William Byrnes' Tax, Wealth, and Risk Intelligence

William Byrnes (Texas A&M) tax & compliance articles

Posts Tagged ‘Section 199A’

TaxFacts Intelligence Weekly Client Questions Answered on April 29

Posted by William Byrnes on April 29, 2019


2019’s Tax Facts Offers a Complete Web, App-Based, and Print Experience

William Byrnes and Robert Bloink reduce complicated tax questions to understandable client 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.  Questions? Contact customer service: TaxFactsHelp@alm.com| 800-543-0874

 

IRS Releases FAQ on Section 199A Shedding Light on Impact of S Corporation Health Insurance Deductions

The IRS has released a set of FAQs based upon the regulations governing the new Section 199A deduction for pass-through entities, such as S corporations. One potentially overlooked issue in the S corporation context is the impact of health insurance premium payments on QBI. The FAQ provides that health insurance premiums paid by the S corporation for a greater-than-2-percent shareholder reduce QBI at the entity level (by reducing the ordinary income used to calculate QBI). Similarly, when a self-employed individual takes a deduction for health insurance attributable to the trade or business, this will be a deduction in determining QBI and can reduce QBI at the entity and individual levels. For more information on the treatment of health insurance premiums in the S corporation context, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More
Post-Reform Life Insurance Reporting Regs Provide Relief for Certain Contacts Acquired in Business Combinations

The proposed regulations governing the new life insurance reporting requirements created by the 2017 tax reform legislation (which do not become effective until finalized) would exclude from the new rules situations where one entity acquires a C corporation that owns life insurance contracts, so long as the life insurance contracts do not represent more than half of the corporation’s assets. Generally, the new rule created by tax reform would make cause certain life insurance contracts to lose their tax-preferred status if transferred in a reportable policy sale (and most business combinations would qualify as such). Under the proposed rules, however, the pre-tax reform exceptions to the transfer for value rule could apply when a C corporation is acquired. For more information on the future reporting requirements that will apply, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More
Missed the April 15 Tax Filing Deadline? Tips for Obtaining an Extension After the Fact

With the 2018 tax filing deadline behind us, many taxpayers who were unable to complete their returns may be wondering what steps to take to file those returns after the deadline has expired. Most taxpayers can easily request an extension through October 15 by using Form 4868 (available at irs.gov) to request the extension. The form will require that the client provide his or her estimated tax liability–remembering that the filing extension only extends the time for filing a return, so that the client’s 2018 tax payment was still due April 15. If the client was impacted by certain recent disasters, including the California wildfires, severe storms in Alabama, and storms and flooding in Nebraska or Iowa, have automatically been granted various extensions, so are not required to complete the paperwork necessary to obtain the extension. For more information on federal income tax filing requirements, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

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TaxFacts Intelligence Weekly (Feb 7, 2019)

Posted by William Byrnes on February 8, 2019


William H. Byrnes, J.D., LL.M. and Robert Bloink, J.D., LL.M.

TAX REFORM DEVELOPMENTS

IRS Provides New 199A Safe Harbor for Rental Real Estate Activities
Since the introduction of Section 199A, business owners engaged in real estate activities have been confused by the new 20 percent deduction for qualified business income of certain pass-through entities. IRS proposed Revenue Procedure 2019-07 provide a safe harbor so that rental real estate businesses will qualify as “trades or businesses” if it: (1) maintains separate books and records for each rental enterprise, (2) involves the performance of at least 250 hours of rental real estate activities, and (3) maintains contemporaneous records regarding the rental real estate services. The safe harbor is effective for tax years ending after December 31, 2017. For more information, visit Tax Facts Online and Read More.

Final 199A Guidance on Tracking W-2 Wages Provides Guidance for Short Tax Years
The IRS has recently finalized the methods that a business owner can use to track W-2 wages for calculating the Section 199A deduction. The new guidance clarifies that, in the case of short taxable years, the business owner is required to use the “tracking wages method” with certain modifications. The total amount of wages subject to income tax withholding and reported on Form W-2 can only include amounts that are actually or constructively paid to the employee during the short tax year and reported on a Form W-2 for the calendar year with or within that short tax year. For more information on the methods available for calculating W-2 wages for Section 199A purposes, visit Tax Facts Online and Read More.

LITIGATION WATCH

Court Requires Employer to Pay Dependent Life Insurance Benefits After Failure to Provide SPD
A court recently ruled that an employer was required to pay life insurance benefits to an employee under a life insurance policy insuring her former spouse, which was offered by the employer as a dependent life insurance benefit. When the employee’s former husband died within three months’ of their divorce, her claim for benefits under the policy was denied because she was not an “eligible dependent” because of the divorce. The employee made several claims, including one that the she was not provided a summary plan description (SPD) with respect to the policy. The court agreed with the plaintiff’s claim that failure to provide the SPD was a breach of fiduciary duty under ERISA. For more information on employer-sponsored life insurance, visit Tax Facts Online and Read More.

2019’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.  Questions? Contact customer service: TaxFactsHelp@alm.com| 800-543-0874

 

Tax Facts Team

  • William H. Byrnes, J.D., LL.M, Tax Facts Author
  • Robert Bloink, J.D., LL.M., Tax Facts Author
  • Alexis Long, J.D., Senior Contributor
  • Richard Cline, J.D. Senior Director, Practical Insights
  • Jason Gilbert, J.D., Senior Editor
  • Patti O’Leary, Senior Editorial Assistant
  • Connie L. Jump, Senior Manager, Editorial Operations
  • Molly Miller, Publisher
  • Danielle Birdsail, Digital Marketing Manager
  • Emily Brunner, Editorial Assistant

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Guidance on receiving the 20% deduction from qualified business income; many rental real estate owners may claim deduction

Posted by William Byrnes on January 25, 2019


The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service issued final regulations and three related pieces of guidance, implementing the new qualified business income (QBI) deduction (section 199A deduction).

The new QBI deduction, created by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) allows many owners of sole proprietorships, partnerships, S corporations, trusts, or estates to deduct up to 20 percent of their qualified business income.  Eligible taxpayers can also deduct up to 20 percent of their qualified real estate investment trust (REIT) dividends and publicly traded partnership income.

The QBI deduction is available in tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2017, meaning eligible taxpayers will be able to claim it for the first time on their 2018 Form 1040.

The guidance, released today includes:

  • A set of regulations, finalizing proposed regulations issued last summer, A new set of proposed regulations providing guidance on several aspects of the QBI deduction, including qualified REIT dividends received by regulated investment companies
  • A revenue procedure providing guidance on determining W-2 wages for QBI deduction purposes,
  • A notice on a proposed revenue procedure providing a safe harbor for certain real estate enterprises that may be treated as a trade or business for purposes of the QBI deduction

The proposed revenue procedure, included in Notice 2019-07, allows individuals and entities who own rental real estate directly or through a disregarded entity to treat a rental real estate enterprise as a trade or business for purposes of the QBI deduction if certain requirements are met.  Taxpayers can rely on this safe harbor until a final revenue procedure is issued.

The QBI deduction is generally available to eligible taxpayers with 2018 taxable income at or below $315,000 for joint returns and $157,500 for other filers. Those with incomes above these levels, are still eligible for the deduction but are subject to limitations, such as the type of trade or business, the amount of W-2 wages paid in the trade or business and the unadjusted basis immediately after acquisition of qualified property. These limitations are fully described in the final regulations.

The QBI deduction is not available for wage income or for business income earned by a C corporation.

For details on this deduction, including answers to frequently-asked questions, as well as information on other TCJA provisions, visit IRS.gov/taxreform

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