As a result of an executive order issued by Governor Newsom today, taxpayers in the following zip codes may postpone their property tax payments until April 10, 2026, and business personal property tax statement filings until April 1, 2026, without being subject to penalties and interest:

However, the postponement relief does not apply to payments made through an impound account nor to any taxes on the property that were delinquent as of January 6, 2025.

In addition to the relief provided in the executive order, taxpayers may also seek relief from the Los Angeles County Assessor’s office to have damaged or destroyed property reassessed. Taxpayers may also seek further suspension of penalties and interest for up to four years by submitting a penalty cancellation request form with the Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector.

Sign up for Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update and stay on top of late-breaking news. Click here for details.

To assist tax professionals working with disaster victims, including those assisting Los Angeles County wildfire victims and the hurricane and storm victims on the east coast, Spidell is offering two free disaster tax relief webinars. These webinars are:

• Tax Relief for Disaster Victims, which will address federal income tax relief generally; and
• Tax Relief for California Disaster Victims, which will cover both federal income and California income and property tax relief.

In the interim, tax professionals can also access additional resources for Los Angeles County wildfire victims from the FTB and the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office.

The FTB has posted the following resources:

• Los Angeles County wildfire FAQs; and
• A chart outlining how disaster victims should make tax payments to ensure payments are processed accurately and timely.

In addition, the Los Angeles County Assessor has a disaster relief webpage.

The FTB has released the interest rates for the second half of 2025. For the period July 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025, the rates are: 

• Personal underpayment/overpayment and corporate underpayment: 7%; and 

• Corporate overpayment: 4%. 

You can access historical rates at www.caltax.com/research/ftb-interest-rates/.

Recently, the Department of Finance re-designated the census tracts, altering the Designated Geographic Area (DGA) in which employees must live in order for an employer to be eligible for the New Employment Credit. (FTB Tax News (January 2025)) Some census tracts previously eligible are no longer in the DGA. Other census tracts previously not within the DGA have been added and are now eligible. This new designation will be effective January 1, 2025.  

The New Employment Credit is a tax credit intended to encourage hiring of targeted populations (e.g., unemployed, persons, veterans, public benefit recipients) in specific areas of the state. To claim the credit, businesses must have employees working in an eligible area (aka, the DGA), which includes census tracts in the state with higher unemployment and poverty rates and excludes tracts with lower rates. The Department of Finance originally identified the census tracts in 2014 when the New Employment Credit went into effect. 

Additional information regarding eligibility for the New Employment Credit is available at: 

www.ftb.ca.gov/file/business/credits/new-employment-credit/index.html

Taxpayers planning to claim the credit should check the DGA map tool to determine if the area where their employees are working is within the updated DGA. Within the map tool, users can view both the new DGA and the previous DGA. Users can enter an address to determine if it’s within the DGA during a particular time period. 

The map is available at:

https://maps.gis.ca.gov/gobiz/dga/

For taxpayers affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, the Governor’s office announced that California will provide postponed income and franchise tax filing and payment deadlines in alignment with the filing postponement provided by the IRS. This means taxpayers in Los Angeles County will be granted a postponement to October 15, 2025, to file California tax returns on 2024 income and make any tax payments that would have been due January 7, 2025, through October 15, 2025. This applies to all taxpayers located in Los Angeles County, even if they were not directly impacted by the fires.

According to the Governor’s announcement, this includes relief from the following deadlines:

• Quarterly estimated tax payments normally due on January 15, April 15, June 15, and September 15, 2025;
• Passthrough entity elective tax payments normally due on March 15 and June 15, 2025;
• Business entity corporate or passthrough entity tax returns normally due on March 15 and April 15, 2025;
• Individual tax returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2025; and
• Tax-exempt organization returns normally due on May 15, 2025.

We confirmed that similar to the relief granted by the IRS, this relief will also apply to taxpayers outside Los Angeles County whose tax professionals are located in Los Angeles County.

In addition, the Governor’s office has announced that the CDTFA will provide an automatic three-month extension for tax filing deadlines for taxpayers within Los Angeles County for those Los Angeles County taxpayers whose 2024 third quarter return was for less than $1 million in tax. This means that the January 30 returns are now due April 30, 2025. The CDTFA will also provide Los Angeles County taxpayers relief from interest and penalties and create flexible payment plans for businesses.

The Governor’s announcements are available here and here.

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Taxpayers located in Los Angeles County have until October 15, 2025, to meet filing and payment deadlines that normally fall within the January 7, 2025, through October 15, 2025, time period. (IR-2025-10) This includes, but is not limited to:

• 2024 quarterly estimated income tax payments normally due on January 15, 2025, and estimated tax payments normally due on April 15, June 16, and September 15, 2025;
• Quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due on January 31, April 30, and July 31, 2025;
• Individual income tax returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2025;
• 2024 contributions to IRAs and health savings accounts for eligible taxpayers;
• Calendar-year partnership and S corporation returns normally due on March 17, 2025;
• Calendar-year corporation and fiduciary returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2025; and
• Calendar-year tax-exempt organization returns normally due on May 15, 2025.

In addition, penalties for failing to make payroll and excise tax deposits due on or after January 7, 2025, and before January 22, 2025, will be abated as long as the deposits are made by January 22, 2025.

Ventura County is not currently listed in the FEMA disaster declaration, so the IRS cannot currently grant automatic postponement relief to taxpayers located in Ventura County. The IRS has indicated that the same relief will be provided to any other counties added later to the disaster area.

