Iowa Admin. Code r. 701-302.85

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 6, September 18, 2024

Rule 701-302.85 - Interest expense deduction adjustments

For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, the limit on the amount of business interest expense that a taxpayer may deduct in a taxable year under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 163(j) does not apply for Iowa purposes. This rule provides information on how taxpayers must calculate and report their business interest expense deduction for Iowa purposes for tax year 2018 (subrule 40.85(2)), when Iowa did not conform to the limitation; tax year 2019 (subrule 40.85(3)), when Iowa did conform to the limitation; and tax years 2020 and later (subrule 40.85(4) et seq.), when Iowa again does not conform to this limitation. All references to the Code of Federal Regulations (Treas. Reg.) and certain other information in this rule are based on final Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations and guidance in effect on January 13, 2021.

(1)Definitions. The following terms apply to the interpretation and application of this rule.

"Current-year business interest expense" means the same as defined in Treas. Reg. Section 1.163(j) -1(b)(9).

"Excess business interest expense" means the same as defined in Treas. Reg. Section 1.163(j) -1(b)(16).

"Iowa partnership" means any partnership required to file an Iowa return (IA 1065) for the relevant tax year.

"Iowa S corporation" means any S corporation required to file an Iowa return (IA 1120S) for the relevant tax year.

"Non-Iowa partnership" means any partnership that is not required to file an Iowa return (IA 1065) for the relevant tax year.

"Non-Iowa S corporation" means any S corporation that is not required to file an Iowa return (IA 1120S) for the relevant tax year.

(2)Tax year 2018. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, but before January 1, 2019 (tax year 2018), Iowa conforms with the IRC in effect on January 1, 2015, meaning the 30 percent limitation on the business interest expense deduction first imposed by IRC Section 163(j) under Public Law 115-97 (TCJA) does not apply for Iowa purposes.

a.In general. For tax year 2018, Iowa taxpayers are permitted to deduct current-year business interest expense without regard to the limitations imposed by IRC Section 163(j) under the TCJA. The taxpayer's additional deduction is computed on the 2018 Nonconformity Adjustments Worksheet. Taxpayers who qualify for these higher Iowa deductions in 2018 may need to make further adjustments in 2019 for amounts deducted under this subrule for Iowa purposes but disallowed and carried forward for federal purposes. See subrule 40.85(3) for more information about these 2019 adjustments.

b.Special rules for partnerships and S corporations.

(1) Iowa partnerships and S corporations. Partnerships and S corporations required to file Iowa returns in tax year 2018 are required to make adjustments for Iowa's nonconformity with IRC Section 163(j) at the entity level, meaning they can deduct the full interest expense on the entity's own Iowa return and the reduction to the partner's or shareholder's share of the entity's income will be included in the all source modifications line of the partners' or shareholders' Iowa Schedules K-1.

EXAMPLE 1: P, a partnership doing business in Iowa, has $100,000 in current-year business interest expense in 2018. For federal purposes, $20,000 of that amount is disallowed under IRC Section 163(j). The partnership deducts $80,000 at the entity level in 2018, and the remaining disallowed $20,000 is allocated to the partners to be deducted in future years. For Iowa purposes, the $80,000 of business interest expense allowed for federal purposes is included in the partnership's non-separately stated ordinary business income (loss), and the partnership will make an adjustment on the entity's IA 1065 to deduct the $20,000 of current-year business interest expense that was disallowed for federal purposes. The $20,000 additional Iowa deduction will be reported to the partners as an all source modification on the partners' IA 1065 Schedules K-1, and partners will receive the benefit of this all source modification item when the partners report their Iowa partnership income on their own Iowa tax return for the year. The partners will not be permitted to make further Iowa adjustments on their own Iowa tax return for the excess business interest expense amounts passed through to them from the partnership for federal purposes.

(2) Owners of partnerships and S corporations with no entity-level 2018 Iowa filing requirement.

