COVID-19 Weekly Digest (August 19, 2020)
While there is a lot of discussion regarding the possibility of upcoming vaccines, it is still that—just talk. Until scientists develop an effective and safe vaccine, and that vaccine is administered to millions of people, our best means of protection from COVID-19 is herd immunity. Recent models hint that the protective effects of a population that has already been infected by the COVID-19 virus may exist at much lower percentages than previously thought. Instead of requiring that 70 to 80 percent of a population be immune, that threshold may be less than 50 percent, or even as low as ten percent. At the very least, some degree of immunity may slow the spread of successive waves of infection. The new models may also help countries determine which groups should have priority in vaccination because they may be the most vulnerable and the most likely to spread the virus.
Herd immunity, globally available vaccines and effective treatments are not yet our reality, so let’s continue to do what we can to keep each other healthy!
CARES ACT UPDATES
Executive Order and Memoranda for Pandemic Relief
One of the memorandums signed by President Trump on August 8 requested that the Treasury implement a method for deferring payment of some payroll taxes by employees beginning on September 1 through the end of the year. However, employees, employers and accountants all have questions about how exactly this will work. Since this is a deferral, not a cut in tax rates, who will be ultimately responsible for the taxes when they are due, and how will those deferred taxes be paid?
Will the deferred payroll tax be paid on an employees’ 2020 tax return or via withholding from paychecks? Neither of these options is good for employees. If it’s reconciled on the 2020 tax return, then workers may be surprised when their tax refund is smaller than expected, or they may end up owing tax. Paying the tax in a lump sum or over several paychecks may be a hardship for employees living close to the edge.
Many employers fear that the burden will fall on them. If they pay the taxes that are legally the responsibility of the employees, this may be considered extra compensation for the employees, and the employers will have to withhold additional taxes to pay the taxes that they’re paying on behalf of the employee. Faced with this dilemma, many employers are planning on continuing to withhold taxes and pay them as usual since it is not clear from the memorandum whether this is mandatory or not.
Economic Impact Payments (aka Stimulus Checks)
The non-filers tool is available again to receive payments in 2020.
The IRS is re-opening the window for non-filers to submit information about children so they can receive a $500 per child economic impact payment (EIP) for children. The IRS used 2018 or 2019 tax returns to determine eligibility for EIPs. But many recipients of federal benefits such as Social Security, VA benefits or railroad retirement are not required to file tax returns. Other non-filers do not have enough income to require filing a tax return. Back in May, the IRS introduced the Non-Filers Tool which allows non-filers to provide information about their children, but it was only available for a very brief period. The IRS has once again made it available, and for a longer window than previously.
Recipients of federal benefits and who did not previously use it to add their children should enter information about their children by September 30. Payments will be issued by mid-October.
Those who used the non-filer tool previously don’t need to do anything. Payments will be issued by mid-October.
Persons who did not file a 2018 or 2019 tax return due to income below filing thresholds should use the non-filer tool by October 15 or will not receive payment until 2021.
TurboTax error causing problems with EIPs
Some TurboTax users are reporting that a single checked-box in their tax returns means they are not getting their stimulus check. That box asks if someone else can claim the taxpayer as a dependent. While it is true that being a dependent of another person results in ineligibility for a stimulus check, some are reporting that this checked box was erroneously carried forward from an earlier year and was not correct for the current year. A few are mystified that the box had been checked at all. Unfortunately, for these people, the only currently available solution is to correct the issue when they file their 2020 tax returns.
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
New PPP FAQs and procedures
On August 11, the SBA added to their FAQs for procedural issues for the PPP. FAQ 50 states that the payment or non-payment of agent fees for a PPP loan will have no impact on SBA’s guarantee of that loan. FAQ 51 clarifies that vision and dental benefits are included in group health care benefits.
On the same day, the SBA added 3 FAQs to the forgiveness FAQs. The new FAQs all deal with the interaction between the PPP and the EIDL programs. The new FAQs clarify that if a business received both a PPP loan and an EIDL advance grant, the EIDL advance grant amount will be subtracted from the forgivable amount of the PPP loan. This means that some borrowers may end up repaying part or all of their EIDL grant. Fortunately, this repayment will be under the more favorable PPP terms of 1% interest.
The SBA also issued an interim final rule that includes procedures for appealing the denial of PPP forgiveness. This guidance includes a list of the information that must be submitted and the mailing address at the SBA where the appeal petition must be sent.
Beware phishing attacks that seem to be from the SBA
The third wave of phishing attacks began in early August that capitalizes on the SBA loans. Like the other campaigns, the emails appear to be from the SBA and request financial or banking information. If in doubt, check with the information on the SBA’s website about fraudulent emails or call the SBA.
TAX ISSUES
Did you mail a check to the IRS to pay your 2019 taxes? If so, the envelope with that check may be in the backlog of millions of other unopened pieces of mail at IRS service centers, but the IRS’ tax collection machine is paying no heed. Reports are surfacing of taxpayers who mailed a check on or before the due date, but because their payment is buried in a mountain of unopened mail, they are receiving IRS notices requesting immediate payment of those taxes, plus interest and penalties. While it’s generally a bad idea to ignore IRS notices, resolving this issue may require spending lengthy time on hold because the IRS collection mechanisms can only be resolved with human intervention.
LIVING WITH AND AFTER THE PANDEMIC
Work in the post-pandemic world
These days, the only certainty seems to be uncertainty, and that enduring uncertainty is taking a toll on the mental health of workers. This article in the Harvard Business Review has ideas for managers to support the mental health of their teams. Here are a few of their tips:
Be vulnerable by admitting the challenges you’re facing. Model healthy behaviors by openly practicing self-care.
Connect with others by developing a culture of regular check-ins and ask for ways that you can support them.
Offer flexibility and acknowledge that a one-size-fits-all approach won’t help everyone.
Communicate more than you think you need to so that everyone is on the same page with expectations and priorities.
The silver lining of the pandemic may be that we have the opportunity to create the work environments to support mental health that we should have had all along.
Technology allows us to be connected instantly to anyone, anywhere, at any time. But the downside of that always-on culture can be burnout and a workaholic culture. Instead, the founder of startup Jotform has three tips to help create better work-life balance.
Set the tone at the top by not answering calls or emails during family time
Allow team members to set times when they are and are not available
Create a culture of honesty that allows people to set limits on their capacity to contribute.
Back to school
In the absence of national guidelines, school districts are setting their own courses for reopening. A new online newsletter from the New York Times includes a map of where the virus seems to be under control, a brief summary of what’s happening in districts around the country, and news about higher education.