Taxpayers who have an address of record in Los Angeles County will automatically qualify for relief. Taxpayers who live outside of Los Angeles County whose records are located in Los Angeles County, such as taxpayers with tax preparers in Los Angeles County or who own businesses located in Los Angeles County, also qualify for relief, but must contact the IRS disaster hotline at (866) 562-5227 to obtain relief.

Disaster area tax preparers with clients located outside the disaster area can choose to file bulk requests. Information about bulk requests is available at:

www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/bulk-requests-from-practitioners-for-disaster-relief

To date, the California Department of Finance has not announced whether they will be providing similar relief for California income and franchise tax returns. We will continue to update you as news develops on this issue.

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Taxpayers directly affected by the Los Angeles and Ventura county wildfires qualify for relief for the upcoming sales and use tax and payroll tax deadlines, as follows:

• A 60-day extension to file with the EDD state payroll reports or deposit payroll taxes without penalties and interest. To qualify, taxpayers must make a written request within two months of an original payment or return due date; and
• An extension of up to three months to file and pay sales and use taxes or fees with the CDTFA.

We have confirmed with the EDD and CDTFA that a taxpayer will be considered “directly affected” if their tax preparer is directly affected by the wildfires (e.g., due to power outages, evacuation orders, or worse).

This relief is not automatic. Taxpayers must submit requests for relief. Details about how to apply are available from the EDD here and the CDTFA here.

We anticipate that the IRS and FTB will also be granting filing and payment deadline postponements for income and franchise taxes. We will send another Flash E-mail once they have announced the available relief.

Sign up for Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update and stay on top of late-breaking news. Click here for details.

Today President Biden signed a major disaster declaration for the wildfires impacting various communities in Los Angeles County. This will enable affected individuals and businesses to access individual program assistance from FEMA to cover expenses such as temporary accommodations and financial assistance for destroyed property.

The IRS has not issued any announcements yet, but we anticipate that with a disaster this size they will soon be providing tax filing and payment postponement relief. We will send another Flash E-mail when this occurs.

Sign up for Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update and stay on top of late-breaking news. Click here for details.

For the second application period of fiscal year 2024/2025, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development will accept applications for the California Competes Tax Credit beginning January 6, 2025, through January 27, 2025. (FTB Tax News (January 2025)) The final application window will be February 24, 2025, through March 10, 2025. 

The second application period has $215 million available for allocation. Applications for the credit will be accepted at:  

www.calcompetes.ca.gov

The BOI reporting mandate roller coaster ride continues.

A new panel of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is reviewing the lower court’s decision to enjoin the enforcement of the beneficial ownership information reporting requirement. (Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc. et al. v. Garland (December 26, 2024) U.S. Ct. of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, Case No. 24-40792) The review will be expedited, but in the interim the new panel reversed the previous panel’s decision to allow the BOI reporting mandate to continue pending the court of appeal’s review.

As the law stands today, penalties cannot be imposed against businesses who fail to file BOI reports with FinCEN.

However, as we have seen over this last month, this can change at any point. We recommend that you keep your clients informed of the latest developments, as the ultimate decision as to whether to file lies with them. FinCEN has not yet issued any updates on this latest development, but we assume that they will continue to allow businesses to voluntarily file.

Should your clients choose not to file until they are required to do so, we recommend that they continue to gather all necessary information to be ready to file should the reporting requirement be reinstated. As we saw this past week when the BOI reporting requirement was temporarily reinstated, FinCEN only gave businesses a short extension of the reporting deadlines.

The Court of Appeal’s latest order is available at:

www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/unpub/24/24-40792..pdf

Attendees of Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update will receive an updated client letter regarding these changes. Click here for details.

On December 23, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the lower court’s preliminary injunction against the beneficial ownership information reporting mandate. (FinCEN Alert) This means that the BOI reporting mandate will remain in effect while the lower court trial proceeds. However, FinCEN has announced a short delay in the deadlines for most businesses. The extended reporting deadlines are now as follows:

• Reporting companies that were created or registered prior to January 1, 2024, have until January 13, 2025, to file their initial beneficial ownership information reports with FinCEN. (These companies would otherwise have been required to report by January 1, 2025);
• Reporting companies created or registered on or after September 4, 2024, that had a filing deadline between December 3, 2024, and December 23, 2024, have until January 13, 2025, to file their initial beneficial ownership information reports with FinCEN; and
• Reporting companies created or registered in the United States on or after December 3, 2024, and on or before December 23, 2024, have an additional 21 days from their original filing deadline to file their initial beneficial ownership information reports with FinCEN.

The deadline for those businesses formed after 2024 remains 30 days from the time of formation.

Attendees of Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update will receive an updated client letter regarding these changes. Click here for details.

Beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting: The continuing resolution that was enacted this weekend did not defer the January 1, 2025, BOI reports for reporting companies formed prior to 2024. However, the temporary restraining order issued by the U.S. District Court in East Texas remains in place, meaning that all BOI reporting deadlines are currently on hold. (Texas Top Cop Shop v. Garland (December 3, 2024) U.S. Dist. Ct., Eastern Dist. of Texas, Case No. 4:24-CV-478)

Social Security Fairness Act sent to the president: Congress passed H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, which will retroactively increase the Social Security benefits paid to millions of individuals by eliminating the windfall elimination provision and government pension offset. This means these individuals will qualify for increased Social Security benefits, retroactive to January 1, 2024. President Biden is expected to sign the bill.

2021 Recovery Rebate Credits being sent out: The IRS announced that it will be issuing over one million 2021 Recovery Rebate Credits to eligible taxpayers who failed to claim the credit on their 2021 tax returns. (IR-2024-314) Eligible taxpayers should begin receiving these payments of up to $1,400 by late January.

Sign up for Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update and stay on top of late-breaking news. Click here for details.

