Fortunate enough to get a PPP loan? Forgiven expenses aren’t deductible

Posted by Kim Chen on May 18th, 2020

The IRS has issued guidance clarifying that certain deductions aren’t allowed if a business has received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. Specifically, an expense isn’t deductible if both: 1) the payment of the expense results in forgiveness of a loan made under the PPP, and 2) the income associated with the forgiveness is excluded from gross income under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. IRS Notice 2020-32 states that “this treatment prevents a double tax benefit.” However, two members of Congress say they’re opposed to the IRS stand on this issue. They say they’ll seek legislation to make certain expenses deductible. Stay tuned.