Dos & Don'ts, In the News, Keeping It Straight, Private Letter Rulings, Q & A

Dos & Don'ts, In the News, Keeping It Straight, Private Letter Rulings, Q & A

Housing Studies Report Suggests Expansion of LIHTC Program

July 22, 2015    

Recently, Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) released “State of the Nation’s Housing 2015,” which suggests that an expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit is needed in order to respond to increasing pressures on the program.

LIHTC Changes Not Recommended by Finance Committee Tax Reform Working Group

July 22, 2015    

Recently, the Senate Finance Committee led by Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) released reports from five bipartisan tax working groups. The groups were tasked earlier this year to examine and recommend changes to particular elements of the federal tax...

Bipartisan Bills Would Give Tax Relief to Disaster-Stricken Areas

July 22, 2015    

On July 16, bipartisan bills were introduced in both the House and the Senate to provide tax relief to communities affected by natural disasters from 2012 to 2015. The legislation includes provisions to increase allocations of low-income housing tax credits and new market tax credits. The...

IRS Issues Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Rates for July 2015

June 26, 2015    

A low-income housing tax credit’s value originally floated with interest rates, but the credit rate was temporarily fixed at 9 percent under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA), and this flat rate was again extended through Dec. 31, 2013 and 2014 under two additional legislative...

New Housing Policy Foundation Seeks to Illuminate Affordable Housing Crisis

June 26, 2015    

Recently, the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America’s Families released The Silent Housing Crisis, a white paper documenting the significant housing challenges facing the country and making a call to action by the nation’s political leaders. The nonprofit organization...

THDA Reports on Past and Future of Tennessee’s LIHTC

June 26, 2015    

Faced with a shortage of affordable rental housing in Tennessee, the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) recently issued a new study on the state’s LIHTC program. THDA manages the program in Tennessee and allocates federal tax credits to qualifying projects according to state and...

House Passes Disparate Impact Amendment to FY 2016 HUD Appropriations Bill

June 24, 2015    

As of publication of this July 2015 issue, no decision has yet come down from the U.S. Supreme Court on Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc., the case that will decide whether it’s within the bounds of the Fair Housing Act to...

HUD Report Examines Impact of QAPs on LIHTC Site Locations

May 29, 2015    

Recent research has examined the siting patterns of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) developments, but the reality is that the LIHTC program is not one uniform, national program. Rather, the program is administered by state allocating agencies, each of which has considerable discretion over...

Senate Bill Would Exempt Homeless Youth and Veterans from the Student Rule

May 29, 2015    

Senator Al Franken (D-MN) and Senate Finance Committee member Rob Portman (R-OH) recently introduced the Housing for Homeless Students Act, S. 1412, which would add a new exemption to the housing credit student rule to allow full-time students to qualify to rent an LIHTC apartment if they were a...

NLIHC Report Highlights Gap Between Wages and Rents

May 29, 2015    

The National Low Income Housing Coalition recently issued a report entitled “Out of Reach 2015.” The report highlights the growing housing affordability crisis in America and the need to expand and preserve the supply of quality affordable housing through programs such as the LIHTC...

Easement Relocation Costs Includible in Site's Eligible Basis

April 30, 2015    

Facts: An owner requested a letter ruling on whether certain easement relocation costs incurred while constructing a site are includible in the eligible basis for purposes of Section 42(d)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Treating Minors as Dependents

April 30, 2015    

Q When certifying households, must we always treat minors as dependents?

A No. Generally, you must treat household members who are minors (under 18 years old) as dependents. But if...