The Tax Organizers to assist in compiling the information necessary to prepare your 2019 individual income tax return(s) were mailed early to mid-January 2020. Please complete the organizer to the best of your ability. In connection with all items of income, if married, please indicate whether the income is the taxpayer, spouse or joint (TSJ).  Please contact us if you haven't received your 2019 Tax Organizer or if you would like a blank version.

The Tax Organizers to assist in compiling the information necessary to prepare your 2019 individual income tax return(s) were mailed early to mid-January 2020. Please complete the organizer to the best of your ability. In connection with all items of income, if married, please indicate whether the income is the taxpayer, spouse or joint (TSJ).  Please contact us if you haven't received your 2019 Tax Organizer or if you would like a blank version.

The Internal Revenue Service and State Taxing Authorities are matching information returns submitted by businesses, employers and financial institutions with amounts reported on individual tax returns.  Negligence penalties may be assessed when income is underreported. Please be certain to mail or bring with you all of the following original unstapled forms as well as your Organizer (Form # is shown in the upper right-hand corner of the Organizer):

1) Dependent information including names, relationship, date of birth and social security numbers (if a dependent is no longer a student please indicate) (Forms 3 and 3A).  Please remember that names and social security numbers must match exactly in order for the dependent to be allowed.

2) All W-2 forms for wages (Form 3A).

3) All 1099 forms for interest, dividends, sales of securities, pension / IRA distributions, social security benefits, commissions and other income received as well as brokerage statements and realized gain/loss schedules (Forms 5A, 5B, 5EA, 7, 9, 9A and 13).  If you have a foreign bank account, please list it and all applicable information on Form 5C.  Congress has been sharply focused on requiring taxpayer reporting of foreign bank/financial accounts and assets for the last several years.  Besides filing the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, information may be required to be attached to the taxpayer's income tax return for those assets with aggregate values exceeding specific thresholds.  If applicable, you will be requested to provide additional information. 

NOTE: Form 114 FinCEN (previously known as Form TD F 90-22.1, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts) (FBAR) must be electronically filed via the BSA E-Filing System.  Our firm can assist you with the preparation and submission of the electronic FBARs; however, the primary responsibility for this filing remains with the taxpayer.  2019 FBAR filings are due April 15, 2020 with a maximum extension for a 6- month period ending October 15, 2020 to file.

4) All notices from corporations, financial institutions or mutual funds that advise of special tax treatment for earnings.

5) Report of tax-exempt interest and dividends received (Form 5A, 5B and 5EA) with payer identification.

6) Supporting information (including 1099 MISC forms) for business income and expenses (Forms 6, 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D).  For business use of your home, please include the square footage of your home used exclusively for business as well as total square footage of your home on Form 6D (this is required information).

7) Copies of closing statements for any real estate, co-op or condominium purchases or sales which occurred during the year and a copy of the Form 1099B received for gross proceeds (Form 8).  Please remember to include the acquisition date of the property sold, the original cost and improvements. 

8) All 5498 forms and support for 2019 retirement contributions made to date or anticipated to be made for the 2019 tax year (Form 9 and 9A).  Please indicate on Form 9 if you want maximum contribution limits calculated.

9) All 1098 and 1099 MISC forms supporting rental income and expenses (Forms 10 and 10A).  Please be sure to include details for all improvements made and capital assets purchased including acquisition dates.

10) All Schedule K-1 forms (Form 11) from partnerships, limited liability companies, S corporations, trusts and estates including all supporting literature received including state specific K-1s and transmittal/cover letters.

11) All 1099G forms (Form 13) issued/received from State Taxing Authorities.  These forms are available from Connecticut and New York online only. 

12) Adjustments to Income (Forms 13 and 13A) – please be sure to include educator expenses, alimony paid/received, health savings account contributions/distributions and student loan interest paid including all 1098-E forms.  For Health Savings Accounts, please include a statement(s) and 1099 forms that recap the 2019 activity in order to verify the beginning and ending balances of the account.

13) Real estate and personal property taxes paid – please be sure to include only taxes paid during the calendar year 2019.

14) All 1098 forms for interest expense deductions - Please identify for each 1098 form if the loan interest paid is for a home mortgage (secured by principal residence or vacation home) or investment activity (Form 14A).  If your total debt exceeds $1 million, please include the balance of each loan at January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019.  In addition, please supply new home acquisition balances from December 15, 2017 and beyond if the debt exceeds $750,000.  NOTE: With respect to home mortgages, please note the question on Form 2C should also reference new home mortgages incurred after December 15, 2017 and whether the loan balance exceeds $750,000. See tax planning letter for more details.

15) Contributions (Form 15 - See note on top of the form) – be careful in reporting your contributions as the IRS is aggressively challenging those which appear to be excessive in dollars and valuation.  Please include supporting documentation for cash contributions with values in excess of $250 and noncash contributions with values that exceed $500.

16) Child/Dependent care expenses (Form 18) – Please provide the name, address and social security # and/or employer identification # of the providers as this is required.

17) Household Employment Taxes (Form 19) including W-2 forms for wages paid and quarterly state unemployment returns filed for the 2019 tax year.

18) A schedule of estimated taxes paid (Forms 20 and 20A) for federal and state income taxes including payments made in January 2020 for the 2019 tax year and payments made in January 2019 for the 2018 tax year.  Please be sure to include the date for each payment made.

19) All W-2G forms (Form 13) for gambling winnings.

20) IMPORTANT: (Form 2) Notification received from providers documenting the existence of health insurance coverage for 2019 for you, your spouse and/or dependents. (include Forms 1095-A, 1095-B and/or 1095-C as applicable).

21) Copies of any notices or other communications received during the year from the Internal Revenue Service and State Taxing Authorities.

22) Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (Form 3A) – If you have received notification that an IP PIN has been assigned to you and/or your spouse by the IRS, it is imperative that this information be provided to us with your tax documents as you cannot efile your income tax return without it and our firm has no access to this information.

Because of government enforcement regulations and fraud prevention initiatives, we are requesting that you include copies of the social security cards for yourself, spouse and dependents.  If you provided us with copies of social security cards in the past, you do not have to provide it again; however, the driver’s license and passports on file must be current.  Also, if you are a new client to the firm, include a copy of the current driver’s license for yourself and your spouse as we are required to input the current information in order to electronically file. If you have any questions, please call our office to verify your information on file.  Please review and correct, if necessary, the personal and dependent information, including dates of birth on Forms 3 and 3A. The spelling of names must match the social security cards issued or correspondence from the IRS will be generated.  Returns cannot be filed electronically if discrepancies exist between the tax return and the Social Security Administration.  Refunds will not be issued until the matter is resolved. 

When completing Form 7 in the Tax Organizer, Sales of Stocks, Securities, Capital Assets & Installment Sales, special care should be taken in providing complete and accurate information, especially acquisition dates and cost. For re-investment programs, such as mutual funds and dividend reinvestment programs, it is necessary to provide all data since initial acquisition unless the fund/broker provides the cost information.  Taxpayers are required to complete Form 8949, Sales and Other Dispositions of Capital Assets, along with Schedule D to report this activity.  Form 8949 captures the detail data of each individual sales transaction in conjunction with cost basis information as reported by your broker/financial institution under reporting regulations.

In order to continue providing quality service on a timely basis, we urge you to collect your information as soon as possible.  If information from a “pass-through” entity such as a partnership, S corporation, limited liability company, trust or estate is the only data you are missing, please send the data you have assembled and forward the missing information as soon as it is available. Please clearly indicate which information is missing.  If we do not receive your complete information by March 23, 2020, we cannot guarantee timely completion of your tax returns for the April 15, 2020 filing deadline.  

After completing the Tax Organizer, please sign and date the COVER SHEET before returning it to our office.  Please be sure to include all of your contact information on the COVER SHEET as well - telephone numbers, fax numbers and email addresses, if applicable and the preferred method of contact.

If you or your spouse worked in New York with your residence outside of New York or you worked in Connecticut with your residence outside of Connecticut, please complete the enclosed allocation of wage and salary income.  If you held multiple jobs during the year, please provide a separate allocation schedule for each job.

Two full years have passed since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was signed into law.  Over the last two years, the IRS and Treasury have released a considerable amount of guidance in the form of both proposed and final regulations.  While some of this guidance has been taxpayer friendly, not all of the proposed regulations yield favorable results.  As we approach year end, taxpayers continue to seek additional clarity about areas where temporary regulations might affect their individual returns.

Two full years have passed since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was signed into law.  Over the last two years, the IRS and Treasury have released a considerable amount of guidance in the form of both proposed and final regulations.  While some of this guidance has been taxpayer friendly, not all of the proposed regulations yield favorable results.  As we approach year end, taxpayers continue to seek additional clarity about areas where temporary regulations might affect their individual returns.

The following is a discussion of the rules applicable to the filing of 2019 individual income taxes.

TAX RATES - For 2019 there are seven income tax brackets ranging between 10% and 37% for ordinary income.  The 37% tax bracket is imposed on taxable income over threshold amounts as follows:

• $612,350 for married taxpayers filing jointly and surviving spouses
• $306,175 for married taxpayers filing separately
• $510,300 for heads of households
• $510,300 for single taxpayers

For 2020, there are still seven brackets and the 37% tax bracket is imposed on taxable income over the following thresholds:

• $622,050 for married taxpayers filing jointly and surviving spouses
• $311,025 for married taxpayers filing separately
• $518,400 for heads of households
• $518,400 for single taxpayers

These rates apply, absent new legislation, to all years until December 31, 2025.

Besides the reduction in rates and expansion of the tax brackets, perhaps the biggest change to deductions was the elimination of the personal exemption effective 2018.  This is to be offset, in part, by the increase in the standard deduction.  For 2019, the standard deduction has essentially been doubled to $12,200 for single taxpayers and $24,400 for married couples filing jointly.  For 2020, the standard deduction is $12,400 for single taxpayers and $24,800 for married filing jointly.

On December 28, 2018 New York State Department of Taxation issued a Technical Memorandum stating that they decoupled from certain personal income tax IRS changes for 2018 and after implemented via TCJA.  These items include certain itemized deductions, alimony or separate maintenance payments, qualified moving expenses reimbursement and moving expenses, Empire State child tax credit and New York 529 college savings account withdrawals.

