Final Regs on .9% Additional Medicare Tax Address Repayment of Prior Year Wages
(Parker Tax Publishing December 2, 2013)

Download T.D. 9645 PDF

Final regulations provide guidance for employers and individuals relating to the implementation of the Additional Medicare Tax, including the requirement to withhold Additional Medicare Tax on certain wages and compensation, the requirement to file a return reporting Additional Medicare Tax, the employer process for adjusting underpayments and overpayments of Additional Medicare Tax, and the employer and individual processes for filing a claim for refund of Additional Medicare Tax. T.D. 9645 (11/29/13).

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) enacted an Additional Medicare Tax on income above threshold amounts. The IRS has now issued final regulations which provide guidance for employers and individuals relating to the implementation of the Additional Medicare Tax, including the requirement to withhold Additional Medicare Tax on certain wages and compensation, the requirement to file a return reporting Additional Medicare Tax, the employer process for adjusting underpayments and overpayments of Additional Medicare Tax, and the employer and individual processes for filing a claim for refund of Additional Medicare Tax.

In particular, the final regulations address how employers should treat repayment by an employee of wage payments received by the employee in a prior year for Additional Medicare Tax purposes (for example, a sign-on bonuses paid to employees that are subject to repayment if certain conditions are not met). Employers cannot make an adjustment or file a claim for refund for Additional Medicare Tax withholding when there is a repayment of wages received by an employee in a prior year because the employee determines liability for Additional Medicare Tax on the employee's income tax return for the prior year; however, the employee may be able to file an amended return claiming a refund of the Additional Medicare Tax.

In the preamble to the final regulations, the IRS notes that, under current employment tax adjustment procedures, if the repayment occurs within the statute of limitations for a refund, the employer can repay or reimburse the social security and Medicare taxes withheld from the wage payment to the employee and file a refund claim, or make an interest-free adjustment, for the social security and Medicare tax overwithholding. However, the final regulations provide that an employer may adjust overpaid Additional Medicare Tax withheld from employees only in the calendar year in which the wages or compensation are paid, and only if the employer repays or reimburses the employee the amount of the overcollection before the end of the calendar year. Under the final regulations, in the case of an overpayment of Additional Medicare Tax for a year for which an individual has filed Form 1040, a claim for refund should be made by the individual on Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. Since a wage repayment reduces the wages subject to Additional Medicare Tax for the period during which the wages were originally paid, the employee is entitled to file an amended return (on Form 1040X) to recover the Additional Medicare Tax with respect to the repaid wages.

OBSERVATION: In this situation, the Additional Medicare Tax is treated differently than federal income tax. For federal income tax purposes, wages paid in a year are considered income to the employee in that year, even when the wages are repaid by the employee to the employer in a subsequent year. If an employee repays wages to an employer in a year following the year in which the wages were originally paid, the employee cannot reduce the federal income tax for the prior year (i.e., the employee cannot file an amended income tax return for the prior year using Form 1040X). Instead, depending on the circumstances, the employee may be entitled to a deduction for the repaid wages (or in some cases, if the requirements of Code Sec. 1341 are satisfied, a reduction of tax) on his or her income tax return for the year of repayment. By contrast, the Additional Medicare Tax is part of FICA and, similar to social security tax and Medicare tax, the repayment of wages reduces the employee’s liability for Additional Medicare Tax for the prior year. (Parker Tax Publishing Staff Writers)

Disclaimer: This publication does not, and is not intended to, provide legal, tax or accounting advice, and readers should consult their tax advisors concerning the application of tax laws to their particular situations. This analysis is not tax advice and is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for purposes of avoiding tax penalties that may be imposed on any taxpayer. The information contained herein is general in nature and based on authorities that are subject to change. Parker Tax Publishing guarantees neither the accuracy nor completeness of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for results obtained by others as a result of reliance upon such information. Parker Tax Publishing assumes no obligation to inform the reader of any changes in tax laws or other factors that could affect information contained herein.

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