Beginning January 1, 2025, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, pickup truck, or panel truck will be:

• 70 cents per mile driven for business use, up three cents from 2024;
• 21 cents per mile driven for medical purposes, unchanged from 2024;
• 21 cents per mile for moving purposes for qualified active-duty members of the Armed Forces, unchanged from 2024; and
• 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations, unchanged from 2024.
  (IRS Notice 2020-5)

The rates apply to fully electric and hybrid automobiles, as well as gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.

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Tucked away in the proposed 1,500-page continuing resolution (CR) that Congress is hoping to pass this week is a one-year delay in the January 1, 2025, beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting deadline for those entities subject to the BOI reporting mandate that were in existence prior to January 1, 2024. (CR Title V, Subtitle C, §122) It is unclear at this stage whether the CR will pass in its current form.

If this provision is enacted as currently proposed, it would not impact the requirement that entities subject to the mandate that are formed in 2024 file their initial report within 90 days of formation and those entities formed after 2024 file their reports within 30 days of formation. However, the preliminary injunction put in place by the U.S. District Court in East Texas has put these requirements on hold, at least for now. (Texas Top Cop Shop v. Garland (December 3, 2024) U.S. Dist. Ct., Eastern Dist. of Texas, Case No. 4:24-CV-478)

We will send another Flash E-mail with any further developments.

The text of the proposed continuing resolution is available at:

https://go.spidell.com/e/837113/billsthisweek-20241216-CR-pdf/5ywwz8/2361706954/h/NipYP-gAC36lbHc-j29GKOo-YzOsQkWr-0JzCz7kH2Q

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President Biden has signed the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act (H.R. 5863; P.L. 118-148). As we previously reported, the bill:

• Retroactively excludes from gross income qualified wildfire relief payments paid to individuals as compensation (other than insurance payments) for losses, expenses, or damages for any wildfire declared a federal disaster after December 31, 2014 (§3, H.R. 5863);
• Treats disaster relief payments to victims of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment as excludable IRC §139(b) payments (§3, H.R. 5863); and
• Allows individual victims with a net disaster loss from any taxable year to claim an enhanced personal casualty loss under IRC §165(h) for certain federally declared disasters that occurred after February 24, 2021. (§2, H.R. 5863)

We anticipate that the IRS will issue additional guidance shortly, and we will keep you posted as updates become available.

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Each transferor and transferee that is a party to a sale or exchange of an interest in a partnership (or portion thereof) involving unrealized receivables and inventory (§751 property) must receive IRS Form 8308, Report of a Sale or Exchange of Certain Partnership Interests, from the partnership by the later of:

• January 31 of the year following the calendar year in which the transaction occurred; or
• 30 days after the partnership has received notice of the exchange.

Partnerships that fail to timely furnish Form 8308 to parties involved in the sale are subject to penalties under IRC §6722 for failure to furnish correct payee statements (up to $250 per statement).

Recent changes made to Form 8308 have raised concerns that partnerships may not be able to acquire all information necessary to properly report Form 8308 by January 31, 2025, for transactions occurring in 2024.

Due to these concerns, the IRS has announced that it will not charge penalties under IRC §6722 to partnerships that are required to furnish Form 8308 for transactions occurring in 2024 as long as the partnerships:

• File Form 8308 with Parts I, II, and III completed by the later of:
  • January 31, 2025; or
  • 30 days after the partnership has received notice of the exchange; and
• File Form 8308 with Part IV completed by the later of:
  • The due date of the partnership’s 2024 Form 1065 (including extensions); or
  • 30 days after the partnership has received notice of the exchange.
    ​​​​(IRS Notice 2025-2)

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The Senate has passed the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023 (H.R. 5863).

If enacted, the bill would:

• Exclude from gross income qualified wildfire relief payments paid to individuals as compensation (other than insurance payments) for losses, expenses, or damages for any wildfire declared a federal disaster after December 31, 2014 (§3, H.R. 5863);
• Treat disaster relief payments to victims of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment as excludable IRC §139(b) payments (§3, H.R. 5863); and
• Allow individual victims with a net disaster loss from any taxable year to claim an enhanced personal casualty loss under IRC §165(h) for certain federally declared disasters that occurred after February 24, 2021. (§2, H.R. 5863)

The bill previously passed the House and will now be sent to the President. It is expected that President Biden will sign the bill.

The text of the bill is available at:

www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5863/text

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A federal district court in Texas issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against enforcing the beneficial ownership reporting requirements mandated by the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). (Texas Top Cop Shop v. Garland (December 3, 2024) U.S. Dist. Ct., Eastern Dist. Of Texas, Case No. 4:24-CV-478)

The court ruled that Congress exceeded its authority in enacting the CTA, resulting in an unconstitutional infringement on states’ rights to regulate businesses. The court granted a nationwide injunction prohibiting FinCEN from enforcing the January 1, 2025, reporting deadline for all reporting companies.

The opinion was issued on December 3, 2024, and will likely be appealed. However, for now, businesses do not have to file beneficial ownership information reports with FinCEN.

We will continue to update you as news develops on this issue.

The opinion is available at:

www.caltax.com/files/2024/ttcsvgarland.pdf

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The IRS is extending the Research Credit claim transition period through January 10, 2026. (www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-sets-forth-required-information-for-a-valid-research-credit-claim-for-refund) This means that for refund claims filed on or before January 10, 2026, taxpayers will be given a 45-day period to provide the required information for previously submitted claims.