LONG TERM CAPITAL GAINS AND QUALIFYING DIVIDENDS TAX RATE – The favorable rate of 0% for taxpayers in the 10% and 15% brackets remains unchanged from 2017.  In the TCJA, these rates apply at different thresholds for 2019 and 2020 as follows:

• The 0% tax rate applies to adjusted net capital gain up to $78,750 and $80,000 for joint filers and surviving spouses, $52,750 and $53,600 for heads of household, $39,375 and $40,000 for single filers, $39,375 and $40,000 for married taxpayers filing separately and $2,650 and $2,650 for estates and trusts;
• The 15% tax rate applies to adjusted net capital gain over the amount subject to the 0% rate, and up to $488,850 and $496,600 for joint filers and surviving spouses, $461,700 and $469,500 for heads of household, $434,550 and $425,800 for single filers, $244,425 and $248,300 for married taxpayers filing separately, and $12,950 and $13,150 for estates and trusts; and
• The 20% tax rate applies to adjusted net capital gain over $488,850 and $496,601 for joint filers and surviving spouses, $461,700 and $469,051 for heads of household, $434,500 and $441,451 for single filers, $244,425 and $248,300 for married taxpayers filing separately, and $12,950 and $12,950 for estates and trusts.

Remaining unchanged from prior years is the 25% rate for unrecaptured Code Sec. 1250 gain, the 28% rate for collectibles and gain on qualified small business stock equal to its partial exclusion.

Qualified dividends received from domestic corporations and qualified foreign corporations continue to be taxed at the same rates that apply to capital gains.  Certain dividends do not qualify for the reduced rates, including dividends paid by credit unions, mutual insurance companies, and farmers’ cooperatives.

NET INVESTMENT INCOME TAX (NIIT) – An additional Medicare surtax of 3.8% is imposed on the lesser of net investment income (NII) or modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) above a specified threshold.  However, the Medicare surtax is not imposed on income derived from a trade or business, nor from the sale of property used in a trade or business.

NII includes the following investment income reduced by certain investment-related expenses, such as investment interest expense, investment brokerage fees, royalty related expenses, and state and local taxes allocable to items included in net investment income:

• Gross income from interest, dividends, annuities, royalties, and rents, provided this income is not derived in the ordinary course of an active trade or business
• Gross income from a trade or business that is a passive activity
• Gross income from a trade or business of trading in financial instruments or commodities
• Gain from the disposition of property, other than property held in an active trade or business

Individuals are subject to the 3.8% NIIT if their MAGI exceeds the following thresholds (which are not adjusted for inflation):

• $250,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly or a qualifying widower with a dependent child
• $125,000 for married taxpayers filing separately
• $200,000 for single and head of household taxpayers

ADDITIONAL HI (MEDICARE) TAX - Higher income (HI) individuals continue to be subject to an additional 0.9% HI (Medicare) tax, not to be confused with the 3.8% Medicare surtax on NIIT. The additional Medicare tax means that the portion of wages received in connection with employment in excess of $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples filing jointly and $125,000 for married couples filing separately) is subject to a 2.35% Medicare tax rate (normal 1.45% plus additional .9%). The additional Medicare tax also applies to self-employed individuals.   

ALTERNATIVE MINIMUM TAX (AMT) – The TCJA temporarily increased the Alternative minimum tax (AMT) exemption amounts for 2019 and 2020 as follows:

• $111,700 for married taxpayers filing jointly and surviving spouses for 2019 and $113,400 for 2020
• $71,700 for unmarried taxpayers and heads of household, other than surviving spouses, for 2019 and $72,900 for 2020
• $55,850 for married taxpayers filing separately for 2019 and $56,700 for 2020

Exemptions for the AMT are phased out as taxpayers reach high levels of alternative minimum taxable income (AMTI). Generally, the exemption amounts are phased out by an amount equal to 25% of the amount by which an individual’s AMTI exceeds a threshold level.  The threshold amounts for calculating the exemption phase-out are adjusted for inflation as follows:

• $1,020,600 in 2019 and $1,036,800 in 2020 for married taxpayers filing jointly and surviving spouses
• $510,300 in 2019 and $518,400 in 2020 for unmarried taxpayers and heads of household, other than surviving spouses
• $510,300 in 2019 and $518,400 in 2020 for married taxpayers filing separately

For 2019 and 2020, the AMT rates are 26% and 28% on the excess of AMTI over the applicable exemption amount. You should not ignore the possibility of being subject to the AMT as it can negate certain year-end tax strategies; however, tax planning strategies can be used to reduce its impact. As a general rule, taxpayers subject to AMT should accelerate income into AMT years and postpone deductions into non-AMT years.

STOCK LOSSES – Taxpayers should continually review their investments for return and portfolio balance.  They should monitor their investments to take steps necessary to time the recognition of capital gains and losses to minimize their net capital gains tax and maximize the benefit of capital losses.  Remember for tax purposes it is not how much your investments have gone up or down in value but rather how much gain or loss you have realized when an investment is sold since its original purchase date.  The maximum capital loss deduction available to offset ordinary income is $3,000 ($1,500 for married taxpayers filing separately) with the additional capital losses being carried forward until used.  Taxpayers also need to take “wash sale” rules into consideration when generating losses.  The wash sale rule defers use of a tax loss realized upon a sale of stock if the investor repurchases it within 30 days before or after the sale.  Worthless stock also generates an immediate capital loss; however, the rules for “worthless” stocks are very strict.  Stocks and securities must be totally worthless for a taxpayer to take a loss deduction; a mere decrease in value, no matter how great, will not trigger a loss deduction.

ROTH IRA CONVERSIONS - Modified gross income limitations applicable to Roth IRA conversions were repealed and 2010 was the first year in which a taxpayer could convert all or part of their traditional retirement accounts to a Roth account, regardless of income, age or filing status.  A conversion is a taxable transfer and is taxable in the year of conversion.  Under prior law, a Taxpayer could recharacterize IRA contributions from one type of IRA to another.  TCJA provides that a recharacterization cannot be used to unwind a Roth conversion. A taxpayer may still make a contribution to a traditional IRA and convert the Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA but the change is that the Roth conversion can then not be unwound using recharacterization.

IRA & ROTH IRA CONTRIBUTIONS – The maximum contribution is $6,000 for 2019 and 2020 provided you have at least $6,000 respectively of wage, salary or net self-employment earnings.  An additional “catch-up” contribution of $1,000 is allowed for taxpayers over 50 years of age by the end of the tax year for 2019 and 2020.  Contributions to a Roth IRA may continue after age 70 1/2 (by the end of the tax year) but not to a traditional IRA.  Remember that IRA and Roth IRA contributions for the 2019 tax year can be made up to April 15, 2020.

401K AND 403B CONTRIBUTIONS - The annual limit on employee elective deferrals to these plans for 2019 is $19,000 and $19,500 for 2020.  The maximum “catch-up” contribution to a 401K and 403B plan for taxpayers over 50 years of age by the end of the tax year is an additional $6,000 for 2019 and $6,500 for 2020.

CHILD DEPENDENT CARE (CDC) CREDIT – For 2019, the maximum amount of qualifying expenses to which the credit may be applied is $3,000 for individuals with one qualifying child or dependent (for a maximum credit of $1,050) or $6,000 for individuals with two or more qualifying children or dependents (for a maximum credit of $2,100).  For taxpayers with AGI between $15,000 and $43,000, the 35% credit rate is reduced by 1% for each $2,000 of AGI until the credit percentage is 20% for taxpayers with AGI of $43,000.

CHILD TAX CREDIT (CTC) – Beginning in 2018, the CTC doubled to $2,000 for each qualifying child under the age of 17.  For example, a taxpayer with two qualifying children will be entitled to a credit of $4,000.  The refundable portion of the credit is increased to a maximum amount of $1,400 per qualifying child.  In addition, the earned income threshold for determining refund ability is decreased to $2,500 (from the $3,000 amount that was in effect before TCJA was enacted).  A qualifying child must have a Social Security Number to be eligible for the CTC. 

Taxpayers are allowed a $500 credit per qualifying person for any dependents who are not eligible for CTC.  Eligibility is subject to certain rules including the tax tests for dependency.

For 2019, the total credit amount allowed to a married couple filing jointly is reduced by $50 for every $1,000 (or part of a $1,000) by which their AGI exceeds $400,000.  The threshold is $200,000 for all other taxpayers.  So, if you were previously prohibited from taking the credit because your AGI was too high, you may now be eligible to claim the credit.

EDUCATION INCENTIVES – The following are education incentives which exist under current law. 

American Opportunity Tax Credit: The American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) was made permanent by the 2015 PATH Act and was not changed by TCJA.  This $2,500 maximum credit per eligible student is subject to the higher income phase-out ranges of $80,000 to $90,000 for single filers ($160,000 to $180,000 for joint filers) and contains a 40% refundable credit component.  The eligibility extension to the first four years of post-secondary education contains an inclusion for text books and course materials as eligible expenses. The Lifetime Learning Credit was also retained.

Student Loan Interest Deduction: If your modified adjusted gross income during 2019 is less than $85,000 ($170,000 for married filing jointly), a deduction is allowed for interest paid on a student loan used for higher education up to a maximum of $2,500.  This figure will continue to be adjusted each year for inflation. 

Coverdell Education Savings Accounts (ESAs): Total contributions for the beneficiary of this account cannot exceed $2,000 in any year no matter how many accounts have been established.  Contributions to a Coverdell ESA are not deductible but amounts deposited in the account grow tax free until distributed.

Employer-Provided Education Assistance: Employees are allowed to exclude from gross income and wages up to $5,250 in annual educational assistance provided under an employer's nondiscriminatory "educational assistance plan." 

Scholarship Programs: An amount received as a qualified scholarship and used for qualified tuition and related expenses is excludable from income.  The exclusion does not apply to any portion of the amount received which represents payment for teaching, research, or other services by the student as a required condition for receiving the qualified scholarship.  However, scholarship recipients with obligatory service requirements under the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and the Armed Forces Scholarship Program can exclude from income qualified tuition and related expenses as well as amounts that represent payment for services.

Section 529 Accounts:  TCJA expanded potential usage of 529 Plans to include elementary and secondary school tuition for public, private and religious schools up to $10,000 per year per student.  Previously, only Coverdell ESA funds could be used for primary and secondary expenses.  New York opted not to follow TCJA; therefore, for New York purposes, withdrawals for kindergarten through 12^th grade school tuition are NOT qualified withdrawals under the New York 529 college savings account program.

MEDICAL EXPENSE THRESHOLD -  For tax years beginning after December 31, 2018, a deduction will be allowed for the expenses paid during the tax year for the medical care of the taxpayer, the taxpayer’s spouse and the taxpayer’s dependents to the extent the expenses exceed 7.5% of adjusted gross income through the end of 2020.  In 2021, the 7.5% will move up to 10%.  Prior to the last minute tax law changes signed right before the new year, the 2019 threshold was supposed to be 10% of adjusted gross income.