1. Non-Iowa partnerships. Iowa partners who received interest expense deductions from partnerships that were not required to file 2018 Iowa returns may claim the larger Iowa deduction for business interest expenses passed through from the partnership on the partner's own 2018 Iowa return by including in the partner's Iowa deduction the amount of disallowed business interest expense deduction shown on the 2018 federal Schedule K-1 (Form 1065), line 13, code K, received from the non-Iowa partnership.

EXAMPLE 2: X is an Iowa resident and a partner in P2, an out-of-state partnership with no business in Iowa and no Iowa filing obligation. In 2018, P2 has $100,000 in current-year business interest expense and is subject to the IRC Section 163(j) limitation for federal purposes. At the entity level, P2 is permitted to deduct $80,000 on its 2018 federal partnership return. The $20,000 in excess business interest expense is then allocated to P2's partners. X is allocated $5,000 in excess business interest expense from P2. Because P2 is not required to file an Iowa return, and therefore X did not receive a 2018 IA 1065 Schedule K-1 from P2, X is permitted to deduct the $5,000 allocated from P2 as current-year business interest expense on X's 2018 Iowa income tax return.

2. Non-Iowa S corporations. Iowa shareholders of S corporations that have no Iowa filing requirement are limited to the deduction actually passed through to them on the federal Schedule K-1 received from the S corporation for Iowa purposes in tax year 2018. These shareholders are not permitted to make adjustments for interest expense disallowed at the entity level for the non-Iowa S corporation.

EXAMPLE 3: R is an Iowa resident and a shareholder in X, an out-of-state S corporation with no business in Iowa and no Iowa filing obligation. In 2018, X has $100,000 in current-year business interest expense and is subject to the IRC Section 163(j) limitation for federal purposes. At the entity level, X is permitted to deduct $80,000 on its 2018 federal income tax return. The $20,000 in excess business interest expense is then carried forward to be deducted by X in future tax years. Because X is not required to file an Iowa return, and excess business interest expense amounts are carried forward at the entity level for S corporations rather than being allocated to shareholders, R is not eligible to make an adjustment for X's disallowed business interest expense amounts on R's 2018 Iowa income tax return. R will only be able to benefit from the deductions for these disallowed amounts for Iowa purposes in the same years that X actually deducts the carried-forward amounts for federal purposes.

(3)Tax year 2019. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2019, but before January 1, 2020 (tax year 2019), Iowa conforms to the IRC in effect on March 24, 2018.

a.Applicable limitation. For tax year 2019, Iowa conforms to the 30 percent limitation on the business interest expense deduction imposed by IRC Section 163(j). Because of Iowa's fixed conformity date, Iowa did not conform with the higher 50 percent limitation retroactively imposed by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Public Law 116-136, to the extent that increased limitation applied in tax year 2019 for federal purposes. For tax year 2019 only, taxpayers are required to calculate their Iowa business interest expense deduction by applying the limitations of IRC Section 163(j) without regard to IRC Section 163(j)(10).

EXAMPLE 4: Taxpayer Z has an adjusted taxable income (ATI) of $100,000 for tax year 2019 and $80,000 in deductible business interest expense. For federal purposes, Z's business interest expense deduction is limited to $50,000 (50 percent of ATI) under the CARES Act. However, because Iowa only conforms to the 30 percent limitation imposed by the TCJA, and not the higher CARES Act limitation for 2019, Z's Iowa business interest expense deduction for the year is limited to $30,000. Z will report this difference by entering a negative $20,000 adjustment on IA 101, line 3 (Z may have additional adjustments on this line if the current year federal deduction included amounts carried forward from 2018).

