William Byrnes' Tax, Wealth, and Risk Intelligence

Texas A&M University School of Law’s online wealth and international tax risk management graduate curricula for industry professionals has attracted over 160 enrollment this fall semester. Apply now for courses that begin January 11 spring semester. See the international tax course list by > weekly topic here. <

Texas A&M, annual budget of $6.3 billion (FY2020), is the largest U.S. public university, one of only 60 accredited U.S. universities of the American Association of Universities (R1: Doctoral Universities – Highest Research Activity) and one of only 17 U.S. universities that hold the triple U.S. federal grant of Land, Sea, and Space!

• Ranked in top 20 public universities by Wall Street Journal / Times Higher Education (2020)
• #1 endowment for U.S. public universities, #7 overall
• #1 of U.S. public universities for a superior education at an affordable cost
• #1 for most CEOs employed by Fortune 500
• Rank 11th “Best Public Colleges” Money’s Best Colleges Report, 2019
• Texas A&M ranks #1 in Texas, #1 in the SEC, and #12 in the U.S. in Washington Monthly’s 2020 overall college rankings based on the quality of education, accessibility, graduation rates, student involvement, and research: see tx.ag/WashMonth20

Prof. William H. Byrnes

Robert Bloink, J.D., LL.M.

The big news this week: One complication to the FFCRA and FMLA leave changes introduced by the CARES Act is the issue of W-2 reporting. While it’s not front-and-center in everyone’s mind right now, reporting season will come around again before you know it and the IRS has new guidance about how those types of leave should appear on an employee’s W-2. We also see updates on the Section 199A deduction for REIT shareholders and Premium Tax Credit-Related Inflation Adjustments for 2021.

IRS Provides Guidance on W-2 Reporting of FFCRA Paid Sick Leave and Expanded FMLA Leave

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requires smaller employers (under 500 employees) to provide paid sick leave and expanded FMLA leave for COVID-19-related reasons. IRS guidance requires W-2 reporting of those payments that provides important clarity for self-employed taxpayers. Self-employed taxpayers can claim a tax credit for FFCRA sick leave amounts. If they receive any FFCRA pay as an employee, they must reduce their credit amount by the amount paid by the employee. Because of this, employers are required to separately state the paid leave portion of employee compensation on their Form W-2, in Box 14. The employer can also report the FFCRA pay on a separate statement included with the employee’s W-2 for 2020. If the W-2 is provided electronically, the separate statement must be provided in the same manner and at the same time. For more information, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

IRS Final Rules Confirm: RIC Shareholders Receiving REIT Dividends Qualify for 199A Deduction

The IRS released final rules that allow dividends that a RIC shareholder receives from a REIT to qualify for the Section 199A deduction. These REIT dividends qualify for conduit treatment–so they are treated as though the shareholder received them directly. On the other hand, the treatment of qualified PTP income remains uncertain. The law itself states that directly received PTP income is eligible for the 20% deduction, but the IRS has not permitted similar conduit treatment for PTP income. This uncertainty could encourage more investors to invest directly in the PTP. For more information on the treatment of REIT dividends and PTP income in calculating the Section 199A deduction, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

IRS Releases Premium Tax Credit-Related Inflation Adjustments for 2021

The IRS has released the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credit-related inflation-adjusted numbers for use in 2021. In 2021, the percentage used to determine whether an individual is eligible for employer-sponsored health insurance that is affordable is 9.83 percent (up from 9.78 percent in 2020). This means that if the individual is required to contribute more than 9.83 percent of his or her household income toward health insurance in 2021, he or she may be eligible for premium tax credit assistance. For more information on determining when health coverage is deemed affordable for ACA purposes, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

Byrnes & Bloink’s Tax Facts Offers a Complete Web, App-Based, and Print Experience

Reducing complicated tax questions to understandable answers that can be immediately put into real-life practice, Tax Facts works when and where you need it….on your desktop, at home on your laptop, and on the go through your tablet or smartphone.

• all Tax Facts books
• Tax Facts Intelligence weekly newsletters
• weekly strategy articles for client advisory
• weekly transcribed debate discussion for client soft-skill discussion
• among other weekly client advisory critical updates

Questions? Contact customer service: TaxFactsHelp@alm.com| 800-543-0874