CHARITABLE GIVING –

• Congress has long used the tax laws to encourage charitable giving and for many individuals, charitable giving is also a part of their year-end tax strategy. The PATH Act of 2015 made permanent the popular charitable giving incentive with tax-free IRA distributions to public charities by individuals age 70 1/2 and older up to a maximum of $100,000 per qualified taxpayer per year. Individuals taking this option cannot claim a deduction for the charitable gift as the distribution is not claimed as income.
• Congress tightened the rules for substantiation requirements for charitable contributions effective August 17, 2006. The IRS will not allow charitable deductions, regardless of the amount, without proper documentation. Contributions of $250 or more must be substantiated by a written acknowledgement from the donee organization; the acknowledgement must include the date of the donation, amount of cash or a description of property donated and a description and good faith estimate of the value of any goods or services received in exchange for the contribution.  If the donor does not receive a written acknowledgment from a charitable organization, it is the donor’s responsibility to obtain it in order to claim the charitable contribution.  Contributions under $250 must be substantiated by cancelled checks, bank records or receipts from the donee organization.  If it would be impracticable to obtain a receipt, the donor must maintain reliable written records. 
• Just like the rules for cash gifts, the rules for substantiating deductions for donations of clothing and household items (i.e. furniture, furnishings, electronics, appliances) were tightened after August 17, 2006 and will only be allowed if the property is in “good used condition or better”. Donors must have a written acknowledgement from the charity documenting the donation date, description of property donated, a description and good faith estimate of the value of any goods or services received in exchange for the contribution and a valuation/qualified appraisal of the property donated, if applicable.  A deduction for the noncash goods will be allowed, without regard to condition, only if a qualified appraisal is attached to the return for each single item or group of similar items over $500.  We recommend that pictures be taken of any noncash goods that are donated as it will be helpful in supporting the deduction.

Taxpayers donating vehicles (i.e. car, truck, boat, and aircraft) to a charity valued over $500 must obtain from the charity and attach to the tax return Form 1098-C and/or a written acknowledgment of the contribution.  The donation amount is usually limited to the gross proceeds from the sale of the vehicle by the charity.

Gifting of appreciated securities for making charitable contributions continues to be a significant alternative instead of using cash.  In this manner, the appreciated value will not be taxed, low cost basis stock is removed from your portfolio/estate and the fair-market value of the security will be used as the charitable contribution.

IRS has been aggressively reviewing and challenging charitable donations in response to these new substantiation requirements.  It is expected that this trend will continue.  The burden of proof will be on the taxpayer so it is imperative that good records and supporting documentation is maintained.

EDUCATOR EXPENSES – The 2015 PATH Act permanently extended the teacher's classroom expense deduction that allows primary and secondary education professionals to deduct (above-the-line) qualified expenses up to $250 paid out-of-pocket during the year.  Eligible expenses in excess of the $250 limit are no longer deductible as a miscellaneous itemized deduction on Schedule A.  Even though the $250 limit is subject to adjustment for inflation, it remains the same for 2019 and 2020.

BONUS DEPRECIATION & SECTION 179 BUSINESS EXPENSING ELECTIONS –

Bonus Depreciation: Pursuant to TCJA for qualified purchases placed into service after September 27, 2017, 100% of the purchase price can be expensed. This 100% expensing will continue until 2022.  There is a scheduled phase-down to 80% starting in 2023 and ending at 20% in 2026, after which the provision is set to expire.  Unlike regular depreciation, where half year and mid quarter conventions may apply, a taxpayer is entitled to the full 100% bonus depreciation based on when the asset is purchased. Therefore, year-end placed in service strategies provide immediate “cash discount” for qualifying purchases, even when considering finance costs.

Bonus depreciation under old law is available only for new property (i.e. property whose original use begins with the taxpayer) depreciable under MACRS that (a) has a recovery period of 20 years or less, (b) is MACRS water utility property, (c) is computer software depreciable over three years, or (d) is qualified leasehold improvement property. An enticing provision under the new law whereby qualified property includes property that has been used (i.e. the original use does not have to originate with the purchaser).  A taxpayer may elect out of bonus depreciation with respect to any class of property placed in service during the tax year. Although this election may be factored into a year-end strategy, a final decision on making it is not required until the tax return is filed. Bonus depreciation is not a preference item for alternative minimum tax.

Code Sec. 179 Expensing: The PATH Act’s provisions made the enhanced Section 179 expense deduction permanent for taxpayers (other than estates, trusts or certain non-corporate lessors) that elect to treat the cost of qualifying property (generally defined as depreciable tangible property that is purchased for use in an active trade or business) as an expense rather than a capital expenditure. Thus, the current Section 179 dollar cap for 2019 and 2020 is $1,020,000 and $1,040,000 with an overall investment limitation of $2,550,000 and $2,590,000.

Revised Repair/Capitalization Rules: IRS issued comprehensive final rules on the treatment of payments to acquire, produce or improve tangible property.  Beginning January 1, 2014, businesses were required to use these new rules in determining whether they can deduct their costs as repairs under Code Section 162(a) or must capitalize the costs, to be recovered over a period of years under Code Section 263(a).

A relatively new election that is available for “de minimis” asset purchases if certain requirements are met.  When this election is in place, your business may simply expense that which falls below a specified level to the extent that the amounts are deducted for financial accounting purposes or in keeping with your books and records.  The de minimis threshold can be up to $5,000 (per invoice or per item as substantiated on the invoice) if your business has financial statements audited by an independent certified public accountant (CPA) or issued to a state or federal agency.  The threshold is $2,500 for firms without such financial statements.

AUTOMOBILE MILEAGE RATE - Many taxpayers use the standard mileage rates to help simplify their recordkeeping. Using the business standard mileage rate takes the place of deducting the applicable business percentage of the actual costs of your vehicle such as maintenance and repairs, gas and oil, insurance, license and registration fees.  If you choose to use the actual expense method to calculate your business vehicle deduction, you must maintain very careful records by keeping track of the actual costs during the year to maintain and run your vehicle.  One of the most important tools is a mileage log book that details date, miles driven, location and purpose for the vehicle during the calendar year.  Our office can help you compare the benefits of using the business standard mileage rate or the actual expense method.

Business standard mileage rate: The business standard mileage rate for 2019 is 58.00 cents per mile.  The 2020 rate is 57.50 cents per mile. 

Medical/Moving standard mileage rate: The medical/moving standard mileage rate for 2019 is 20.00 cents per mile.  The 2020 rate is 17.00 cents per mile. 

Charitable standard mileage rate:   Taxpayers who itemize deductions may be able to claim a deduction for miles driven in service of a charitable organization. The standard mileage rate for charitable miles as determined by IRS for 2019 and 2020 is 14.00 cents per mile. 

COLLEGE SAVINGS PROGRAMS/PLANS – Connecticut allows a deduction from federal adjusted gross income for contributions made into a CT higher education trust fund (CHET).  New York allows a deduction from federal adjusted gross income for contributions into a New York 529 college savings plan.  The maximum deduction in each state is $5,000 for a single taxpayer and $10,000 for married filing joint.  However, Connecticut allows contributions in excess of these limits to be carried forward for five years; New York does not allow for any carry forward. 

RESIDENTIAL ENERGY CREDIT – The tax credit for making qualified energy improvements to your principal residence, including windows, energy-saving exterior doors, insulation, and certain metal roofs expired in 2016.  Credit for solar electric and solar water heating property expenditures was extended through 2021.  The 30% credit rate is available through 2019 and the credit rate drops to 26% in 2020 and 22% in 2021.

HEALTH CARE REFORM - The Affordable Care Act (ACA) brought a sea of change to our traditional image of health insurance.  Taxpayers and employers will continue to weigh the benefits and costs of obtaining coverage in a public marketplace or a private insurance exchange for themselves and their employees.  Small businesses may be eligible for a tax credit to help pay for health insurance.  Individuals may qualify for a premium assistance tax credit, which is refundable and payable in advance, to offset the cost of coverage. 

Taxpayers began to comply with the tax reporting provisions of ACA in 2014 and employers began complying in 2015.  The reporting level of information continued in 2018.  Individuals reported if they had minimum essential health coverage for all or part of the year, for themselves and their dependents unless exempt.  Taxpayers who were covered for the entire year by health insurance obtained through their workplace will have to check a box to indicate that they had coverage.  Taxpayers will receive Forms 1095-B and/or Form 1095-C from their employers documenting coverage.  The rest of those filing individual tax returns either will have received health coverage through a Health Insurance Marketplace or will not have health insurance coverage.  Those who obtained insurance through the Marketplace will receive Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, which will explain their coverage and detail any premium tax credit they received in advance.  Individuals who are not covered by minimum essential coverage and who are not exempt may be liable for an individual shared responsibility payment (also known as a penalty).  For 2019 and 2020, the shared responsibility payment has been eliminated. 

Individuals with flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and similar arrangements should take a look at their annual spending habits and project how they will use these tax favored funds in the future.  The maximum salary reduction contribution to a FSA is $2,700 for 2019 and $2,750 for 2020.  Adjusted for inflation, the annual limitation on deductible contributions to health savings accounts (HSAs) for an individual with self-only coverage under a high deductible health plan (HDHP) is $3,500 for 2019 and $3,550 for 2020; $7,000 for 2019 and $7,100 in 2020 for family coverage. The HSA catch up contributions for age 55 or older is $1,000 for 2018 and 2019 for single and family coverage.

Please note the deadline for employers to issue 1095-B and 1095-C forms for tax year 2019 is March 2, 2020 so these will be arriving late.

GIFT TAXES – Slow and steady estate planning can yield dramatic results - take advantage of the annual gift-giving limits to reduce your income and estate tax liabilities. For 2019 and 2020, the annual exclusion is $15,000 ($30,000 per person for couples.) Remember that if you gift stock, the recipient of the gift takes over the donor’s cost basis and holding period for the security; therefore, the donor needs to provide the recipient with this information.  Effective January 1, 2005, Connecticut laws changed and no gift tax was due by a donor until their cumulative gifts from this date forward added up to $2,000,000; however, a gift tax return has to be filed annually declaring all federal taxable gifts that are made in a tax year.  Due to recent legislation, these exemptions are now $3,600,000 for 2019, $5,100,000 in 2020, $7,100,000 in 2021, $9,100,000 in 2022, and the federal basic exclusion amount for 2023 and thereafter.  Direct payments of educational expenses to a qualified institution for family members, or other beneficiaries, is not treated as a gift for tax purposes and does not count against the annual exclusion amount or the lifetime exemption.