In October 2021, the IRS initially set forth the additional information that taxpayers are now required to include for a Research Credit refund claim. (Chief Counsel Memorandum 2021401F) Taxpayers were given a transition period, during which taxpayers were given up to 45 days to perfect a previously submitted return. Since that time, the IRS has extended the transition period three times.

Pursuant to CCM 2021401F, as modified in subsequent guidance, taxpayers must provide the following information when claiming a Research Credit refund:

• Identify all the business components to which the IRC §41 Research Credit claim relates for that year;
• For each business component, identify all research activities performed; and
• Provide the total qualified employee wage expenses, total qualified supply expenses, and total qualified contract research expenses for the claim year.

This may be done using Form 6765, Credit for Increasing Research Activities.

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The IRS is providing transition relief for third-party settlement organizations (TPSOs), also known as payment apps and online marketplaces (e.g., Venmo, Amazon, etc.), regarding transactions during calendar years 2024 and 2025. (IRS Notice 2024-85) Although the American Rescue Plan Act required that TPSOs file 1099-Ks for all amounts paid to a payee if they exceed $600 in aggregate beginning with the 2022 calendar year, the IRS has previously delayed implementation.

According to the IRS’s latest guidance, TPSOs must file 1099-Ks to report transactions when the amount of total payments for those transactions is more than:

• $5,000 in 2024;
• $2,500 in 2025; and
• $600 in calendar year 2026 and after.

In addition, the IRS will not assert penalties under IRC §6651 or §6656 for a TPSO’s failure to withhold and pay backup withholding tax during the 2024 calendar year.

TPSOs that have performed backup withholding for a payee during calendar year 2024 must file a Form 945 and a Form 1099-K with the IRS and furnish a copy to the payee.

For calendar year 2025 and after, the IRS will assert penalties under §6651 or §6656 for a TPSO’s failure to withhold and pay backup withholding tax.

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The IRS announced that it is extending the deadline for third-party payers to file corrected ERC claims from November 22, 2024, to December 31, 2024. (e-News for Tax Professionals 2024-47) As we reported previously, this consolidated claim process allows third-party payers who filed ERC claims for multiple clients on a consolidated basis to withdraw the ERC claims for some, but not all, of the prior claims.

Details about who is eligible and how third-party payers can apply are available in our September 26, 2024, Flash E-mail.

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The FTB has stated that California will conform to additional federal disaster-related postponement relief related to disasters that occurred outside California (see our October 15 Flash E-mail for earlier announced relief). This additional relief includes, but is not limited to, relief provided to victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

For taxpayers filing California returns, California conforms to the postponement relief provided to affected taxpayers related to the disasters listed below.

Taxpayers should write the name of the disaster (for example, “Florida Hurricane Milton relief per FL- 2024-10”) in blue or black ink at the top of their tax return to alert the FTB. If taxpayers are filing electronically, they should follow the software instructions to enter disaster information.

See the following FTB webpage for additional information:

www.ftb.ca.gov/file/when-to-file/disasters-outside-california.html

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In IRS Notice 2024-80, the IRS announced the inflation-adjusted retirement figures for 2025. Key adjustments contained in the notice include, but are not limited to:

• The IRA contribution limit and catch-up contribution limit will remain at $7,000 and $1,000, respectively. Also included in the Notice are the increased income phase-out ranges;
• The SIMPLE contribution limit for businesses with 25 or more employees is increased from $16,000 to $16,500, while the catch-up contribution amount for most employees age 50 and older remains at $3,500 ($5,250 for employees aged 60, 61, 62, or 63). For businesses with fewer than 26 employees, the contribution limit is $17,600 and the general catch-up contribution limit remains at $3,850;
• The annual contribution limit for IRC §§401(k), 403(b), 457 governmental plans, and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan is increased from $23,000 to $23,500, while the catch-up contribution for most employees 50 and older remains at $7,500. However, employees aged 60, 61, 62, and 63 can make a catch-up contribution of up to $11,250; and
• The qualified charitable distribution limit is increased from $105,000 to $108,000.

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Effective November 23, 2024, FTB Secure E-mail users will no longer be required to register with the FTB or log in with a password to open an encrypted e-mail. (FTB Tax News, November 2024) Instead, to view a Secure E-mail message from the FTB, users will be told to click on a button to view the e-mail and then will be given the option to either:

• Re-sign in to their e-mail account; or
• Sign in with a one-time passcode that will be sent to their e-mail account (the one-time passcode will expire after 15 minutes).

Any existing e-mail messages received from, and replied to, the FTB through FTB Secure E-mail before the November 23, 2024, update will only be retrievable through December 8, 2024. After December 8, 2024, e-mail messages received and sent to the FTB before the update will be purged and will not be retrievable.

Tax professionals should ensure they print out or otherwise memorialize these e-mails prior to December 9, 2024.

Any encrypted e-mail messages received from, and replied to, the FTB on or after the November 23, 2024, update will be subject to a 90-day retention period unless deleted earlier by the user.

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FinCEN has announced filing postponement relief of up to six months for victims of five recent hurricanes. However, as noted below, the deadlines postponed vary depending on which hurricane is involved. Only victims of Hurricane Milton qualify for relief from the original filing deadline of January 1, 2025, for businesses that formed prior to January 1, 2024.

For all hurricanes listed below, to qualify for the postponement relief the reporting company must have its principal place of business in an area designated both by:

• The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as qualifying for individual or public assistance (see www.fema.gov/disaster/current); and
• The IRS as eligible for tax filing relief (see www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-relief-in-disaster-situations).

In addition, FinCEN will work with any reporting company whose principal place of business is outside the disaster areas but that must consult records located in the affected areas to meet the deadline. Reporting companies with a principal place of business outside the affected areas and that are seeking assistance in meeting their filing obligations should contact FinCEN at www.fincen.gov/boi.

