Eligible employees must commence work on or after January 1, 2021, and before October 9, 2021, to qualify for the submission deadline. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is claimed on eligible businesses' federal income tax returns and is usually based on wages paid to qualified workers during the first year of employment. The credit is first figured on Form 5884, Work Opportunity Credit, and then is claimed on Form 3800, General Business Credit.

Under a special rule, employers are permitted to claim the Work Opportunity Tax Credit for hiring qualified veterans, although the credit is not available to tax-exempt organizations for most groups of new hires. Such organizations claim the credit against payroll taxes on Form 5884-C, Work Opportunity Credit for Qualified Tax Exempt Organizations.

The IRS highlighted how expanded tax benefits help both individuals and businesses give to charity before the end of this year.

The IRS highlighted how expanded tax benefits help both individuals and businesses give to charity before the end of this year. The law now permits these taxpayers to claim a limited deduction on their 2021 federal income tax returns for cash contributions made to certain qualifying charitable organizations. These taxpayers, including married individuals filing separate returns, can claim a deduction of up to $300 for cash contributions made to qualifying charities during 2021. The maximum deduction is increased to $600 for married taxpayers filing joint returns. Nearly nine in 10 taxpayers now take the standard deduction and could potentially qualify to claim a limited deduction for cash contributions.

Cash contributions made either to supporting organizations or to establish or maintain a donor advised fund do not qualify. Also, cash contributions carried forward from prior years do not qualify, nor do cash contributions to most private foundations and most cash contributions to charitable remainder trusts.

Subject to certain limits, taxpayers who itemize could generally claim a deduction for charitable contributions made to qualifying charitable organizations. These range from 20 percent to 60 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI) and vary by the type of contribution and type of charitable organization. The law now permits electing individuals to apply an increased limit (Increased Individual Limit), up to 100 percent of their AGI, for qualified contributions made during 2021. More information can be found at https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-526.

The IRS issued a notice clarifying the application of certain extensions granted under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) for the election of COBRA coverage and payment of COBRA premiums due to the COVID-19 emergency.

The IRS issued a notice clarifying the application of certain extensions granted under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) for the election of COBRA coverage and payment of COBRA premiums due to the COVID-19 emergency. The IRS also addressed the interaction of COBRA continuation coverage under the Emergency Relief Notices with the COBRA premium assistance available for certain individuals under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (the ARP).

Guidance and Application of Extensions
COBRA permits qualified beneficiaries who lose coverage under a group health plan to elect continuation health coverage for a 60-day period after receipt of a COBRA election notice. The initial premium can not be due earlier than 45 days after that election.

Certain extensions were granted due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) emergency, and issued in the Joint Notification of Extensions of Certain Timeframes for Employee Benefit Plans, Participants, and Beneficiaries Affected by the COVID-19 Outbreak. Additional guidance was provided by Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) Disaster Relief Notice 2021-01. Under the Emergency Relief Notices, up to one year must be disregarded in determining the due dates for individuals to elect COBRA continuation coverage and pay COBRA premiums during the Outbreak Period. This notice clarifies that the disregarded period for an individual to elect COBRA continuation coverage and the disregarded period for the individual to make initial and subsequent COBRA premium payments generally run concurrently.

For example, if an individual elected COBRA continuation coverage outside of the initial 60-day COBRA election timeframe, that individual generally will have one year and 105 days (60 days plus 45 days) after the date the COBRA notice was provided to make the initial COBRA premium payment. If an individual elected COBRA continuation coverage within the initial 60-day COBRA election timeframe, that individual will only have one year and 45 days after the date of the COBRA election to make the initial COBRA premium payment.

Applying the disregarded periods in this way means that individuals who delay electing COBRA may not have more than one year of total disregarded time for the COBRA election and initial COBRA payment. For example, a taxpayer cannot delay electing COBRA continuation coverage for 6 months and then add another full year to the disregarded period for purposes of determining the deadline for making the initial COBRA premium payment (resulting in a total of 18 months of disregarded time for both the COBRA election and initial COBRA payment).

Transition Relief
To avoid inequitable outcomes, in no event will an individual be required to make the initial premium payment before November 1, 2021, even if November 1, 2021 is more than one year and 105 days after the date the election notice was received, provided that the individual makes the initial premium payment within one year and 45 days after the date of the election.