b.Addition to income for tax year 2018 federal carryforward amounts deducted in tax year 2019. To the extent a taxpayer's tax year 2019 federal business interest expense deduction includes amounts that were disallowed and carried forward to future years under IRC Section 163(j) in tax year 2018 for federal purposes, but allowed as a deduction in tax year 2018 for Iowa purposes under paragraph 40.85(2)"a" (in general), subparagraph 40.85(2)"b"(1) (Iowa partnerships and S corporations), or numbered paragraph 40.85(2)"b"(2)"1" (non-Iowa partnerships), these carried-forward amounts must be added back in computing Iowa income. These prior deductions and current adjustments are calculated and tracked on the IA 101 Nonconformity Adjustments form. Note that shareholders of non-Iowa S corporations should not be required to add back 2018 carryforward amounts deducted by the S corporation 2019, because the shareholders were not permitted to deduct these excess amounts for Iowa purposes in 2018. See numbered paragraph 40.85(2)"b"(2)"2."

EXAMPLE 5: X is a partner in P under the same facts described in Example 1 above. For tax year 2019, X completes federal Form 8990 and is eligible to deduct $1,000 of the excess business interest expense allocated to X from P in 2018 on X's 2019 federal income tax return. This $1,000 federal deduction for prior-year excess business interest expense allocated from P must be added back in computing X's 2019 Iowa income. The same add-back would be required if this scenario were applied to the facts in Example 2 above.

(4)Tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, Iowa does not conform with the IRC Section 163(j) business interest expense deduction limitation.

a.Current-year business interest expense. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, a taxpayer's current-year business interest expense is fully deductible to the extent permitted by IRC Section 163 for Iowa purposes without regard to any limitation under subsection 163(j). Even though Iowa does not conform to IRC Section 163(j), provisions of the IRC other than Section 163(j) may subject interest expense to disallowance, deferral, capitalization, or other limitations, and those other provisions of the IRC still generally apply for Iowa purposes. No additional Iowa adjustments are permitted for federal limitations such as those described in Treas. Reg. Section 1.163(j) -3(b)(4), which are determined after the application of IRC Section 163(j) for federal purposes. See Treas. Reg. Section 1.163(j) -3 for examples of other provisions of the IRC that may restrict interest expense deductions for federal and Iowa purposes, independent of the IRC Section 163(j) limitation.

b.Carryforward.

(1) Special one-time carryforward catch-up (tax year 2020 only). For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, but before January 1, 2021 (tax year 2020), taxpayers who filed a 2019 Iowa return are permitted to deduct all interest expense deduction amounts that were disallowed and carried forward under IRC Section 163(j) for Iowa purposes in tax year 2019. This deduction shall be calculated and reported on the taxpayer's 2020 Iowa income tax return using form IA 163A. Business interest expense amounts carried over from tax year 2018 at the federal level shall not be deducted for Iowa tax purposes in tax year 2020.

EXAMPLE 6: In 2019, X had $100,000 in current-year business interest expense. X's business interest expense deduction was limited to $50,000 for federal purposes and limited to $30,000 for Iowa purposes due to Iowa's nonconformity with the CARES Act for that year. See paragraph 40.85(3)"a." In 2020, X is again subject to an IRC Section 163(j) limitation and is not permitted to deduct any prior-year carryforward amounts for federal purposes. However, because Iowa does not conform to the IRC Section 163(j) limitation for 2020, X may deduct all of X's current-year business interest expense and all $70,000 ($100,000 - $30,000) of X's disallowed Iowa interest expense carried over from 2019. X must complete the IA 163 in order to calculate X's current-year business interest expense deduction, and the IA 163A to determine the total amount of 2019 disallowed Iowa interest expense amounts which may be deducted in full on X's 2020 Iowa return.

(2) Addition to income for prior-year federal carryforward amounts deducted in the current year. When current-year interest expense is limited at the federal level, the disallowed business interest expense is carried forward to be deducted in future years for federal purposes, when certain conditions are met. See Treas. Reg. Section 1.163(j)-1(b)(10) for the definition of "disallowed business interest expense." Iowa law allows taxpayers to fully deduct current-year business interest expense, and no amounts are carried forward for Iowa purposes. Disallowed business interest expense carryforward amounts from prior years, including excess business interest expense allocated to a partner in a prior year, cannot be deducted for Iowa purposes except as described in subparagraph 40.85(4)"b"(1). All prior-year disallowed business interest expense carryforward amounts deductible under IRC Section 163(j) in the current year at the federal level, including excess business interest expense allocated to a partner in a prior year, must be added back in computing the taxpayer's Iowa income for the year.