ESTATE TAX REFORM – While TCJA retains the estate tax rate at 40%, for 2019 and 2020 the estate tax exemption moves up $11,400,000 and $11,580,000. TCJA did not repeal the death tax as had been a goal and also did not make the above changes permanent as they expire after 2025. The portability election remains as part of the tax law. Portability allows the second spouse to have the benefit of the deceased spouse’s unused portion of the $11,400,000 exemption even if the second spouse dies when a lower exemption is in effect, possibly after 2025.  No changes were made in TCJA with respect to step up in basis despite the increase in the exemption.

AUTOMATIC REFUND REDUCTIONS - With the number of information sharing acts signed by federal and state taxing authorities as well as other organizations, please be aware that refunds will be automatically reduced for the following matters: delinquent federal taxes, delinquent state taxes, back spousal and/or child support and delinquent non-tax federal debts such as student loans.  If the Department of Treasury’s Financial Management System (FMS), which disburses IRS refunds, offsets the refund for a delinquent amount (correctly or incorrectly), they will send a letter to the taxpayer explaining the reduction and giving the taxpayer the right to challenge the offset.

MAILING & RECORDKEEPING OF TAX PAYMENTS AND TAX RETURNS - When mailing tax returns or payments to federal and state taxing authorities, we advise the use of registered or certified mail to prove timely filing.  We also recommend that you make copies of the checks before mailing for your records.  The IRS has stated that other than direct proof of actual delivery, a mail receipt would be the only evidence of the timely delivery of tax documents.  It is also a good practice to make sure that you have good copies of the front and the back of the check images (where available) once your payments clear the bank in case you have to present this information at a later date.  Please keep in mind that as electronic systems of filing continue to be required, manpower at the federal and state taxing authorities will continue to decline causing longer delays in resolution of matters and placing the burden of proof on the taxpayer.

INCREASED REPORTING PROVISIONS ARE IN EFFECT AIMED AT COMPLIANCE AND REVENUE GENERATION - Banks and other processors of merchant payment cards are required to report a merchant’s annual gross payment card receipts to the IRS along with the merchant’s EIN #.  The law also requires reporting of third-party network transactions such as ones used by online retailers.  Expanded information reporting will continue to assist the IRS in increasing the compliance among merchants.  The IRS plans to compare the merchant’s overall volume of payment card sales in relation to expenses claimed and cash transactions reported, estimating to raise more than $9.5 billion over 10 years as a result of the increased reporting and monitoring.

As of 2013, new rules were fully implemented that required brokers to file information returns that not only provided the IRS and customers with details on the sales proceeds from each trade executed during the year, but also the customer's adjusted basis in the security and whether any gain/loss is short or long term. These information reporting requirements effect business customers as well. Securities subject to the reporting requirements include stocks, bonds, debentures, commodities, derivatives and other financial instruments designated by Treasury.  Brokers notified customers in 2011 regarding elections to make in their accounts concerning the methods to be used for reporting cost basis.  This provision is estimated to raise $6.7 billion over 10 years.

In response to the implementation of broker reporting changes, the IRS introduced Form 8949 Sales and other Dispositions of Capital Assets in 2011.  Form 8949 is used to list all capital gain and loss transactions previously reported on Schedule D of Form 1040.  The subtotals from Form 8949 are then carried over to Schedule D where gain or loss is calculated in the aggregate.  Accurate reporting and matching of data reported by the brokers directly to the IRS as well as the customers is the key focus and purpose of this new form.

Foreign Compliance Activities:  Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) dominated international news beginning in 2014 and still continues today.  Along with FACTA, the U.S. has been expanding its tax treaties and information agreements with foreign jurisdictions to encourage greater transparency.  Since 2014, the IRS provided transition relief with good faith efforts to comply and an offshore voluntary disclosure program (OVDP).  With closure of the OVDP on September 28, 2018, authorities are getting tighter with compliance efforts and the grace periods of transition relief are expected to end.  FinCen Report 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), reporting for tax year 2019 is due by April 15, 2020 with a 6-month extension available until October 15, 2020.

Identity Theft:  Tax fraud and identity theft have become a growing problem over the years.  Further initiatives continue to be taken by the industry to combat identity theft issues for taxpayers throughout the country.  IRS announced joint efforts have been taken with various state taxing authorities and tax preparation software companies to create a security plan to safeguard taxpayer information.  Tax preparers are required to input the current driver’s license state identification number, issue date and expiration date for ALL taxpayers prior to e-filing without exception.

CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE NEWS –

Connecticut Income Tax Exemption for Teacher Pensions:  The previously authorized 50% income exemption of any taxable pension received from the Connecticut Teacher’s Retirement System is delayed.  The exemption remains at 25% for 2019 and 2020.

Limitation of Property Tax Credit: For 2019, the property tax credit may only be claimed by Connecticut residents who attain the age of 65 before the end of the year or who validly claim one or more dependents on their federal income tax return.  The maximum income tax credit remains at $200.

Exemption of Social Security Benefits from Connecticut Income Tax:  For 2019, adjusted gross income thresholds for determining the amount of Social Security benefits excluded from Connecticut income tax have been increased.

Pension and Annuity Income Modification:  For taxable years beginning January 1, 2019, an individual with the federal filing status of single, married filing separately or head of household with federal adjusted gross income (AGI) of less than $75,000 or married filing jointly with federal AGI of less than $100,000 will be allowed to subtract 14% of any pension or annuity income received when calculating Connecticut AGI.  This applies to the extent that the pension and annuity income has been properly included in federal AGI.

LOOKING AHEAD ……

Even with the significant amount of TCJA guidance issued, the uncertainty and volume of changes in the law have made it difficult for some taxpayers to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by TCJA.  On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed into law “The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act” and “The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020”.  Here are some of the retirement provisions:

• Allowing employers to include annuities as an investment selection for their employer 401K plans.
• No longer allowing an individual who inherits a pension or IRA from a decedent to “stretch” the required minimum distributions over their lifetime. Instead the withdrawals would have to be withdrawn over a 10-year period.  This would apply to inherited amounts after Dec. 31, 2019.
• For plan years beginning after December 31, 2019, the new law allows the employer who automatically enrolls their workers in certain 401K plans to allow them to raise the employee savings rate to 15% of annual earnings over time. This is an increase in the current rule which was up to 10%.
• Beginning in 2020, taxpayers can contribute to a traditional IRA regardless of age as long as they have adequate compensation. Prior to this new law, you could no longer contribute once reached age 70 ½.
• The bill also increases the required minimum distribution (RMD) age from retirement accounts from 70 ½ to 72. This change is effective for RMDs for individuals who attain age 70 ½ after December 31, 2019.  For those turning age 70 ½ in 2019 or earlier, this new provision would not apply and they must continue to take their annual RMDs under provisions of the old law. 

Other items to highlight from the new legislation: 

• The act extends the treatment of mortgage insurance premium as qualified residence interest through 2020.
• The above the line deduction for qualified tuition and related expenses for higher education is extended through 2020.
• Non business energy property credit for windows, doors, skylights and roofs allows a credit of 10%. The credit can be used through the end of 2020.
• The refundable credit for health insurance costs of eligible individuals is extended through 2020.
• Penalty free withdrawals up to $5,000 per taxpayer from retirement plans beginning January 1, 2020 if made during the one year period beginning on the date on which a child is born or legal adoption is finalized.
• 529 distributions made after December 31, 2018 are expanded to cover costs associated with registered apprenticeships and up to $10,000 of qualified student loan repayments of principal and interest of the beneficiary.
• All ACA taxes are repealed. This includes the medical device excise tax, health insurance provider’s fee and high-cost employer-sponsored health coverage tax (Cadillac plans).  This does not repeal the 3.8% tax Obama put on investment income.

Kiddie tax is reinstated and the unearned income of children is taxed at the top marginal rate of their parents.  This change is effective for tax years beginning in 2020; however, you can elect to apply this change to 2018 or 2019 (or both).

When you make retail purchases of goods or services in your resident state, you usually pay sales tax to the seller if the sale of such goods or services is subject to sales tax according to the law of your resident state.  The seller in turn remits the sales tax collected to the state taxing authority.  In general, when these same types of goods or services are purchased outside of your resident state, they are subject to "use tax" when the goods are brought into your resident state.

When you make retail purchases of goods or services in your resident state, you usually pay sales tax to the seller if the sale of such goods or services is subject to sales tax according to the law of your resident state.  The seller in turn remits the sales tax collected to the state taxing authority.  In general, when these same types of goods or services are purchased outside of your resident state, they are subject to "use tax" when the goods are brought into your resident state.

Today, with the increase in catalog and online shopping, many taxpayers are buying items out of state that would be subject to tax if they were purchased in their resident state.  The state tax authorities, especially Connecticut and New York, are actively pursuing the collection of this use tax in order to meet budgetary constraints.  In fact, the states, along with the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Customs, have signed information sharing agreements to help each other collect all outstanding tax money.  Working together, the authorities have many resources available to gather their information.

Keep in mind that the taxing authorities are specifically targeting the purchase of items such as automobiles (and parts), appliances, furniture, jewelry, cameras, computers, electronics, cigarettes and other tobacco products, alcohol, boats, art and antiques.  However, they are also seeking out those taxpayers who are steady catalog and online shoppers not paying sales tax. 

The individual use tax is declared and paid when you file your resident state individual income tax return. 

If all the goods purchased and brought into Connecticut at one time total $25 or less, you do not have to pay Connecticut use tax.  The $25 exemption does not apply to goods shipped or mailed to you.  Connecticut requires that taxpayers separately list any individual item with a purchase price of $300 or more.  When listing this information, you must provide the date of purchase, a description of goods or service, the retailer or service provider and the purchase price.  Items with an individual purchase price under $300 do not have to be listed separately; instead the total combined purchases must be given to calculate the use tax due.

The general Connecticut sales and use tax rate for 2019 was 6.35%; however, there are categories with different tax rates from the general rates.  There are too many categories to list for the purposes of this letter; however, there are a few that need to be highlighted.  Specifically a use tax rate of 7.75% applies to the following: the sale of most motor vehicles exceeding $50,000, the sale of each piece of jewelry exceeding $5,000, the sale of each piece of clothing or pair of footwear exceeding $1,000 and a handbag, luggage, umbrella, wallet or watch exceeding $1,000.