ARP COBRA Premium Assistance
On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) was enacted, providing for temporary COBRA premium assistance for certain “Assistance Eligible Individuals” for periods of coverage beginning on or after April 1, 2021, through periods of coverage beginning on or before September 30, 2021. The extensions of the timeframes under the Emergency Relief Notices do not apply to the periods for providing the required notice of the ARP extended election period or for electing COBRA continuation coverage with COBRA premium assistance under the ARP.

The IRS identified drought-stricken areas where tax relief is available to taxpayers that sold or exchanged livestock because of drought.

The IRS identified drought-stricken areas where tax relief is available to taxpayers that sold or exchanged livestock because of drought. The relief extends the deadlines for taxpayers to replace the livestock and avoid reporting gain on the sales. These extensions apply until the drought-stricken area has a drought-free year.

When Sales of Livestock are Involuntary Conversions
Sales of livestock due to drought are involuntary conversions of property. Taxpayers can postpone gain on involuntary conversions if they buy qualified replacement property during the replacement period. Qualified replacement property must be similar or related in service or use to the converted property.

Usually, the replacement period ends two years after the tax year in which the involuntary conversion occurs. However, a longer replacement period applies in several situations, such as when sales occur in a drought-stricken area.

Livestock Sold Because of Weather
Taxpayers have four years to replace livestock they sold or exchanged solely because of drought, flood, or other weather condition. Three conditions apply.

First, the livestock cannot be poultry.

Second, the taxpayer must have held the converted livestock for:

• draft;
• breeding; or
• dairy purposes.

Third, the weather condition must make the area eligible for federal assistance.

Persistent Drought
The IRS extends the four-year replacement period when a taxpayer sells or exchanges livestock due to persistent drought. The extension continues until the taxpayer’s region experiences a drought-free year.

The first drought-free year is the first 12-month period that:

• ends on August 31 in or after the last year of the four-year replacement period; and
• does not include any weekly period of drought.

What Areas are Suffering from Drought
The National Drought Mitigation Center produces weekly Drought Monitor maps that report drought-stricken areas. Taxpayers can view these maps at

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

However, the IRS also provided a list of areas where the year ending on August 31, 2021, was not a drought-free year. The replacement period in these areas will continue until the area has a drought-free year.

An individual was allowed to deduct the amount of premiums paid to provide health insurance coverage for his ex-spouse as alimony.

An individual was allowed to deduct the amount of premiums paid to provide health insurance coverage for his ex-spouse as alimony. The taxpayer had agreed to pay his then spouse’s health insurance premiums, incident to a separation agreement pending divorce, through a cafeteria plan provided by the taxpayer’s employer. Subsequently, the taxpayer had excluded the amount equal to the health insurance premiums pursuant to Code Secs. 106 and 125 from his gross income and also claimed an alimony deduction pursuant to Code Secs. 62 and 215 for the portion of the premiums covering his then spouse.

Double Deduction
There was no dispute that the taxpayer was entitled to exclude the health insurance compensation from his gross income. However, the IRS had challenged the taxpayer’s attempt to also deduct the alimony payments and argued that permitting the alimony deduction would create a windfall to the taxpayer by granting him the practical equivalent of multiple deductions for the same economic outlay. The tax court held that disallowing the alimony deduction would leave the taxpayer with a greater tax burden that would counter the intended purpose and operation of the general alimony regime. Therefore, the taxpayer undisputably qualified for both the exclusion and the alimony deduction, and no double tax benefit outcome could arise when considering the alimony regime as a whole. By asking to disallow the alimony deduction where the law plainly permits the taxpayer this right, the IRS attempted to disrupt the uniformity of the general alimony regime under the guise of the double deduction rules when no such threat was present.

Deduction for Wholly Tax-Exempt Income
In addition, the IRS contended that Code Sec. 265(a) disallowed the taxpayer’s alimony deduction because it provides that an amount may not be deducted if it is allocable to wholly tax-exempt income (other than interest). The tax court, however, had never applied Code Sec. 265(a)(1) to disallow an alimony deduction, or, in any instance where the supposed exempt item of income at issue was actually included in gross income by a different taxpayer. Moreover, the alimony payments were not considered allocable to wholly tax-exempt income for Code Sec. 265 purposes as the taxpayer was required to include it in her income.

The IRS has reminded taxpayers that the last quarter of 2021 is a good time to check withholding.