EXAMPLE 7: In 2020, taxpayer X has $100,000 in current-year business interest expense. For federal purposes, X is subject to the IRC Section 163(j) limitation. X deducts $70,000 in business interest expense on X's 2020 federal return and carries the remaining $30,000 forward to be deducted in future years. For Iowa purposes, X deducts the full $100,000 in current-year business interest expense in 2020.

In 2021, X has $50,000 in current-year business interest expense. For federal purposes, X is permitted to deduct the full $50,000 in interest expense generated in 2021, plus $5,000 of the amount that was disallowed in 2020 for a total federal deduction of $55,000 in 2021. X must add the federal carryforward amount ($5,000) back on X's 2021 Iowa return, limiting X's 2021 Iowa deduction to the $50,000 in current-year business interest expense.

(5)Partners and partnerships.

a. Partnership-level adjustments. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, an Iowa partnership that is subject to the IRC Section 163(j) limitation for federal purposes is permitted to deduct all current-year business interest expense at the partnership level in that tax year for Iowa purposes.

(1) Excess business interest expense. A partnership may include as a reduction on the partnership's Iowa income tax return any excess business interest expense, as defined in Treas. Reg. Section 1.163(j) -1(b)(16), of the partnership that was disallowed and allocated to the partners for that tax year for federal purposes.

(2) Tiered partnerships. For partnerships that receive excess business interest expense passed through from a partnership in which they are a partner, see paragraph 40.85(5)"b" for information on how to report Iowa adjustments for that passed-through income.

b. Partner-level adjustments.

(1) Interest expense from Iowa partnerships. Iowa adjustments related to excess business interest expense of an Iowa partnership are made at the entity level as described in subparagraph 40.85(5)"a"(1) and are reported to partners on an IA 1065 Schedule K-1. Partners are not permitted to make any Iowa adjustment at the partner level to their federal interest expense deduction for amounts of excess business interest expense allocated from an Iowa partnership on the partner's federal Schedule K-1 related to that Iowa partnership. See Example 1 above.

(2) Interest expense from non-Iowa partnerships. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, partners may include as part of their Iowa business interest expense deduction the total amount of current-year excess business interest expense deduction passed through to them from all non-Iowa partnerships as shown on the federal Schedule K-1 (Form 1065), line 13, code K. See Example 2 above.

(3) Partnership basis. A partner's basis is reduced (but not below zero) by the amount of excess business interest expense the partnership passes through to the partner each year. See Treas. Reg. Section 163(j)-6(h) for detailed information about how to make these basis adjustments. For federal purposes, immediately before disposition of the partnership interest, the partner's basis is then increased by the amount of any passed-through business interest expense which has not yet been treated as paid or accrued by the partner as described in Treas. Reg. Section 163(j)-6(h)(3). No basis increase at the time of disposition is allowed for Iowa purposes for passed-through business interest expense amounts that were deducted for Iowa, but not for federal, purposes due to Iowa's nonconformity with IRC Section 163(j).

(6)S corporation adjustments. For federal purposes, IRC Section 163(j) limitations are applied at the S corporation level. Unlike partnerships, disallowed business interest expense amounts are carried forward and deducted in future years at the entity level rather than being passed through to shareholders. See rule 701-53.29(422) for more information about the IRC Section 163(j) adjustments required for corporations, including S corporations, for Iowa purposes. See also Treas. Reg. Section 1.163(j) -6(l) for more information about the application of IRC Section 163(j) to S corporations for federal purposes.

This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code section 422.7(60).

Iowa Admin. Code r. 701-302.85

ARC 5733C, IAB 6/30/21, effective 8/4/21; Editorial change: IAC Supplement 11/2/22