The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently released a new document clarifying the new rules related to section 199A. If you’re unfamiliar with 199A, this section is a part of the tax code that references a new deduction of up to 20 percent of qualified domestic business income (QBI) for pass-through entities such as sole-proprietorships, partnerships, S-corporations, trusts, or estates. This section is extremely intricate, but the newly released regulations have cleared up many of the questions raised by the original legislation.
Like many of the other provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the rules for 199A are effective for the tax year 2018. This particular deduction will go away unless further action is taken, expiring in 2025. This particular deduction allows business entities to take up to a 20% deduction of QBI. Qualifying for this particular deduction can be tricky as it is only for pass-through entities. Other information about your business (what kind of work you do, wages paid, etc.) may also preclude you from some or all of the deduction.
In order to be deemed a section 162 business that would qualify for the 199A deduction, you must be involved hands-on with the activity of your business on a consistent basis. Typically, if you think you’re running the business, you are most likely involved enough to be qualified. In regards to rental property, this gets a little more complicated. Under Revenue Procedure 2019-7, the IRS claims that rental property is a qualified business if 250 hours or more of rental services are provided for the year and separate books and records are kept for each rental. However, you can’t qualify and lose the deduction if you use the rental for yourself more than two weeks of the year. Matters get even more complicated when the IRS requires you to handle each business (even if operating under the same legal entity) separately with the ability to calculate a QBI for each individual business.
Furthermore, you must know the business owner’s taxable income. If the business owner’s income falls above the thresholds listed below, the next matter is determining whether the business is a specified service trade or business (SSTB).
Business Owner’s Income Thresholds
- Single
- 2018: $157,500 – $207,500
- 2019: $160,700 – $210,700
- Married Filing Jointly
- 2018: $315,000 – $415,000
- 2019: $321,450 – $421,450
Many questions around the 199A deduction that remain unanswered. In the foreseeable future, the 199A deduction will require professional attention as we adapt to the new tax laws. According to the IRS, 95 percent of business owners fall below the threshold amounts and don’t need to worry about the limitations of the deduction. As always, it is crucial to work with tax professionals, such as MKR CPAs, to ensure that your business isn’t missing out on important deductions and properly filing for your business’ needs.