The IRS has reminded taxpayers that the last quarter of 2021 is a good time to check withholding. The IRS’s convenient Tax Withholding Estimator (https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator), will help taxpayers determine if they have too much withheld and how to make an adjustment to put more cash into their own pocket now. About 70 percent of taxpayers over withhold their taxes every year, which typically results in a refund. Alternatively, it will help taxpayers see that they should withhold more or make an estimated tax payment to avoid a tax bill when they file their tax return next year.

The following things need to be considered when adjusting withholding for 2021:

• Coronavirus tax relief - Tax help for taxpayers, businesses, tax-exempt organizations, and others, including health plans, affected by coronavirus (COVID-19).
• Disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes – Special tax law provisions may help taxpayers and businesses recover financially from the impact of a disaster, especially when the federal government declares their location to be a major disaster area.
• Job loss – 4128, Tax Impact of Job Loss, explained how this unfortunate circumstance can create new tax issues.
• Workers moving into the gig economy due to the pandemic – The IRS advised people earning income in the gig economy to consider estimated tax payments to avoid a balance or penalties when they file.
• Life changes such as marriage or childbirth – Getting married or having a child are just a couple of life events that can affect your refund or how much you owe.

Taxes are generally paid throughout the year whether from salary withholding, quarterly estimated tax payments, or a combination of both. Taxpayers can pay online, by phone, or from the IRS2Go app. Finally, taxpayers can schedule payments for future dates, which can be useful during filing season, for payment plan payments or for estimated tax payments.

The IRS released standards that a limited liability company (LLC) must satisfy to receive a determination letter recognizing it as tax-exempt under Code Secs. 501(a)(1) and 501(c)(3). This does not affect the status of organizations currently recognized under Code Sec. 501(c)(3).

The IRS released standards that a limited liability company (LLC) must satisfy to receive a determination letter recognizing it as tax-exempt under Code Secs. 501(a)(1) and 501(c)(3). This does not affect the status of organizations currently recognized under Code Sec. 501(c)(3).

Required Provisions
The IRS would issue said letter only if an LLC’s articles of organization and its operating agreement each include:

• provisions requiring that each member of the LLC be either (1) recognized as aforementioned; (2) a governmental unit under Code Sec. 170(c)(1); or (3) wholly-owned instrumentality of such, a governmental unit;
• express charitable purposes and charitable dissolution provisions;
• express chapter 42 compliance provisions under Code Sec. 508(e)(1), if the LLC is a private foundation; and
• an acceptable contingency plan (such as suspension of membership rights) in the event that one or more members cease to be except organizations or governmental units or wholly-owned instrumentalities.

Finally, comments could be made electronically via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov (type IRS-2020-0042 in the search field on regulations.gov to find this Notice and submit comments). Alternatively, send comments by mail: Internal Revenue Service, CC:PA:LPD:PR (Notice 2021-56), Room 5203, P.O. Box 7604, Ben Franklin Station, Washington, DC 20044.

Final regulations under Code Sec. 301 update the existing regulations under this provision to reflect statutory changes made by the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988 ( P.L. 100-647) (the 1988 Act).

Final regulations under Code Sec. 301 update the existing regulations under this provision to reflect statutory changes made by the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988 ( P.L. 100-647) (the 1988 Act). These changes generally provide that the amount of a Section 301 distribution of property made by a corporation to its shareholder is the fair market value of the distributed property. The final Section 301 regulations adopt prior proposed regulations ( NPRM REG-121694-16), without substantive changes, and apply generally to distributions made after September 22, 2021.

Code Sec. 301 and Amendments by the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988
Code Sec. 301 provides rules for the treatment of a distribution of property, including money, made by a corporation to its shareholder with respect to that shareholder’s stock ownership in that corporation (a Section 301 distribution).

The 1988 Act amended Code Sec. 301(b)(1) to provide that the amount of any Section 301 distribution is the amount of money received plus the fair market value of the other property received. The 1988 Act also amended Code Sec. 301(d) to provide that the basis of property received in a Section 301 distribution is the fair market value of such property (both amendments, collectively, are referred to as the 1988 amendments).

The current Section 301 regulations reflect the rules of these two provisions as they existed prior to the 1988 amendments. Accordingly, to the extent preempted by statute, the current regulations have no application.