New York provides two options for calculating the use tax due on purchases of less than $1,000 (excluding shipping and handling) each that are not related to a business, rental real estate or royalty activities - the exact calculation method or the sales and use tax chart.  For the exact calculation method, the taxpayer must provide the purchase price, purchase date and jurisdiction of purchase.  The sales and use tax chart is a simple, time-saving method whereby the taxpayer pays use tax based on their federal adjusted gross income according to the chart established by the state.  The exact calculation method must be used on each purchase of $1,000 or more.  For individual items subject to use tax greater than $25,000, the following information must be provided: date item was purchased, description of item purchased, seller’s name and address, delivery address/address of use and purchase price.

Failure to pay use tax may result in the imposition of penalties and interest.  The states are requiring taxpayers to declare an obligation for use tax on their individual income tax returns.  Zero is a valid declaration if you do not have a liability.  If you do not make an entry on the individual use tax line of your resident tax return, you are considered to not have filed a use tax return.

Therefore, when providing your information for payment of use tax, please be sure to specify the following complete information:

• Details of purchase information as specified by the state thresholds for reporting individual purchases
• Details of purchase information as specified by the special categories in Connecticut

Internal Revenue Service regulations along with the tax authorities of Connecticut and New York mandate that tax preparers electronically file individual, fiduciary and business income   tax returns.  We believe that trends will continue with authorities requiring the electronic filing of more information, tax returns and tax payments.  Therefore, all 2019 income tax returns filed federally and in the States of Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts are required to be filed using the Federal & State Electronic Filing Program (E-File).  The firm will voluntarily file individual returns electronically in the States of California and New Jersey.  We also reserve the right to electronically file in additional states as deemed appropriate and will encourage this method of filing. 

Internal Revenue Service regulations along with the tax authorities of Connecticut and New York mandate that tax preparers electronically file individual, fiduciary and business income   tax returns.  We believe that trends will continue with authorities requiring the electronic filing of more information, tax returns and tax payments.  Therefore, all 2019 income tax returns filed federally and in the States of Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts are required to be filed using the Federal & State Electronic Filing Program (E-File).  The firm will voluntarily file individual returns electronically in the States of California and New Jersey.  We also reserve the right to electronically file in additional states as deemed appropriate and will encourage this method of filing. 

Our firm has informed you of the regulations and mandates for electronic filing.  However, the decision as to whether your income tax returns will be electronically filed or not rests with you, the taxpayer.  If you choose not to file electronically, we will inform you of the necessary procedures that need to be followed for opting out.

Electronic filing offers the following benefits:

1. Allows the Revenue Departments to process returns quickly and accurately, saving tax dollars.
2. Taxpayers who have a return with a balance due can file their return early and choose to make payment anytime on or before April 15, 2020.
3. Taxpayers who file returns with refunds receive those refunds faster especially if the refund is directly deposited into their bank account.
4. Electronically filed returns receive an acknowledgment of receipt from the Internal Revenue Service and the applicable State Tax Authority and are verified to be mathematically correct, eliminating data entry errors and lost or misplaced mail.

If we did not prepare your returns for 2018, we will need copies of your driver’s licenses and social security cards or passports. 

How does this affect the process of preparing your 2019 income tax returns?

The actual preparation process of your return does not change.  However, the administration, review process and completion of the returns will be effected.  The following is an overview of how the electronic filing process will work.

1) Taxpayers should forward complete information for the preparation of their 2019 income tax returns including all supporting documentation.  Regulations for electronic filing require that our firm maintain copies of the social security cards and driver's licenses for yourself, your spouse and all dependents claimed on the 2019 tax return.  NOTE:  If you provided this information to us last year regarding the preparation of your 2018 tax return, you do not have to provide it again.  However, the driver’s license and passports on file must be current.  Please call our office to verify your information on file if you have any questions.

2) Electronic filing provides various methods for payment and receipt of your refunds.  Payments can be made by 1) paper check, 2) credit card (a convenience fee will be charged by the processing company used by tax authorities) and 3) direct debit out of a designated account.  Refunds can be issued by 1) paper check, 2) application of all or a portion to the 2020 tax year and 3) direct deposit into designated account(s) – see NOTE below.  Returns filed electronically can be filed early but payment not made until a later date designated by you whether payment is by check, credit card or direct debit.  Please complete the enclosed Organizer Form 4A (Direct Deposit and Withdrawal) to indicate to us how you would like to handle payments and/or refunds and return it with the information to prepare your tax return.  If you desire to use direct deposit or direct debit, please enclose a voided check so we have complete account information and the financial institution routing transit number.  It is the taxpayer’s responsibility to provide proper banking information and to verify that the payments have been withdrawn from the designated account.  Please allow enough time when scheduling payments to be made directly from accounts.  If problems with payment by direct debit are encountered, taxpayers need to have enough time available for a paper check to be submitted on a timely basis.

NOTE:  Generally, if you do not elect direct deposit, the State of Connecticut will issue refunds by paper check; however, they are encouraging direct deposit.  Direct deposit will NOT be available for first time Connecticut filers.  The State of New York is offering the option for receipt of refunds by direct deposit or paper check.  IRS is offering refunds by paper check or direct deposit. 

WARNING: It is suggested that refunds on joint tax returns should only be directly deposited into joint bank accounts.  The federal banking regulations, as applied by each bank, may not accept a joint refund into an individual account; our firm has no knowledge of how your bank will handle this matter.  Also, be aware that refunds will be retained, not issued or decreased for any of the following: 1) delinquent federal taxes, 2) delinquent state taxes, 3) delinquent student loans, 4) delinquent spousal and/or child support, 5) delinquent state unemployment compensation debts and 6) debts owed to other state and/or federal agencies.

3) Once your return has been prepared, our firm will forward a "Review Copy" to you.  This review copy can be sent electronically using access through a portal system for your protection or by hard copy (either mail or you can pick it up at our office).  Please let us know the delivery method for the "Review Copy" on the bottom of the enclosed engagement letter which should be submitted with your tax information.

4) If you review the return and are in agreement with the return as prepared, the taxpayer(s) will need to sign Form 8879, IRS e-file Signature Authorization, Form TR-579-IT New York State e-file Signature Authorization, Form FTB 8879 California e-file Signature Authorization, Form M-8453, Massachusetts e-file Signature Authorization, as applicable, and any additional efile form(s) as necessary and included in your "Review Copy" package.  Connecticut and New Jersey accept the federal signature on Form 8879.  Tax returns cannot be filed electronically until our firm is in receipt of the signature authorization forms signed by the taxpayer(s). 

5)  If you review the return and are NOT in agreement with the return as prepared, please call our office to discuss the questions/issues.  If necessary, a new "Review Copy" and signature authorization forms will be prepared.  Please remember that the only way electronically filed tax returns can be changed is by amending the returns.  Therefore, it is imperative that you are in complete agreement with the returns before returning the signature authorization forms to us. 

6) Once we receive your completed signature authorization forms, our firm will electronically submit your Federal, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and/or California income tax returns.  Income tax returns for all other states will be filed on paper at this time unless we deem it appropriate to electronically file in the other state(s).  Once we receive acknowledgement that your electronically filed returns have been accepted by the taxing authorities, we will forward a complete package to you which will include the following documents: 1) your original information if it has not already been returned with your review copy, 2) 2019 payment vouchers to taxing authorities, if necessary, 3) 2019 income tax returns for other states to be filed by paper, if necessary, 4) 2020 estimated tax payments, if necessary, 5) a copy of the 2019 individual return electronic transmission history and acceptance notification, and 6) a final signed copy of your electronically filed 2019 Federal and state income tax returns, if requested.  Please include on the bottom of the enclosed engagement letter how you would like to receive this complete package.

Some extensions for filing 2019 tax returns must be filed electronically as paper is no longer an acceptable filing method.  Therefore, taxpayers must allow enough time for completing this process.  Please contact our office by Friday, March 23, 2020 if you will need to file extensions for the 2019 tax year.

We ask for your continued cooperation in implementing these income tax return preparation and filing requirements.  If you have any questions, please give us a call.

On December 20, President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan, year-end government spending and tax package, just hours before federal funding was set to expire. Trump's signature on the over 2,000-page spending package avoided a government shutdown.

On December 20, President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan, year-end government spending and tax package, just hours before federal funding was set to expire. Trump's signature on the over 2,000-page spending package avoided a government shutdown.

Year-End Tax Package
The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, (HR 1865), logs just over 700 pages and serves as only half of the government spending package for fiscal year 2020, which runs through September 30. Most notably, HR 1865 serves as the legislative vehicle for a year-end tax package, which carries a costly $426 billion price tag over a 10-year budget window, according to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), JCX-54R-19.

Some of the tax-related provisions in the year-end package include, among other items:

• Retroactive and current renewal of over two dozen temporary tax breaks known as tax extenders, which have expired or would soon be expired, spanning from 2017 to 2019. Generally, the renewed tax breaks are extended through 2020, and the biodiesel and short-line railroad maintenance tax credits are extended until 2022;
• The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act) (HR 1994), which makes sweeping changes to retirement savings and employer retirement contributions provisions;
• Certain fixes to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) ( P.L. 115-97); and
• Full repeal of three tax-related provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) ( P.L. 111-148), two of which include the 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices and the 40 percent excise "Cadillac" tax on high-dollar employer-sponsored health insurance plans.

The House approved HR 1865 on December 17 by a 297-to-120 vote. The Senate cleared the measure on December 19 by a 71-to-23 vote.

"So in the end, with more than $400 billion in tax cuts, there were lots of winners and the usual loser – the budget."

"There were numerous fits and starts, but this result is a reminder that Congressional muscle memory on extenders is very strong, so ultimately the members did what they always do – extend them," John Gimigliano, principal-in-charge of the federal legislative and regulatory services group in the Washington National Tax practice of KPMG LLP told Wolters Kluwer. "Some might be surprised to see the ACA taxes rolled back, but it has always felt like those items were on borrowed time; it was really just a question of when and how they were repealed, not whether. So in the end, with more than $400 billion in tax cuts, there were lots of winners and the usual loser – the budget."

SECURE ACT
The bipartisan SECURE Act, which cleared the House in May but remained stalled in the Senate most of the year, makes a number of major as well as administrative changes for retirement savings affecting both individuals and employers.

Some of those changes are noted as follows:

IRA Changes

• Moving the start date for requirement required minimum distributions (RMDs) to the year the owner turns 72;
• Ending the 70 1/2 age limit for contribute contributions to an IRA; and
• Shortening the distribution period for nonspouse inherited IRAs to a 10-year maximum.
  The 10-year window for distributions to a nonspouse beneficiary applies regardless of when the IRA owner dies. Thus, the change will severely limit the use of "stretch IRAs" as an effective planning tool. Limited exceptions are available.

401(k) Changes

• Requiring plans to offer participation to long-term, part-time employees;
• Encouraging auto-enrollment by increasing the cap; and
• Streamlining the safe harbor for non-elective contributions.