The six-month postponement relief only applies to reporting companies with an initial or updated BOI filing deadline that falls within the periods listed below based on the hurricane involved:

• Hurricane Milton: Between October 4, 2024, and January 2, 2025 (see FIN-2024-NTC11);
• Hurricane Helene: Between September 22, 2024, and December 21, 2024 (see FIN-2024-NTC10);
• Hurricane Francine: Between September 8, 2024, and December 7, 2024 (see FIN-2024-NTC9);
• Hurricane Debby: Between July 31, 2024, and October 29, 2024 (see FIN-2024-NTC8); and
• Hurricane Beryl: Between July 4, 2024, and October 2, 2024 (see FIN-2024-NTC7).

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The IRS has released inflation adjustment figures for over 60 tax provisions, including the 2025 tax rate tables. (Rev. Proc. 2024-40) Other key adjustment figures include:

• Standard deduction: Increased to $30,000 for married filing joint (MFJ); $22,500 HOH, and $15,000 for single and married filing separate taxpayers;
• Estate tax basic exclusion amount: Increased to $13,990,000;
• Annual gift tax exclusion: Increased to $19,000;
• IRC §179 current expense limitations: The dollar limit is increased to $1,250,000 ($31,300 for sports utility vehicles) and the investment limit is increased to $3,130,000;
• IRC §199A threshold and phase-in range amounts: The threshold is increased to $197,300 ($394,600 MFJ). The phase-in range amount is also increased to $247,300 ($494,600 MFJ); and
• Excess business loss threshold: The threshold is increased to $313,000 ($626,000 MFJ).

The retirement-related inflation adjustment figures are not included in Rev. Proc. 2024-40. These are announced separately, usually in November.

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The FTB has confirmed that California will conform to 29 instances of federal disaster-related postponement relief related to disasters that occurred outside California. However, to date, the California Department of Finance has not determined whether California will conform to relief granted to taxpayers affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton; the Washington wildfires; the recent storms, tornadoes, and flooding in Illinois; or the September 25, 2025, deadline for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Israel.

As we’ve previously reported, due to legislative changes made by SB 167 (Ch. 24-34), the Department of Finance is now responsible for determining whether, and to what extent, California will conform to federal disaster postponements.

For taxpayers filing California returns, California is conforming to the postponement relief provided to affected taxpayers related to the disasters listed below.

Taxpayers should write the name of the disaster (for example, Iowa storms per IA-2024-04) in blue or black ink at the top of their tax return to alert the FTB. If taxpayers are filing electronically, they should follow the software instructions to enter disaster information.

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California is launching the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR) portion of the federal Home Energy Rebates program, which provides savings on energy efficiency improvements. (U.S. DOE Office of State and Community Energy Programs e-mail (October 8, 2024) Available at: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOESCEP/bulletins/3bac79b)  

The HEAR program is one of two Federal Home Energy Rebate programs. The first phase of the HEAR program will offer federal rebates that will expand state programs to provide additional support to low- and moderate-income households. 

Available now 

Eligible owners of multifamily buildings can save up to $14,000 per dwelling unit, including up to: 

• $8,000 for an ENERGY STAR-certified heat pump HVAC; 

• $4,000 for an electrical panel; 

• $2,500 for electrical wiring; 

• $1,750 for an ENERGY STAR-certified heat pump water heater; 

• $840 for an ENERGY STAR-certified electric stove, cooktop, range, or oven; and 

• $840 for an ENERGY STAR-certified electric heat pump clothes dryer. 

To apply for the HEAR multifamily program, visit:  

https://techcleanca.com/heehrarebates/  

Available soon 

Eligible owners of single-family homes will be able to save up to the following amounts on ENERGY STAR-certified heat pump HVAC units: 

• $8,000 for low-income households (i.e., those earning less than 80% of their area’s median income); and 

• $4,000 for middle-income households (i.e., those earning between 80–150% of their area’s median income). 

Second program launching in 2025 

There also is a second Home Energy Rebates program that California will launch in 2025. Under the Home Efficiency Rebates program, eligible Californians can save money on retrofits that reduce whole-home energy consumption.

With the January 1, 2025, beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting deadline looming for those entities formed prior to January 1, 2024, FinCEN has released two dozen more FAQs.

Highlights of the FAQs address the following:

• Unauthorized practice of law: FinCEN confirms that state law generally governs whether a third-party service provider submitting a BOI report is engaged in the unauthorized practice of law. Spidell is unaware of any state taking the position that submitting a BOI report is the unauthorized practice of law. However, Spidell strongly encourages tax professionals to contact their malpractice insurance carriers to see if this service is included in professional liability coverage (FAQ B.9);
• Impact of community property laws: Businesses must look to each state’s community property law to determine whether a spouse of an owner with at least a 25% ownership interest in the reporting company is also a beneficial owner (Spidell note: Under California’s community property law, spouses each own an undivided interest in the whole of community property, so if one spouse owns a 25% interest in a company, both spouses are treated as if they own a 25% interest and should be reported as beneficial owners.) (FAQ D.18);
• Impact of entity conversions: An entity that undergoes a conversion must file a new BOI report if under the state law a conversion results in the creation of a “new” domestic reporting company. A new report is also required if an entity ceases to exist in one state and forms in another state. An updated report, and not a new initial report, must be filed if under state law a new entity is not created because of the conversion, but the entity’s name is changed (e.g. ABC, Corp. to ABC, LLC) (FAQ C.18); and
• Registration in other state(s): Once an entity files an initial BOI report in the jurisdiction in which it is formed or initially registers, it does not have to file another or updated report if it subsequently registers in another state(s) (FAQ C.19).