2019 Proposed Regulations
In 2019, the IRS issued proposed regulations under Code Sec. 301 ( NPRM REG-121694-16) to reflect the 1988 amendments (2019 proposed regulations). The scope of the 2019 proposed regulations was limited to:

• deleting provisions made obsolete by statutory changes;
• making minor additions and revisions to reflect current statutory text;
• making certain non-substantive changes for purposes of clarity and readability, including reordering and redesignating paragraphs; and
• amending cross-references in regulations under other provisions to reflect the proposed reordering and redesignating of paragraphs in the Section 301 regulations.

Final Regulations
The final Section 301 regulations adopt the 2019 proposed regulations with no substantive changes and with certain non-substantive changes for purposes of clarity and readability. The final regulations apply to Section 301 distributions made after September 22, 2021. However, these regulations update the previous regulations under Code Sec. 301 to reflect the statutory changes made by the 1988 Act, which apply to distributions made in tax years beginning after December 31, 1986.

The Treasury and IRS have issued final regulations addressing the calculation of qualified business asset investment for qualified improvement property, under the alternative depreciation system (ADS), for purposes of the Code Sec. 250 deduction (for foreign-derived intangible income and Code Sec. 951A global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI)) and for purposes of determining GILTI.

The Treasury and IRS have issued final regulations addressing the calculation of qualified business asset investment for qualified improvement property, under the alternative depreciation system (ADS), for purposes of the Code Sec. 250 deduction (for foreign-derived intangible income and Code Sec. 951A global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI)) and for purposes of determining GILTI.

The regulations also contain transition rules relating to the impact of loss accounts on net operating loss carrybacks allowed under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (P.L. 116-136) (the "CARES Act”").

Treatment of Qualified Improvement Property Under Code Secs. 250 and 951A
The regulations clarify that the technical amendments to Code Sec. 168 made by section 2307(a) of the CARES Act apply to determine the adjusted basis of property under Code Sec. 250 and Code Sec. 951A. The CARES Act classified qualified improvement property as 15-year property with a 20-year recovery period, for purposes of ADS. The rule is treated as effective December 22, 2017. The ADS rules used for determining qualified business asset investments are the rules in effect on December 22, 2017.

NOL Carrybacks
The CARES Act allowed taxpayers to carryback for five years, NOLs incurred in 2018 through 2020. The regulations provide rules analogous to the existing transition rules in Reg. §1.904(f)-12(j) to situations involving an NOL arising in a post-2017 tax year that is carried back to a pre-2018 tax year. The rules of Reg. §1.904(g)-3(b) apply to the NOL carryback, and income in a pre-2018 separate category in the tax year to which the NOL is carried back is generally treated as if it included only income that would be assigned to the same separate category in post-2017 tax years.

Therefore, any separate limitation loss created by reason of a passive category component of a post-2017 NOL that is carried back to offset pre-2018 general category income will be recaptured in post-2017 tax years as general category income, and not as a combination of post-2017 general, foreign branch, or Code Sec. 951A category income. Losses will first ratably offset a taxpayer’s general category income in the carryback year, to the extent thereof, and that no separate limitation loss account will be created as a result of that offset. The amount of income in the general category available to be offset under this rule is determined after first offsetting the general category income in the carryback year by a post-2017 NOL component in the general category that is carried back to the same year.

PFIC Rules
Proposed regulations under Code Sec. 1297 and Code Sec. 1298, for determining whether a foreign corporation is treated as a passive foreign investment company (PFIC) and the treatment of income and assets of a qualifying insurance corporation that is engaged in the active conduct of an insurance business, were not finalized.

The Treasury and IRS intends to finalize the regulations separately.

An eligible taxpayer can deduct qualified interest on a qualified student loan for an eligible student's qualified educational expenses at an eligible institution. The amount of the deduction is limited, and it is phased out for taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeds certain thresholds.

An eligible taxpayer can deduct qualified interest on a qualified student loan for an eligible student's qualified educational expenses at an eligible institution. The amount of the deduction is limited, and it is phased out for taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeds certain thresholds.

The maximum deduction allowed for educational loan interest is $2,500. This amount is not adjusted for inflation.  For tax years beginning in 2017, the $2,500 maximum deduction for interest paid on qualified education loans is reduced when modified adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeds $65,000 ($135,000 for joint returns), and is completely eliminated when modified AGI reaches $80,000 ($165,000 for joint returns).

