Business tax credits are particularly beneficial for planning because they reduce tax liability dollar-for-dollar. The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015 has made permanent the research credit and extended but not made permanent other credits, including the Work Opportunity credit (through 2019). Let’s explore a few details of these business tax credits.
Research credit
Also known as the Research & Development (R&D) credit, it gives businesses an incentive to step up their investments in research and innovation. The PATH Act permanently extends the credit, allowing businesses to earn a credit for pursuing critical research into new products and technologies. Plus, in 2016 businesses with $50 million or less in gross receipts can claim the credit against AMT liability. Certain start-ups (in general, those with less than $5 million in gross receipts) that haven’t yet incurred any income tax liability can use the credit against their payroll tax. While the credit is complicated to compute, the tax savings can be worth the effort.
Work Opportunity credit
This credit is for employers that hire from a “target group.” It has been extended through 2019. Starting this year, target groups are extended to include individuals who’ve been unemployed for 27 weeks or more. The size of the tax credit depends on the hired person’s target group, the wages paid to that person and the number of hours that person worked during the first year of employment. The maximum tax credit that can be earned for each member of a target group is generally $2,400 per adult employee. But the credit can be higher for members of certain target groups, up to as much as $9,600 for certain veterans. Employers aren’t subject to a limit on the number of eligible individuals they can hire. That is, if there are 10 individuals that qualify, the credit can be 10 times the listed amount. Bear in mind that you must obtain certification that an employee is a target group member from the appropriate State Workforce Agency before you can claim the credit. The certification generally must be requested within 28 days after the employee begins work.
New Markets credit
This credit has been extended through 2019. It gives investors who make “qualified equity investments” in certain low-income communities a 39% tax credit over a seven-year period. Certified Community Development Entities (CDEs) determine which projects get funded — often construction or rehabilitation real estate projects in “distressed” communities, using data from the 2006–2010 American Community Survey. Flexible financing is provided to the developers and business owners.
Empowerment Zones
Empowerment Zones are certain urban and rural areas where employers and other taxpayers qualify for special tax incentives, including a 20% credit for “qualified zone wages” up to $15,000, for a maximum credit of $3,000. The tax incentive expired December 31, 2014, but it has been extended through December 31, 2016.
If you have questions about any of these potential deductions, employee benefits incentives or tax credits for the current or coming tax year, talk to the Tax Services Group at Cornwell Jackson. You may also download our newest Tax Planning Guide.
Gary Jackson, CPA, is the lead tax partner at Cornwell Jackson. Gary has built businesses, managed them, developed leadership teams and sold divisions of his business, and he utilizes this real world practical experience in both managing Cornwell Jackson and in providing tax advisory services to individuals and business leaders in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and across North Texas.