Employers with 401(k) plans must offer employees who work between 500 and 1000 hours year an additional means to participate in the plan. The rule change would only affect 401(k) cash or deferral arrangements, and no other qualified plans.

Retirement Plans for Small Employers

Several changes are made to encourage more small employers to offer retirement benefits to their employees, such as:

• Adding a new tax credit for small employers using auto-enrollment plans;
• Increasing the credit for small employer pension plan start-up costs; and
• Allow small employers of two or more to band together to participate in a new class of pooled multiple employer plans (MEPs).

Congress Adjourns Until 2020
After an eventful two-week sprint to the finish line, Congress adjourned for the year on December 20. Lawmakers are expected to return to Washington, D.C. during the week of January 6, 2020.

The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) ( P.L. 111-148) individual mandate is unconstitutional because it can no longer be read as a tax, and there is no other constitutional provision that justifies this exercise of congressional power. However, the central question of whether the rest of the ACA remains valid after Congress removed the penalty for not having health insurance remained unanswered. Instead, the case was sent back to the district court to reconsider how much of the ACA could survive without the individual mandate penalty.

The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) ( P.L. 111-148) individual mandate is unconstitutional because it can no longer be read as a tax, and there is no other constitutional provision that justifies this exercise of congressional power. However, the central question of whether the rest of the ACA remains valid after Congress removed the penalty for not having health insurance remained unanswered. Instead, the case was sent back to the district court to reconsider how much of the ACA could survive without the individual mandate penalty.

District Court
According to the opinion, "the rule of law demands a careful, precise explanation of whether the provisions of the ACA are affected by the unconstitutionality of the individual mandate as it exists today." Therefore, the opinion directs the district court to carefully consider whether the mandate can be legally distinct from the rest of the law. The opinion instructs the district court to answer two questions: Which parts of the ACA "are indeed inseverable" now that the mandate is no longer enforced and whether a ruling in the case should apply only to the Republican-led states that sued to overturn the law, an issue raised by Trump administration lawyers.

Dissenting Opinion
A dissenting opinion discussed that Congress made it clear that it wanted the rest of the ACA to stand and sending the case back to the lower court was criticized. The opinion also highlighted that sending the case back to the lower court merely identifies serious flaws in the district court’s analysis and remands for a do-over, which will unnecessarily prolong this litigation and the concomitant uncertainty over the future of the health care sector.

Proposed qualified opportunity zone regulations issued on October 29, 2018 ( REG-115420-18) and May 1, 2019 ( REG-120186-18) under Code Sec. 1400Z-2 have been finalized with modifications. The regulations. which were issued in a 550 page document, are comprehensive.

Proposed qualified opportunity zone regulations issued on October 29, 2018 ( REG-115420-18) and May 1, 2019 ( REG-120186-18) under Code Sec. 1400Z-2 have been finalized with modifications. The regulations. which were issued in a 550 page document, are comprehensive.

The regulations address issued related to all aspects of the gain deferral rules and also various requirements that must be met for an entity to qualify as a qualified opportunity fund (QOF) or as a qualified opportunity zone business. Duplicative rules regarding QOFs and qualified opportunity zone businesses have been combined and definitions of key terms added. The regulations detail which taxpayers are eligible to make the election, the types of capital gains eligible for deferral, and the method of making deferral elections. Revisions are made to the rules applying the statutory 180-period and other requirements with regard to the making of a qualifying investment in a QOF.

The IRS will reflect these regulations in updated forms, instructions, and other guidance in January 2020.

Benefits of QOF Investments
Taxpayers may elect to temporarily defer capital gain in income if the gain is invested within 180 days in a QOF. The gain is recognized on Dec. 31, 2026, or if earlier, upon the occurrence of an inclusion event such as the sale of the QOF investment. However, 10 percent of the deferred gain is not recognized if the investment is held five years and 15 percent is not recognized after seven years. In addition, taxpayers may exclude recognition of gain on appreciation in the investment if the investment in the qualified opportunity fund is held for at least 10 years.

Section 1231 gains
The final regulations provide that eligible gains include the gross amount of eligible section 1231 gains unreduced by section 1231 losses regardless of character. The proposed regulations took a "netting" approach. The 180-day period for an eligible taxpayer to invest an amount with respect to an eligible section 1231 gain begins on the date of the sale of the section 1231 asset rather than at the end of the tax year.

RICS and REITS
The 180-day period for RIC or REIT capital gain dividends generally begins at the close of the shareholder’s tax year in which the capital gain dividend would otherwise be recognized by the shareholder. To ensure that RIC and REIT shareholders do not have to wait until the close of their tax year to invest capital gain dividends received during the tax year, the final regulations also provide that shareholders may elect to begin the 180-day period on the day each capital gain dividend is paid. The 180-day period for undistributed capital gain dividends, however, begins on either the last day of the shareholder’s tax year in which the dividend would otherwise be recognized or the last day of the RIC or REIT’s tax year, at the shareholder’s election.

The aggregate amount of a shareholder’s eligible gain with respect to capital gain dividends received from a RIC or a REIT cannot exceed the aggregate amount of capital gain dividends that the shareholder receives as reported or designated by that RIC or that REIT for the shareholder’s tax year.

Installment Sales
The final regulations allow an eligible taxpayer to elect to choose the 180- day period to begin on either (i) the date a payment under an installment sale is received for that tax year, or (ii) the last day of the tax year the eligible gain under the installment method would be recognized. Therefore, if the taxpayer defers gain from multiple payments under an installment sale, there might be multiple 180-day periods, or a single 180-day period at the end of the taxpayer’s tax year, depending upon taxpayer’s election.

Partners, S Corporation Shareholders, and Trust Beneficiaries
The final regulations provide partners, S shareholders, and beneficiaries of decedents’ estates and non-grantor trusts with the option to treat the 180-day period as commencing upon the due date of the related entity’s tax return, not including any extensions. This rule does not apply to grantor trusts.

Gain from Disposal of Partial Interest in QOF Investment
Gain arising from an inclusion event is eligible for deferral even though the taxpayer retains a portion of its qualifying investment after the inclusion event. If an inclusion event relates only to a portion of a taxpayer’s qualifying investment in the QOF, (i) the deferred gain that otherwise would be required to be included in income (inclusion gain amount) may be invested in a different QOF, and (ii) the taxpayer may make a deferral election with respect to the inclusion gain amount, so long as the taxpayer satisfies all requirements for a deferral election on the inclusion gain amount.

Post-December 31, 2026 Gain Ineligible
Gain arising after December 31, 2026 (including gain mandatorily recognized on that date) is not eligible for deferral.

Death Related Transfers of QOF Investments
A qualifying investment received by a beneficiary in a transfer by reason of death remains a qualifying investment in the hands of the beneficiary.

Acquisition of Eligible Interest from Person Other than a QOF
A taxpayer may make a deferral election for an eligible interest acquired from a person other than a QOF. The final regulations do not require the transferor to have made a prior deferral election for the acquirer of an eligible interest to make the election.

Further, for interests in entities that existed before the enactment of the deferral provision, if such entities become QOFs, then the interests in those entities, even though not qualifying investments in the hands of a transferor, are eligible interests that may (i) be acquired by an investor and (ii) result in a qualifying investment of the acquirer if the acquirer has eligible gain and the acquisition was during the 180-day period with respect to that gain.

Built in Gains
Built-in gain of a REIT, a RIC, or an S corporation potentially subject to corporate-level tax is eligible for deferral. If the deferral election is made, the amount of gain is not included in the calculation of the entity’s net recognized built-in gain.

Identification of Disposed Interests in a QOF
The final regulations permit taxpayers to specifically identify QOF stock that is sold or otherwise disposed. If a taxpayer fails to adequately identify which QOF shares are disposed of, then the FIFO identification method applies. If, after application of the FIFO method, a taxpayer is treated as having disposed of less than all of its investment interests that the taxpayer acquired on one day and the investments vary in its characteristics, then a pro-rata method applies to the remainder.

The specific identification method does not apply to the disposition of interests in a QOF partnership.

Deferred Gain Retains Tax Attributes
The final regulations make it clear that if a taxpayer is required to include in income some or all of a previously deferred gain, the gain so included has the same attributes that the gain would have had if the recognition of gain had not been deferred. If a deferred gain cannot be clearly associated with an investment in a particular QOF, an ordering rule applies to make this determination.

Effective Date
The final regulations are generally applicable to tax years beginning after 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

With respect to the portion of a taxpayer’s first tax year ending after December 21, 2017, that began on December 22, 2017, and for tax years beginning after December 21, 2017, and on or before 60 days after publication in the Federal Register taxpayers may rely on either the proposed regulations or the final regulations but not both.

The IRS has issued final regulations that provide guidance on transfers of appreciated property by U.S. persons to partnerships with foreign partners related to the transferor. Specifically, the regulations override the general nonrecognition rule under Code Sec. 721(a) unless the partnership adopts the remedial allocation method and certain other requirements are satisfied. The regulations affect U.S. partners in domestic or foreign partnerships.

The IRS has issued final regulations that provide guidance on transfers of appreciated property by U.S. persons to partnerships with foreign partners related to the transferor. Specifically, the regulations override the general nonrecognition rule under Code Sec. 721(a) unless the partnership adopts the remedial allocation method and certain other requirements are satisfied. The regulations affect U.S. partners in domestic or foreign partnerships.

Background
Code Sec. 721(a) generally provides that no gain or loss is recognized by either a partnership or any of its partners upon a contribution of property to the partnership in exchange for a partnership interest. In Code Sec. 721(c), the Treasury Secretary has regulatory authority to override this nonrecognition provision for gain realized on the transfer of property to a domestic or foreign partnership if the gain, when recognized, would be includible in the gross income of a person other than a U.S. person.

Under temporary regulations issued in 2017, if a U.S. person contributes certain property with built-in gain to a partnership that has foreign partners related to the transferor, then gain will be recognized unless the gain deferral method is applied with respect to the property ( Temporary Reg. §§1.721(c)-2T; 1.721(c)-3T). Under a de minimis exception, nonrecognition continues to apply if the sum of all built-in gain property contributed to the partnership during the tax year does not exceed $1 million.

The final regulations adopt the temporary regulations with certain modifications.

Related Person Definition
The final regulations modify the definition of related person in certain situations. This modification provides relief when certain foreign individual partners of a partnership would be treated as a related person with respect to a domestic corporation by reason of Code Sec. 267(c)(3).