Planning tip: Some taxpayers may choose to take out a home equity loan to pay off their student debt. Use of a home-equity loan of up to $100,000 principal is allowed for purposes other than home improvement or purchase. Interest up to that amount is fully deduction, as an itemized mortgage interest deduction.

Student loan interest is an “above-the-line” deduction; the taxpayer need not itemize. 

Eligible student. An eligible student for purposes of eligible debt is a student enrolled in a college degree, certificate or other program, including a program of study abroad approved for credit at an institution of higher learning where the student is enrolled, and leading to a recognized educational credential at an eligible educational institution. The student must also carry at least one half of the normal full-time workload for the course of study being pursued during at least one academic period beginning during the tax year.

Student loan interest is not deductible if a dependency exemption is allowed for the taxpayer on someone else's return. Thus, if parents take a dependency exemption for a student who is the only person legally obligated to pay interest on a qualified loan, neither the parents nor the student is entitled to deduct any interest paid by the student during the time he is claimed as a dependent. A student may deduct interest paid in years after the student has ceased to be a dependent. 

Legal obligation. The taxpayer claiming the deduction must be legally obligated to make the interest payments. Thus, a parent who had signed for the student loan and is liable personally for its payment may deduct interest paid on the loan.

If a third party who is not legally obligated makes an interest payment on behalf of a taxpayer who is legally obligated, the taxpayer is treated as receiving the payment from the third party and using it to pay the interest. For instance, if an employer makes an interest payment on behalf of the employee, and the payment is included in the employee's income as compensation, the employee can deduct the payment. Similarly, if a parent pays interest on behalf of a non-dependent borrower, the borrower may deduct the interest.

Many businesses consider the occasional wining and dining of customers and clients just to stay in touch with them to be a necessary cost of doing business. The same goes for taking business associates or even employees out to lunch once in a while after an especially tough assignment has been completed successfully. It's easy to think of these entertainment costs as deductible business expenses, but they may not be. As a general rule, meals and entertainment are deductible as a business expense only if specific conditions are met. What's more, the deduction for either type of expense generally is limited to 50 percent of the cost.

Many businesses consider the occasional wining and dining of customers and clients just to stay in touch with them to be a necessary cost of doing business. The same goes for taking business associates or even employees out to lunch once in a while after an especially tough assignment has been completed successfully. It's easy to think of these entertainment costs as deductible business expenses, but they may not be. As a general rule, meals and entertainment are deductible as a business expense only if specific conditions are met. What's more, the deduction for either type of expense generally is limited to 50 percent of the cost. 

Meals and entertainment directly connected to business. To be considered directly connected to business, the meal or entertainment event must meet three conditions:

• It must have been scheduled with more than a general expectation of deriving future income or a specific business benefit from the event. In other words, a meal or dinner date arranged for general goodwill purposes does not qualify.
• A business meeting, negotiation, or transaction must actually occur during the meal or entertainment, or immediately preceding and following it. In other words, business actually must be discussed.
• The main character of the event, considering the facts and circumstances, is the active conduct of your company's trade or business.

For example, an executive employee who treats a client to a golf game in order to discuss the general parameters of a business deal in an informal atmosphere is engaged in entertainment that is directly connected to business. So is a manager who discusses sensitive business plans with a subordinate over lunch at an off-premises restaurant.

Applicable limitations. In general, only 50 percent of expenses incurred for entertainment and meal expenses is deductible. A limited exception applies to entertainment or on-premise meals provided to employees.

Expenses with respect to entertainment facilities generally are not deductible at all. A facility includes any item of personal or real property owned, rented, or used by a taxpayer if it is used during the tax year for or in connection with entertainment. They include yachts, hunting lodges, fishing camps, swimming pools, tennis courts, bowling alleys, automobiles, airplanes, apartments, hotel suites and homes in vacation resorts.

Country club dues are not deductible (although the meals purchased with business clients at the club are, up to the 50 percent limit). Deductions for skyboxes or other private luxury boxes at sporting events are limited to the face value of a nonluxury box seat ticket multiplied by the number of seats in the box.

Record-keeping requirements. Even if a meal or entertainment expense qualifies as a business expense, none of the cost is deductible unless strict and detailed substantiation and recordkeeping requirements are met to the letter.

Please contact our offices for assistance on how to comply with these requirements at minimum cost and expense, and how your business’s typical meal and entertainment expenses fare under the deduction rules.