The updated FAQs are available at:

https://fincen.gov/boi-faqs

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The IRS is postponing various filing and payment deadlines to May 1, 2025, for affected taxpayers in the following states:

• Alabama (entire state): For deadlines that occurred beginning on September 22, 2024 (IRS AL-2024-05);
• Florida (41 counties): For deadlines that occurred beginning on September 23, 2024 (IRS FL-2024-08);
• Georgia (entire state):  For deadlines that occurred beginning on September 24, 2024 (IRS GA-2024-08;
• North Carolina (entire state): For deadlines that occurred beginning on September 25, 2024 (IRS NC-2024-08);
• South Carolina (entire state): For deadlines that occurred beginning on September 25, 2024 (IRS SC-2024-08);
• Tennessee (8 counties): For deadlines that occurred beginning on September 26, 2024 (IRS TN-2024-01); and
• Virginia (six counties and one city): For deadlines that occurred beginning on September 25, 2024 (IRS VA-2024-01).

The relief applies to, but is not limited to, the following deadlines:

• 2023 individual, business, and tax-exempt organization extended 2023 tax year filing deadlines;
• 2024 individual and business returns and payments normally due during March or April 2025;
• 2024 quarterly estimated income tax payments normally due on January 15, 2025, and 2025 estimated tax payments normally due on April 15, 2025; and
• Quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due on October 31, 2024, and January 31 and April 30, 2025.

In addition, businesses are also eligible for penalty relief related to payroll and excise tax deposits. This relief varies by state. Taxpayers can find additional information, organized by state, on the IRS Around the Nation webpage.

The IRS notes that many of the areas listed above had previously received relief following Tropical Storm Debby. These taxpayers’ filing and payment deadlines are now extended until May 1, 2025.

The IRS automatically provides filing and penalty relief to any taxpayer with an IRS address of record located in the disaster area. These taxpayers do not need to contact the agency to get this relief. All other taxpayers who are not located in the disaster area but whose records or tax preparer is in the listed area should call the IRS Disaster Hotline at (866) 562-5227 for relief.

We have reached out to the California Franchise Tax Board to determine whether California will conform to this postponement relief for affected taxpayers who have California filing requirements.

The IRS announcement is available at:

www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-provides-relief-for-helene-various-deadlines-postponed-to-may-1-2025-part-or-all-of-7-states-qualify

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SB 422, which clarifies the responsibilities of loan-out companies and motion picture payroll services companies for the purposes of remitting unemployment insurance taxes and related obligations, including income tax withholding, was signed by Governor Newsom today.

Under the legislation, the loan-out company, solely for the purpose of remitting employment taxes, is deemed to be the employer of the employee-owners or members who are engaged by the loan-out company to provide services to a motion picture production company or an allied motion picture services company. SB 422 does not alter or modify any other laws with regard to loan-out companies or their employees, meaning that the motion picture company would likely still be treated as the employer for items such as wage and hour laws, etc.

Earlier this year, we reported that the EDD had been auditing and assessing motion picture payroll services companies on the basis that the motion picture companies and not the loan-out corporations were the employers of the loan-out corporation shareholders/employees. After passage of AB 5 and its adoption of the ABC test for purposes of determining whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee, it has been unclear who is the employer when a motion picture company hires a person to work on a production through a loan-out corporation.

The legislation states that the changes made by SB 422 regarding who is responsible for remitting the employment taxes “is declaratory of, and not a change in, existing law.”

The text of SB 422 is available at:

https://go.spidell.com/e/837113/t-xhtml-bill-id-202320240SB422/5ybq14/2235661320/h/LNOBHXfo3vt_R14tCe5LSBj4EGlHmwDDFKfn34TYqdM

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The IRS has announced a special process available only to third-party payers (TPPs) to resolve incorrect ERC claims. (IR-2024-246)

The new process allows TPPs that filed prior ERC claims with multiple clients to effectively withdraw ERC claims for only some clients while maintaining other ERC claims. One of the hurdles to other ERC relief announced by the IRS was that TPPs that wanted to withdraw claims had to do so for all clients included on a joint filing.

The supplemental claims process is only available for TPPs to which all of the following apply:

• The TPP has filed one or more ERC claims aggregating credits for itself and/or clients using the TPP’s EIN;
• The TPP made the claim on an amended payroll tax return; and
• The IRS has not processed any of the claims the TPP is including in the supplemental claim and is not auditing these claims.

When filed, the supplemental ERC claim replaces an outstanding (and unprocessed) ERC claim. The IRS will treat claims filed before the supplemental claim as if they were never filed. Supplemental claims can only be filed to replace claims filed on or before January 31, 2024.

TPPs who file supplemental claims must file a separate claim for each tax period (payroll quarter) and all supplemental claims must be filed by 11:59 p.m. on November 22, 2024, which is the same due date as the second ERC Voluntary Disclosure Program. TPPs file supplemental claims by filing another amended payroll tax return for the applicable quarter.

TPPs looking for more information about filing supplemental ERC claims should review the IRS’s dedicated webpage on the topic. Go to:

www.irs.gov/coronavirus/filing-a-supplemental-claim-for-the-employee-retention-credit

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Tax professionals may be randomly selected to take part in a voluntary survey to help the IRS improve services to the tax professional community and taxpayers. (IRS e-News for Tax Professionals 2024-38) Invitations to participate in the survey will be sent by mail with follow up via phone call from a Kansas City area code (816). The survey can be completed online or by mail in about 20 minutes.  

