As year-end approaches, it would be worthwhile to consider whether you could benefit from the following “last minute” tax-saving moves, including adjustments to income to preserve favorable estimated tax rules for 2015, deferral of certain advance payments to next year, and fine-tuning bonuses
Accelerating or deferring income can preserve an estimated tax break.Corporations (other than certain “large” corporations) can avoid being penalized for underpaying estimated taxes if they pay installments based on 100 percent of the tax shown on the return for the preceding year. Otherwise, they must pay estimated taxes based on 100 percent of the current year’s tax. However, the safe harbor for 100 percent of last year’s tax isn’t available unless the corporation filed a return for the preceding year that showed a tax liability. A return showing a zero tax liability doesn’t satisfy this requirement. Only a return that shows a positive tax liability for the preceding year makes the safe harbor available.
A corporation (other than a “large” corporation) that anticipates a small net operating loss for 2014 (and substantial net income in 2015) may find it worthwhile to accelerate just enough of its 2015 income (or to defer just enough of its 2014 deductions) to create a small amount of net income for 2014. This will permit the corporation to base its 2015 estimated tax installments on the relatively small amount of income shown on its 2014 return, rather than having to pay estimated taxes based on 100 percent of its much larger 2015 taxable income. Also, by accelerating income from 2015 to 2014, the income may be taxed at a lower rate in 2014, for example, at 15 percent instead of at 25 percent or 34 percent. However, where a 2014 NOL would result in a carryback that would eliminate tax in an earlier year, the value of the carryback should be compared to the cost of having to pay only a small amount of estimated tax for 2015.
An accrual basis business can take a 2014 deduction for some bonuses not paid until 2015. An accrual basis corporation can take a deduction for its current tax year for a bonus not actually paid to its employee until the following tax year if (1) the employee doesn’t own more than 50 percent in value of the corporation’s stock, (2) the bonus is properly accrued on its books before the end of the current tax year, and (3) the bonus is actually paid within the first two and a half months of the following tax year (for a calendar year taxpayer, within the first two and a half months of 2015).Generally speaking, a taxpayer will be treated as a “large” corporation for estimated tax purposes only if it had taxable income of $1 million or more in any one of the three preceding tax years. As a result, a corporation that didn’t reach that threshold in 2012 or 2013, but expects net income of $1 million or more in 2014 and later tax years, will have an additional incentive for deferring income into (or accelerating deductions from) 2015. If such a shifting of income or deductions lets the corporation avoid reaching the $1 million threshold in 2014, it will be able to use the safe harbor for 100 percent of last year’s tax in 2015.
For employees on the cash basis, the bonus won’t be taxable income until the following year. The 2014 deduction won’t be allowed, however, if the bonus is paid by a personal service corporation to an employee-owner, or by an S corporation to an employee-shareholder, or by a C corporation to a direct or indirect majority owner.
Accrual-basis taxpayers can defer the inclusion of certain advance payments. Accrual-basis taxpayers generally may defer including in gross income advance payments for goods until the tax year in which they are properly accruable for tax purposes if the income inclusion for tax purposes isn’t later than it is under the taxpayer’s accounting method for financial reporting purposes.
An advance payment is also eligible for deferral—but only until the year following its receipt—if:
1. including the payment in income for the year of receipt is a permissible method of accounting for tax purposes;
2. the taxpayer recognizes all or part of it in its financial statement for a later year; and
3. the payment is for (a) services, (b) goods (other than goods for which the deferral method discussed above is used), (c) the use of intellectual property (including by lease or license), (d) the occupancy or use of property ancillary to the provision of services, (e) the sale, lease or license of computer software, (f) guaranty or warranty contracts ancillary to the preceding items, (g) subscriptions in tangible or intangible format, (h) organization membership, and (i) any combination of the preceding items.
For example, let’s say an accrual-basis calendar-year taxpayer received a payment on Nov. 1, 2014 for a contract under which it will repair a customer’s computer equipment for two years. In its financial statements, the taxpayer recognizes 25 percent of the payment in 2014, 50 percent in 2015, and 25 percent in 2016.For tax purposes, under the deferral method discussed above, the taxpayer can report 25 percent in 2014 and defer 75 percent to 2015.
The deferral method cannot be used for (1) rent (unless it’s for items (c), (d), or (e), above), (2) insurance premiums, (3) payments on financial instruments (such as debt instruments, deposits, letters of credit, etc.), (4) payments for certain service warranty contracts, (5) payments for warranty and guaranty contracts where a third party is the primary obligor, (6) payments subject to certain foreign withholding rules, and (7) payments in property to which Section 83 of the tax code applies.
If an advance payment is only partially attributable to an eligible item, it may be allocated among its various parts, and the deferral rule may be used for the eligible part.
Taxpayers wishing to change to the above method may use automatic consent provisions (with certain modifications).Advance consent procedures apply in certain cases, such as where advance payments are allocated.
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