Are you disenfranchised from state and local tax deductions because you exceed the SALT cap of $10,000 per year?
Organizing an LLC for your business can convert non-deductible SALT into a business expense. Seventeen states have enacted SALT cap workaround laws, and several others are working towards enactment. IRS Notice 2020-75, issued on Nov. 9, 2020, gave the green light to these state laws. Most states drafted their rules to comply with this notice.
These state laws seem to include a trading business eligible for trader tax status (TTS) but not investment companies. (The reason: TTS entities have business expense treatment, whereas investment companies have suspended investment expenses.)
The states that have enacted SALT cap workaround laws with the effective date:
- Alabama (2021)
- Arkansas (2022)
- Arizona (2022)
- California (2021)
- Colorado (2022)
- Connecticut (2018)
- Georgia (2022)
- Idaho
- Louisiana (2019)
- Maryland (2020)
- Minnesota (2021)
- New Jersey (2020)
- New York (2021)
- Oklahoma (2019)
- Rhode Island (2019)
- South Carolina (2021)
- Wisconsin (2018/2019)
There is pending legislation in Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.
These SALT cap workaround laws don’t significantly impact state revenues and incentivize entrepreneurs to remain in their state. Even if Congress repeals or revises the SALT limitation, the SALT cap workaround is the better option since you can deduct business expenses from gross income versus itemized deductions subject to an AMT limitation.
California’s new law automatically repeals its SALT cap workaround if Congress repeals the SALT cap limitation. For details on California and several other state laws, see ongoing updates to my June 22, 2021 blog post, Unlock State & Local Tax Deductions With A SALT Cap Workaround. Also, the podcast SALT workaround elective pass-through entity tax (Spidell’s California Minute, July 18, 2021) is an excellent listen for California residents.
TTS traders have other compelling reasons to consider an LLC partnership or S-Corp.
- A new LLC taxed as a partnership or S-Corp (pass-through entity PTE) can elect Section 475 MTM within 75 days of inception. That comes in handy since the individual sole proprietor deadline for a 475 election has passed. Section 475 provides tax-loss insurance through its exemption from wash sales and the capital loss limitation. Also, it offers a chance to get a 20% qualified business income (QBI) deduction on TTS/475 net income.
- An LLC taxed as an S-Corp unlocks health insurance and retirement plan deductions for TTS traders.
Now more than ever before may be the time to form your TTS entity, but you need to act quickly. Trading in an entity brokerage account for at least all Q4 2021 will help you qualify for TTS. The entity can only pay SALT business expenses on the entity income.
Many states require an election, some by partner, and SALT PTE tax payments have due dates. Dig into the details of your state. Don’t miss the boat!
Darren Neuschwander CPA contributed to this blog post.