The survey will be conducted through December 6, 2024, by ICF, an independent research firm. It covers topics like e-filing, due diligence requirements, data security, and electronic document submission. All responses are anonymous and confidential, and the survey will not ask for personal information about tax professionals or their clients. 

For more information, e-mail or call:  

TaxProfessional@icfsurvey.com  

(888) 504-6387

Final regulations governing the requirement for estates and beneficiaries to consistently report basis were issued on September 17, 2024, by the IRS. (TD 9991)

The elimination of the zero-basis rule is great news for estate beneficiaries. It means those assets will no longer be inherited with zero basis, and instead will follow traditional inherited basis rules.​​​​​​

Sign up for Spidell’s 2024 Trust Webinar Series and get 17 hours of CPE that will help you understand and prepare trust returns. Courses are also available individually. Click here for details.

FinCEN has released new and updated FAQs regarding the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements for entities that dissolve prior to their initial BOI reporting due date. The FAQs clarify:

• Reporting companies formed after 2023 must file their BOI reports even if they dissolve before their initial filing due date (90 days from date of formation for those entities formed in 2024 and 30 days for entities that form after 2024);
• These entities must still file their initial report, but there is no reporting requirement to file an additional report to report that the company has ceased to exist; and
• A foreign company is not required to file a BOI report if it ceased to be registered to do business in the United States before January 1, 2024. However, like domestic entities, a foreign company must file a report if it withdraws its registration at any time after 2023.

The FAQs are available at:

www.fincen.gov/sites/default/files/shared/BOI-FAQs-QA-508C.pdf

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The FTB’s webpage concerning automatic filing extensions for single-member LLCs (SMLLCs) to file their FTB Form 568, LLC Return of Income, has caused some confusion for taxpayers and their tax professionals. (www.ftb.ca.gov/file/when-to-file/due-dates-business.html)

The FTB’s webpage states that SMLLCs owned by passthrough entities receive a six-month extension (e.g., September 15 for calendar-year taxpayers). However, the six-month extension only applies to SMLLCs owned by an S corporation. SMLLCs owned by a partnership receive a seven-month extension (October 15 for calendar year taxpayers).

We have confirmed with the FTB that the webpage does not make this distinction, but the instructions to Form 568 clearly state that the filing extension period for SMLLCs owned by a partnership is seven months and six months for all other SMLLCs.

Bottom line, the filing extension period for SMLLCs to file a Form 568 is based on their ownership as follows:

• SMLLC owned by an individual (six-month extension): October 15 for a calendar-year filer (R&TC §18567);
• SMLLC owned by a partnership (seven-month extension): October 15 for a calendar-year filer (R&TC §18567(2)(B));
• SMLLC owned by an S corporation (six-month extension): September 15, for a calendar-year filer; see FTB Notice 2019-07)
• SMLLC owned by a C corporation (six-month extension): October 15 for a calendar-year filer. Note: This is different than the seven-month extension for corporations filing Form 100 that was granted by FTB Notice 2019-07. This is because FTB Notice 2019-07 specifically limits the seven-month extension period to Forms 100 and 100W.

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The BOE has released Publication 802, Information Guide for Disaster Relief for Damaged or Destroyed Property. Publication 802 is intended to help taxpayers understand the different types of property tax relief available if their property is damaged or destroyed from a natural disaster, such as a wildfire, flooding, or earthquake; or if their property is damaged or destroyed from a misfortune, such as an electrical fire. Publication 802 also describes what qualifies for relief under R&TC §170, how property taxes are adjusted to grant relief for the damaged or destroyed property, and how and when to apply for relief. It discusses available relief once the property is rebuilt or if the property owner decides to purchase a different property. 

The publication is available at: 

https://boe.ca.gov/pdf/pub802.pdf  

On Thursday, August 15, 2024, the Assembly Appropriations Committee voted to hold SB 1501 “under submission.” According to our sources at the Capitol, this means that the bill is essentially dead, although it won’t be “officially” dead until August 31, 2024, when the legislative session ends.

This means that the hoped-for fix to the June 15 passthrough entity elective tax prepayment requirement will not happen for the 2024 tax year. Therefore, if a taxpayer failed to pay the greater of $1,000 or 50% of the amount of passthrough entity tax due for the prior year by June 15 of the current tax year, it will be ineligible to qualify to make the election for the tax year.

The FTB does not have the authority to allow for any exceptions to this prepayment requirement.

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Today, the IRS announced a second Employee Retention Credit (ERC) Voluntary Disclosure Program (VDP). (IRS Announcement 2024-30) Notable aspects of this second ERC VDP are:

• The second ERC VDP is only available for ERC claims filed for tax periods in 2021 and for which the taxpayer received an ERC refund prior to August 15, 2024;
• Where the first ERC VDP allowed taxpayers to repay only 80% of their erroneously received ERC refunds, this second ERC VDP requires taxpayers to repay 85% of their erroneously received ERC refunds;
• Applications must be filed using IRS Form 15434, Application for Employee Retention Credit Voluntary Disclosure Program, on or before 11:59 p.m. local time on November 22, 2024; and
• Applications and any required attachments must be submitted using the IRS’s Document Upload Tool at irs.gov/dut.

Other details of the second ERC VDP are similar to the first ERC VDP, such as:

• Taxpayers must apply prior to being audited or otherwise investigated by the IRS for the ERC claimed;
• If a taxpayer used a third-party payer (e.g., a PEO) to apply for the credit, the third-party payer must submit the application for the VDP;
• Relief from civil, but not criminal, penalties for program participants;
• The requirement to execute a closing agreement; and
• The requirement to provide preparer/advisor information for those who helped prepare the taxpayer’s original ERC claim, among others.