Consistent Allocation Method
The final regulations add a new sentence in Reg. §1.721(c)-3(c)(1). Upon a variation (as described in Reg. §1.706-4(a)(1)) of a U.S. transferor’s interest in a Code Sec. 721(c) partnership, book items with respect to section 721(c) property that are allocated under the interim closing method (as described in Reg. §1.706-4) will be treated as allocated in the same percentage for applying the consistent allocation method in a single tax year, unless the variation results from a transaction undertaken with a principal purpose of avoiding the tax consequences of the gain deferral method.

Reporting Requirements
The 2017 regulations required much of the reporting to be on statements attached to returns. Since the 2017 regulations were issued, however, the IRS has updated and added new schedules to Form 8865, Return of U.S. Persons With Respect to Certain Foreign Partnerships, to facilitate compliance with these reporting requirements. The IRS has also issued new Form 8838-P, Consent To Extend the Time To Assess Tax Pursuant to the Gain Deferral Method (Section 721(c)). The final regulations generally require taxpayers to use these forms and schedules.

The final regulations also clarify the duration for which the U.S. transferor must extend the period of limitations on the assessment of tax under Reg. §1.721(c)-6(b).

Technical Termination Rules
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, ( P.L. 115-97) (the "TCJA") eliminated technical terminations. However, the applicability date for these final regulations relates back to the applicability date provided in the 2017 regulations, which is before the effective date provided in the TCJA. Accordingly, the final regulations retain technical termination rules, but their application will be limited. The rules will only apply to technical terminations occurring on or after the applicability date provided in the 2017 regulations but before the effective date for the repeal of Code Sec. 708(b)(1)(B) provided in the TCJA.

Effective Date
The regulations are effective on the date of filing with the Federal Register. For dates of applicability, see Reg. §§1.197-2(l)(5)(i), 1.704-1(f), 1.704-3(g)(1), 1.721(c)-1(e), 1.721(c)-2(e), 1.721(c)-3(e), 1.721(c)-4(d), 1.721(c)-5(g), 1.721(c)-6(g), and 1.6038B-2(j)(4).

The IRS has released Publication 5382, "Internal Revenue Service Progress Update / Fiscal Year 2019—Putting Taxpayers First." This new annual report describes accomplishments across the agency, and highlights the work of IRS employees during the past year. It covers a variety of taxpayer service efforts, including development of the new Taxpayer Withholding Estimator, as well as operations support efforts on areas involving information technology modernization, human capital office initiatives, and others.

The IRS has released Publication 5382, "Internal Revenue Service Progress Update / Fiscal Year 2019—Putting Taxpayers First." This new annual report describes accomplishments across the agency, and highlights the work of IRS employees during the past year. It covers a variety of taxpayer service efforts, including development of the new Taxpayer Withholding Estimator, as well as operations support efforts on areas involving information technology modernization, human capital office initiatives, and others.

"This report is about more than what happened during the past year," IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig wrote in the report’s opening message to taxpayers. "It’s also designed to provide insight into the people serving this country on behalf of the IRS, and provide a glimpse into the future," he added.

IRS Pub. 5382 also focuses criminal investigation results and efforts involving civil enforcement. Also discussed are ongoing compliance areas, including micro-captives, syndicated conservation easements, and virtual currency. The report further covers the IRS’s implementation of new tax laws, and the IRS’s ongoing work on the new Taxpayer First Act of 2019.

Individual Audits Down
Taxpayers are now half as likely to be audited by the IRS for their individual income tax returns as they were a decade ago. As described in IRS Pub. 5382, the IRS audited 0.45 percent of individual (1040) income tax returns during fiscal year (FY) 2019. This number is down from 1.1 percent of tax returns audited in 2010. The IRS’s ongoing loss to its total workforce is largely to blame for the consistent decline in IRS audits, according to the report.

"The IRS lost more than 29,618 full time positions between FY 2010 and FY 2019, which includes Information Technology, Operations Support, Taxpayer Service and Enforcement personnel. These losses directly correlate with a steady decline in the number of individual audits during the past nine years," the report notes.

Hill Reaction
Although individual audits have significantly decreased, Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill are criticizing the fact that the IRS continues to conduct more examinations on lower-income individual taxpayers than it does on higher-income taxpayers or corporations. However, the IRS has said previously that audits on higher-income individuals and businesses are significantly more complex and require more resources.

"IRS audit rates are at their lowest levels in 40 years, allowing the wealthy and well-connected to steal from taxpayers with no consequences," Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a January 7 statement. "The bulk of tax avoidance and fraud comes from corporations, pass-through business and those at the top. Ensuring the wealthy and corporations pay what they owe takes the most resources and manpower, and I’m working with the IRS to get a clear picture on funding and staffing levels needed to audit top earners at 2010 levels," Wyden added.

Currently, the IRS anticipates that up to 31 percent of its workforce (nearly 19,719 full-time employees) will retire within the next five years. The IRS’s workforce decline is expected to create a "significant risk of a large knowledge and experience gap for the nation’s tax agency," according to the IRS report.

Bridget Roberts, the Acting National Taxpayer Advocate, released her 2019 Annual Report to Congress. The report discusses the key challenges facing the IRS regarding the implementation of the Taxpayer First Act, inadequate taxpayer service and limited funding of the agency. Further, Roberts released the third edition of the National Taxpayer Advocate’s "Purple Book," which presents 58 legislative recommendations designed to strengthen taxpayer rights and improve tax administration.

Bridget Roberts, the Acting National Taxpayer Advocate, released her 2019 Annual Report to Congress. The report discusses the key challenges facing the IRS regarding the implementation of the Taxpayer First Act, inadequate taxpayer service and limited funding of the agency. Further, Roberts released the third edition of the National Taxpayer Advocate’s "Purple Book," which presents 58 legislative recommendations designed to strengthen taxpayer rights and improve tax administration.

Taxpayer First Act
The report highlighted that the Taxpayer First Act ( P.L. 116-25) had made the most comprehensive revisions to IRS procedures since the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, including some 23 provisions previously recommended by the National Taxpayer Advocate. Further, the Taxpayer First Act also required the IRS to develop four strategic plans:

• a comprehensive taxpayer service strategy (due to Congress by July 1, 2020);
• a comprehensive plan to redesign the IRS’s organizational structure (due to Congress by Sept. 30, 2020);
• a comprehensive employee training strategy that includes taxpayer rights training (due to Congress by July 1, 2020); and
• a multi-year plan to meet IRS information technology (IT) needs.

Key IRS Challenges
The biggest challenge facing the IRS is its struggle to complete its mission. The IRS aims to "provide America’s taxpayers top-quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all." The report emphasizes that the IRS is struggling to meet both of those goals, and attributes the IRS’s shortcomings mostly to budget constraints but also to a culture in which the agency focuses on its own priorities without adequately factoring in the needs of taxpayers.

The report states that the IRS is among the lowest-performing federal agencies in providing a positive customer experience. During fiscal year (FY) 2019, the report said that the IRS received approximately 100 million telephone calls, and customer service representatives answered only 29 percent. The report further states that the IRS has also struggled to enforce the law with "fairness to all". The report urges the IRS to prioritize phone service for taxpayers against whom it takes collection action.

Low Budget
Since 2010, the IRS budget has been reduced by about 20 percent after adjusting for inflation, and the number of full-time equivalent employees has declined by about 22 percent. The report points out that answering 100 million telephone calls, conducting audits, and taking enforcement actions require adequate staffing, and the IRS cannot substantially improve its performance without additional resources. The report urges Congress to increase IRS funding and particularly for taxpayer service and IT modernization, and to change the budget rules to account for the revenue additional IRS appropriations are likely to generate.

Identifying Taxpayer Needs and Preferences
Despite the IRS’s significant funding limitations, the report urges the IRS to utilize the Taxpayer First Act requirements – to develop plans to revamp its taxpayer service strategy, organizational structure, employee training strategy, and technology priorities – as a roadmap for a once-in-a-generation reassessment of its objectives and operations.

While noting that the IRS has developed strategies in a vacuum without soliciting taxpayer feedback and taking into account taxpayer needs and preferences, the report suggests a full-scale cultural shift. The report also expressed concern that the IRS has declined to include the National Taxpayer Advocate or a Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) representative as part of a core team created to coordinate its Taxpayer First Act implementation activities.

The report also makes numerous recommendations to improve the customer experience, including that the IRS take the following actions:

• Conduct multi-disciplined, comprehensive research into taxpayer needs and preferences.
• Require that all IRS business units, including those charged primarily with enforcement, develop a detailed customer service strategy.
• Appoint a Chief Customer Experience Officer to coordinate service initiatives across IRS business units.
• Ensure that taxpayers who cannot work with the IRS digitally, or whose issues are not resolved online, can reach and work with an IRS employee.
• Address the needs of practitioners who interact with the IRS on behalf of large numbers of taxpayers.
• For each proposal included in its customer service strategy, include cost estimates, milestones, and taxpayer-focused performance measures so the effectiveness of the strategy in improving customer service can be measured over time.

Other Matters
The report also:

• identified 10 "most serious problems";
• provided status updates on two problems identified in previous reports;
• made dozens of recommendations for administrative change;
• made 58 recommendations for legislative change;
• analyzed the 10 tax issues most frequently litigated in the federal courts; and
• presented four research studies.

The IRS has modified the applicability dates for proposed regulations under Code Sec. 382 that were issued with NPRM REG-125710-18, September 10, 2019 (2019 proposed regulations). The IRS is withdrawing the text of the proposed applicability dates, and proposing revised applicability dates. The newly issued proposed rules would also provide transition relief.

The IRS has modified the applicability dates for proposed regulations under Code Sec. 382 that were issued with NPRM REG-125710-18, September 10, 2019 (2019 proposed regulations). The IRS is withdrawing the text of the proposed applicability dates, and proposing revised applicability dates. The newly issued proposed rules would also provide transition relief.

Proposed Regulations and Notice 2003-65
The 2019 proposed regulations would provide guidance on the inclusion of items of income and deductions in the calculation of built-in gains and losses under Code Sec. 382(h). The proposed regulations would apply to ownership changes that occur after the date the proposed regulations are published as final regulations in the Federal Register.

Notice 2003-65, 2003-2 CB 747, provides interim guidance for identifying built-in gains and losses under Code Sec. 382(h). This notice permits taxpayers to rely on safe harbor approaches for applying Code Sec. 382(h) to an ownership change prior to the effective date of temporary or final regulations issued under that provision.

