By If you’re thinking about hiring new employees this this year you won’t want to miss out on tax breaks available to businesses with employees.
1. Payroll Tax Deduction for Startups
As part of the Research & Development Tax Credit, for tax years 2016 and beyond, startup businesses (C-corps and S-corps) with little to no revenue that qualify for the research and development tax credit can apply the credit against employer-paid Social Security taxes instead of income tax owed. Sole proprietorships, as well as Partnerships, C-corps and S-corps with gross receipts of less than $5 million for the current year and with no gross receipts for the previous year, can take advantage of the credit. Up to $250,000 in payroll costs can be offset by the credit.
2. Work Opportunity Credit
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit for employers that hire employees from the following targeted groups of individuals:
- A member of a family that is a Qualified Food Stamp Recipient
- A member of a family that is a Qualified Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) Recipient
- Qualified Veterans
- Qualified Ex-Felons, Pardoned, Paroled or Work Release Individuals
- Vocational Rehabilitation Referrals
- Qualified Summer Youths
- Qualified Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Recipients
- Qualified Individuals living within an Empowerment Zone or Rural Renewal Community
- Long Term Family Assistance Recipient (TANF) (formerly known as Welfare to Work)
The tax credit (a maximum of $9,600) is taken as a general business credit (Form 3800, General Business Credit), and is applied against tax liability on business income. It is limited to the amount of the business income tax liability or social security tax owed. Normal carryback and carryforward rules apply.
For qualified tax-exempt organizations, the credit is limited to the amount of employer social security tax owed on wages paid to all employees for the period the credit is claimed.
Also, an employer must obtain certification that an individual is a member of the targeted group before the employer may claim the credit.
Note: The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (the PATH Act) retroactively allows eligible employers to claim the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) for all targeted group employee categories that were in effect prior to the enactment of the PATH Act, if the individual began or begins work for the employer after December 31, 2014 and before January 1, 2020.
For tax-exempt employers, the PATH Act retroactively allows them to claim the WOTC for qualified veterans who begin work for the employer after December 31, 2014, and before January 1, 2020.
3. Disabled Access Credit
Employers that hire disabled workers might also be able to take advantage of two additional tax credits in addition to the WOTC.
The Disabled Access Credit is a non-refundable credit for small businesses that incur expenditures for the purpose of providing access to persons with disabilities. An eligible small business is one that earned $1 million or less or had no more than 30 full-time employees in the previous year; they may take the credit each, and every year they incur access expenditures. Eligible expenditures include amounts paid or incurred to:
1. Remove barriers that prevent a business from being accessible to or usable by individuals with disabilities;2. Provide qualified interpreters or other methods of making audio materials available to hearing-impaired individuals;
3. Provide qualified readers, taped texts, and other methods of making visual materials available to individuals with visual impairments; or
4. Acquire or modify equipment or devices for individuals with disabilities.
4. Architectural Barrier Removal Tax Deduction
The Architectural Barrier Removal Tax Deduction encourages businesses of any size to remove architectural and transportation barriers to the mobility of persons with disabilities and the elderly. Businesses may claim a deduction of up to $15,000 a year for qualified expenses for items that normally must be capitalized. Businesses claim the deduction by listing it as a separate expense on their income tax return.
Businesses may use the Disabled Tax Credit and the Architectural/Transportation Tax Deduction together in the same tax year if the expenses meet the requirements of both sections. To use both, the deduction is equal to the difference between the total expenditures and the amount of the credit claimed.
5. State Tax Credits
Many states use tax credits and deductions as incentives for hiring and job growth. Employers are eligible for these credits and deductions when they create new jobs and hire employees that meet certain requirements. Examples include the New Employment Credit (NEC) in California, the Kentucky Small Business Tax Credit, and Empire Zone Tax Credits in New York.
6. FICA Tip Tax Credit
Certain food and beverage establishments can claim a credit for social security and Medicare taxes paid or incurred by the employer on certain employees’ tips. The credit is part of the general business credit. To take advantage of this credit, restaurant managers must complete IRS Form 8846, Credit for Employer Social Security and Medicare Taxes Paid on Certain Employee Tips. If the restaurant employs more than 10 tipped employees, then IRS Form 8027, Employer’s Annual Information Return of Tip Income and Allocated Tips is used to report tips and determine allocated tips for tipped employees. The credit is not refundable (there must be taxable income); however, unused FICA credits may be carried back one year or carried forward up to 20 years.
Questions?
If you’re a business owner and are wondering what tax breaks your business qualifies for, don’t hesitate to call the office and speak to a tax and accounting professional you can trust.