Sign up for Spidell’s Quarterly Tax Update for more analysis of the ERC VDP. Click here for details.

The FTB’s current SWIFT VeriSign certificate will expire on September 9, and the new VeriSign certificate will be installed on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, between 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. PST. (FTB e-File News (August 15, 2024)) When a user logs into the SWIFT system after the new certificate has been installed, they may receive a message requiring them to accept the new certificate. Once a user accepts the new certificate, they should not receive any further messages. 

VeriSign certificate information that is embedded into an automated file transfer process that uses SWIFT will need to be updated with the new certificate information. 

Questions or comments can be sent to the FTB’s e-file Coordinator at:  

e‑file.coordinator@ftb.ca.gov

The FTB uses the Secure Web Internet File Transfer (SWIFT) system to transmit and receive confidential information to and from taxpayers and their tax professionals. This system is used by tax professionals to e-file returns and information returns with the FTB that are not currently part of the Combined Federal/State Filing Program.

A new written information security plan (WISP) template has been issued by the IRS to help protect tax professionals, especially smaller practices, against continuing threats from identify thieves and data breaches. (IR-2024-208) Federal law requires that tax professionals have a WISP and they must affirmatively declare that they have one when they renew their PTIN each year. This new template can be used by tax professionals to meet this mandate.

The new version of the WISP includes several new information updates since the first version came out, including best practices for implementing multi-factor authentication for any individual accessing any information system.

The updated WISP, which is contained in IRS Publication 5708, Creating a Written Information Security Plan for your Tax & Accounting Practice, is available at:

www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5708.pdf

The IRS also reminds tax professionals that they must report a security event affecting 500 or more people to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days from the date of discovery. This is in addition to reporting the incident to an IRS stakeholder liaison and state tax authorities. Stakeholder Liaison contact information is available at:

www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/stakeholder-liaison-local-contacts

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The IRS has announced that it will begin processing Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims submitted prior to February 1, 2024. (IR-2024-203) Previously, the IRS had placed a moratorium on processing any claims submitted after September 13, 2023.

The IRS has also stated that:

• They will prioritize moving the outstanding “low-risk” claims out for payment and the “high-risk” claims out for denial, and will carefully examine the remaining claims;
• They have approved up to 50,000 “low-risk” ERC claims submitted prior to September 14, 2023, and will commence sending out payments on these claims starting in September;
• They have denied 28,000 “high-risk” claims representing over $5 billion in improper claims, but has confirmed that after receiving feedback from taxpayers and tax professionals approximately 10% of the denials issued were issued in error, but that the errors appear to be isolated instances; and
• Some of the denial notices failed to inform taxpayers of their appeals rights (they can request an administrative appeal or appeal directly to the U.S. District Court). The IRS has confirmed that standard appeals rights apply to these denials.

The announcement does not indicate how many backlogged ERC claims the IRS still has to process.

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The FTB has created an e-mail address exclusively for use by San Diego County taxpayers for account resolution related to disaster postponement. (FTB News Flash (August 8, 2024))

If San Diego County taxpayers received a penalty notice for the 2023 taxable year related to the disaster postponement, taxpayers or tax professionals can now submit an e-mail to:

FTBSanDiegoDisasterRelief@ftb.ca.gov

This e-mail address was designed exclusively for San Diego County taxpayers who received notices related to the disaster postponement. The following information is required to process the disaster relief request:

• Taxpayer name;
• Address during the disaster (must be principal residence or principal place of business);
• E-mail address;
• Telephone number; and
• 10-digit FTB identification number or 15-digit notice number.

Taxpayers and tax professionals can also check MyFTB for information or they may call the FTB.

Last month, tax professionals were commenting that many of their San Diego County clients were receiving balance due/penalty due notices even though they qualified for the June 17 disaster-related postponement and filed and paid the tax due by June 17. Spidell brought this issue to the FTB’s attention and the FTB confirmed these notices were sent out erroneously. The FTB stated that due to system processing issues, these notices were generated prior to the payments being posted to taxpayer accounts.

Sign up for Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update and see why more than 18,000 tax pros choose Spidell each year. Click here for details.FTB creates dedicated e-mail address for San Diego County disaster notice assistance

The BOE has scheduled the 2024 Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights Hearing on August 27, 2024, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Taxpayers and stakeholders will have the opportunity to comment on the Taxpayers’ Rights Advocate’s Annual Report or share suggestions, comments, or concerns on California’s property tax system and the Alcoholic Beverage Tax. Taxpayers and stakeholders can participate in person, by phone, or submit written comments in advance. 

Details regarding the hearing are at:  

https://boe.ca.gov/pdf/pub317-BOE.PDF

Additional information can be found at: 

www.boe.ca.gov/tra/

Today the Senate failed to pass the American Families and Worker’s Act of 2024 (TRAFWA) by a vote of 48 to 44 (it required 60 votes to pass). This is the bill that was passed by the House in January 2024 on a vote of 357 to 70. At the time the bill passed the House, it had bi-partisan support, and commentators were expecting it to pass swiftly.

Had it passed, the bill would have, among other things:

• Increased the Child Tax Credit;
• Retroactively reinstated current expensing for domestic qualified research expenses, 100% bonus depreciation, and the larger business interest expense deduction;
• Significantly increased Employee Retention Credit (ERC) penalties and retroactively imposed a January 31, 2024, cutoff date for new ERC claims; and
• Provided additional disaster relief for those impacted by federally declared disasters occurring after 2019.

At this stage, it is highly unlikely that there will be any significant tax legislation passed until after the November 2024 election. However, we will keep you posted as any news develops.

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