Delay of Applicability Date
To address concerns raised by taxpayers and practitioners, the IRS has withdrawn the text of Proposed Reg. §1.382-2(b)(4) and Proposed Reg. §1.382-7(g) contained in the 2019 proposed regulations, and replaced it with a revised proposed applicability date text. To avoid any gap between the date on which taxpayers can no longer rely on Notice 2003-65 and the date on which the final regulations are applicable, the applicability date of the final regulations would be 30 days after the date such regulations are published in the Federal Register (delayed applicability date). Exceptions exist for two situations discussed below.

Notice 2003-65 will remain applicable to ownership changes to which the final regulations do not apply.

Limiting Duplicative Application
The first exception to the delayed applicability date relates to the rule in Proposed Reg. §1.382-7(d)(5), which provides that certain carryforwards of business interest expense disallowed under Code Sec. 163(j) would not be treated as recognized built-in losses under Code Sec. 382(h)(6)(B), if such amounts were allowable as deductions during the five-year recognition period set forth in Code Sec. 382(h)(7)(A). This rule eliminates the possible duplicative application of Code Sec. 382 to certain disallowed business interest expense carryforwards.

The IRS has determined that Proposed Reg. §1.382-7(d)(5) should be finalized before the remainder of the rules in the 2019 proposed regulations, and that taxpayers should be allowed to retroactively apply this rule. To that end, the IRS expects that Proposed Reg. §1.382-7(d)(5) will be finalized as part of the Treasury decision that finalizes the proposed Code Sec. 163(j) regulations (see 83 FR 67490), and that taxpayers will be permitted to apply the rule to prior periods. The IRS continues to study the remainder of the rules in the 2019 proposed regulations.

Transition Relief
Under the proposed transition relief provisions, the final regulations would not apply to certain ownership changes that occur after the delayed applicability date. To qualify for the transition relief, the ownership change must occur immediately after an owner shift or equity structure shift that occurs pursuant to:

• a binding agreement in effect on or before the delayed applicability date and at all times thereafter;
• a specific transaction described in a public announcement made on or before the delayed applicability date;
• a specific transaction described in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission submitted on or before the delayed applicability date;
• a transaction described in a private letter ruling request submitted to the IRS on or before the delayed applicability date; or
• a court order (or a plan confirmed, or a sale approved, by court order) in a title 11 or similar case, provided that the taxpayer was a debtor in a case before such court on or before the delayed applicability date.

The relevant owner shift or equity structure shift must be a specific, identifiable transaction.

Taxpayers may continue to rely on Notice 2003-65 for to any ownership change qualifying for transition relief, even though the notice will be obsoleted on the delayed applicability date. However, a taxpayer may choose to apply the final regulations to such an ownership change.

The Treasury and IRS have issued final regulations on the due diligence and reporting rules for persons making certain U.S. source payments to foreign persons. Guidance is also provided on reporting by foreign financial institutions on U.S. accounts. The regulations are effective on the date the regulations are published in the Federal Register.

The Treasury and IRS have issued final regulations on the due diligence and reporting rules for persons making certain U.S. source payments to foreign persons. Guidance is also provided on reporting by foreign financial institutions on U.S. accounts. The regulations are effective on the date the regulations are published in the Federal Register.

Obtaining a Foreign TIN and Date of Birth
Temporary regulations provided that beginning January 1, 2017, a beneficial withholding certificate provided to document an account maintained at a U.S. branch or office of a financial institution was required to include a foreign taxpayer identification number (TIN) and the date of birth for an individual, in order to treat the certificate as valid. In response to comments regarding the difficulty of the requirements, the Treasury and IRS issued Notice 2017-46.

The notice provided a one-year delay in the implementation of the requirements for payments made on or after January 1, 2018, and a transitional rules to phase in the foreign TIN requirement for certificates provided before January 1, 2018. The transitional rules allow an otherwise valid certificate to remain valid until January 1, 2020. For payments made after January 1, 2020, a withholding agent may treat a pre-2018 as valid if the foreign TIN is obtained on a written statement or is in the withholding agent’s files. In Notice 2018-20, the IRS stated that it intended to expand its list of jurisdictions that do not issue foreign TINs to their residents to include jurisdictions that requested to be on the list, even if they issue foreign TINs.

The final regulations incorporate the temporary regulations and Notices with minor changes, by:

• providing, with respect to withholding certificates signed on or after January 1, 2018, that a separate written statement is an acceptable way to collect a foreign TIN, if the written statement contains an acknowledgment that the statement is part of the withholding certificate;
• clarifying the exception to the foreign TIN requirement for an account holder that is a government, international organization, foreign central bank or resident of a U.S. territory; and
• clarifying that a withholding agent may rely on the date of birth on a withholding certificate, unless it knows or has reason to know that the date of birth is incorrect.

Nonqualified Intermediaries
A nonqualified intermediary is generally required to provide a withholding agent a Form W-8IMY, a withholding statement, and documentation for each payee for which the intermediary receives a payment. The final regulations clarify that the general standards of knowledge that apply to withholding agents apply to a nonqualified intermediary for reliance on payee documentation, for making the representation that the information on the certificate is not inconsistent with other account information that the nonqualified intermediary has.

A nonqualified intermediary may provide a withholding statement that does not include a chapter 4 recipient code for one or more payees if the withholding agent can determine the appropriate code based on other information included on or associated with the withholding statement, or contained in the withholding agent’s records.

Electronic Signatures
A withholding agent can accept an electronically signed withholding certificate if the certificate reasonably demonstrates to the withholding agent that it has been electronically signed by the recipient identified on the form or authorized by the recipient to sign the form.

The final regulations allow the withholding agent to also consider documentation or other information that the withholding agent has that supports that the withholding certificate was electronically signed, absent actual knowledge that the information or documentation is incorrect.

Additional Changes
The final regulations also make clarifications with respect to withholding certificates and statements furnished through a third party repository.

Regarding the claim of a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty, the final regulations modify the general standard of knowledge by providing that:

• the withholding agent has reason to know that a claim of reduced rate under a treaty is unreliable or incorrect when it can check a list on the IRS website regarding the existence of the treaty, and
• a withholding agent can rely on a beneficial owner’s claim regarding a limitation of benefits (LOB) provision, absent actual knowledge that the claim is unreliable or incorrect.

The final regulation also extend the time for withholding agents to obtain treaty statements, with respect to specific LOB provisions for preexisting accounts, to January 1, 2020.

Taxpayers have been provided with additional guidance for complying with the Code Sec. 871(m) regulations on dividend equivalent payments for 2021, 2022, and 2023. The Treasury Department and the IRS intend to amend the regulations to delay the effective/applicability date of certain rules. Further, the phase-in period provided in Notice 2018-762, I.R.B. 2018-40, 522, has been extended.

Taxpayers have been provided with additional guidance for complying with the Code Sec. 871(m) regulations on dividend equivalent payments for 2021, 2022, and 2023. The Treasury Department and the IRS intend to amend the regulations to delay the effective/applicability date of certain rules. Further, the phase-in period provided in Notice 2018-762, I.R.B. 2018-40, 522, has been extended.

Dividend Equivalent Payments
A dividend equivalent amount is essentially an amount directly or indirectly determined by reference to a U.S. dividend. Code Sec. 871(m) treats dividend equivalent payments as U.S. source dividends. These payments are subject to 30-percent withholding (or a lower treaty rate) if received by a nonresident alien or foreign corporation.

The Code Sec. 871(m) regulations include final and temporary regulations under Code Secs. 871(m), 1441, 1461, and 1473.

Phase-in Year Extended
The effective/applicability date for the specified notional principal contract (NPC) rules under Reg. §1.871-15(d)(2) and the specified equity-linked instrument (ELI) rules under Reg. §1.871-15(e) will be revised. These rules will not apply to any payment made with respect to any non-delta-one transaction issued before January 1, 2023.

The IRS will take into account the extent to which the taxpayer or withholding agent made a good faith effort to comply with the Code Sec. 871(m) regulations in enforcing those regulations—

• for any delta-one transaction in 2017 through 2022; and
• for any non-delta-one transaction that is a Code Sec. 871(m) transaction under Reg. §1.871-15(d)(2) or Reg. §1.871-15(e) in 2023.

Further, the period when the IRS will take into account the extent to which a qualified derivatives dealer made a good faith effort to comply with the Code Sec. 871(m) regulations and the relevant provisions of the 2017 Qualified Intermediary (QI) Agreement is extended through 2022.

The 2017 QI Agreement will be revised so that a QDD will be treated as satisfying the obligations that specifically apply to a QDD under that agreement for 2017 through 2022.

Simplified Standard Extended
The period when the simplified standard applies for withholding agents to determine whether transactions entered into were combined transactions is extended to include 2021 and 2022. Transactions entered into in 2017 through 2022 that are combined under the simplified standard will continue to be treated as combined for future years. They will not stop being combined transactions by applying Reg. §1.871-15(n) (the combined transactions rule in the regulations), or by disposing of less than all of the potential Code Sec. 871(m) transactions that are combined under this rule.

Transactions entered into in 2017 through 2022 that are not combined under the simplified standard will not become combined transactions by applying Reg. §1.871-15(n) to them in future years, unless a reissuance or other event causes the transactions to be retested to determine whether they are Code Sec. 871(m) transactions.

Phase-In Relief for Qualified Derivatives Dealers Extended
Regarding qualified derivatives dealers (QDDs), Reg. §1.871-15(q)(1), Reg. §1.871-15(r)(3), and Reg. §1.1441-1(b)(4)(xxii)(C) will be amended so that a QDD will not be subject to tax on dividends and dividend equivalents received in 2021 and 2022 in its equity derivatives dealer capacity or withholding on those dividends (including deemed dividends). A QDD will have to compute its Code Sec. 871(m) amount using the net delta approach beginning in 2023.

A QDD will remain liable under Code Sec. 881(a)(1) for tax on dividends and dividend equivalents that it receives in any other capacity, and on any other U.S. source FDAP payments that it receives (whether or not in its equity derivatives dealer capacity). A QDD is also responsible for withholding on dividend equivalents it pays to a foreign person on a Code Sec. 871(m) transaction.

Transition Rules Extended
Withholding agents may apply the qualified securities lender (QSL) transition rules described in Notice 2010-46, I.R.B. 2010-24, 757, for payments made in calendar years 2021 and 2022.

Anti-Abuse Rule
The anti-abuse rule in Reg. §1.871-15(o) will continue to apply during the phase-in years. This means that a transaction that would not otherwise be treated as a Code Sec. 871(m) transaction (including as a result of the new guidance) might still be a Code Sec. 871(m) transaction under the anti-abuse rule.

Taxpayer Reliance
Taxpayers and withholding agents can rely on the new guidance before the Treasury and IRS amend the Code Sec. 871(m) regulations and the 2017 QI Agreement.