Resources

Client Alerts, News Articles, Blog Posts, & Multimedia

Everything you need to know about BMD and the industry.

IRS Announces Coronavirus Relief

Client Alert

On March 18, the IRS released Notice 2020-17, Relief for Taxpayers Affected by Ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic which sets forth the scope of the relief being granted taxpayers.

What Has Been Extended

The Notice provides for the extension of payment of up to $1 Million on the balance due on 2019 individual returns (Form 1040) and trust and estate returns (Form 1041) until July 15, 2020. It also provides for the extension of time to make the first federal estimated payment until July 15, 2020. Under both circumstances, there will be no penalty or interest assessed; provided payment is made by the July date. It has been explicitly stated that interest and penalty will begin to be calculated and imposed effective July 16, 2020.

C corporations and consolidated groups whose returns are due on April 15, 2020, have also received an extension to make payments while avoiding the imposition of penalty and interest until July 15, 2020. Each C corporation that is not part of a consolidated group will be able to defer the payment of up to $10 Million on the balance due on 2019 corporate returns. Each consolidated group will be able to defer the payment of tax due up to $10 Million. Submission of any estimated payments due on April 15, 2020, has been extended as well. As with individuals, interest and penalties will begin to be charged effective July 16, 2020.

What Has Not Been Extended

Most importantly, the filing deadline has not been extended. All returns must be filed or extended by April 15, 2020. While there is no form that is required to receive the payment relief set forth above, they have not waived the penalty and interest for failure to timely file your returns.

Additionally, note that this extension applies only to federal INCOME taxes. That means if you owe any other type of tax (most notably, I point out that first quarter payroll taxes are due April 30, 2020), you still must file those returns and pay the taxes on time. Penalty and interest will be assessed from the normal due date.

What We Still Don’t Know

At this point, we still have not received any guidance from the State of Ohio or any city about the filing and payment deadlines for any taxes due.

As always, we will continue to update you with any changes. For more information, please contact BMD Business, Corporate & Tax Member, Priscilla Grant at pagrant@bmdllc.com or 330-253-5934.


Here are the Final Candidates for Mayor of Cleveland

Earlier this year, current Cleveland Mayor, Frank Jackson, announced he would not run for re-election this fall. With no need to beat an incumbent, the Cleveland mayoral race suddenly became competitive. Thirteen individuals declared their intent to run for mayor. The City of Cleveland, however, has a difficult qualification requirement to run: 3,000 valid signatures from Cleveland residents. The deadline to file a petition to run, with the 3,000 valid signatures, had to be submitted by June 16 (yesterday).

What Happens to a Pandemic Stimulus Payment Upon Death?

On January 1, 2021, the federal government issued stimulus payments (also known as Economic Impact Payments) to American citizens – on paper. However, many of the stimulus payments were not received until several months later. Sometimes the stimulus payments did not arrive until after an individual died.

The Masks Are Back: New OSHA Regulations for Healthcare Employers

Employment Law After Hours is back with a News Break Episode. Yesterday, OSHA published new rules for healthcare facilities, including hospitals, home health employers, nursing homes, ambulance companies, and assisted living facilities. These new rules are very cumbersome, requiring mask wearing for all employees, even those that are vaccinated. The only exception is for fully vaccinated employees (2 weeks post final dose) who are in a "well-defined" area where there is no reasonable expectation that any person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 will be present.

New OSHA Guidance for Workplaces Not Covered by the Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard

On June 10, 2021, OSHA issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for occupational exposure to COVID-19, but it applies only to healthcare and healthcare support service workers. For a detailed summary of the ETS applicable to the healthcare industry, please visit https://youtu.be/vPyXmKwOzsk. All employers not subject to the ETS should review OSHA’s contemporaneously released, updated Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace. The new Guidance essentially leaves intact OSHA’s earlier guidance, but only for unvaccinated and otherwise at-risk workers (“at-risk” meaning vaccinated or unvaccinated workers with immunocompromising conditions). For fully vaccinated workers, OSHA defers to CDC Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People, which advises that most fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, or local laws or individual business policies.

Employer Liability for COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects

As employers encourage or require employees to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine, they should be aware of OSHA recording obligations and potential workers’ compensation liability. Though OSHA has yet to revise its COVID-19 guidance in response to the latest CDC recommendations, OSHA has revised its position regarding the recording of injury or illness resulting from the vaccine. Until now, OSHA required an employer to record an adverse reaction when the vaccine was required for employees and the injury or illness otherwise met the recording criteria (work-related, a new case, and meets one or more of the general recording criteria). OSHA has reversed course and announced that it will not require recording adverse reactions until at least May 2022, irrespective of whether the employer requires the vaccine as a condition of employment. In its revised COVID-19 FAQs, OSHA states: