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Reading the fine print: Is it time to review your nonprofit tax policies?

By: Joseph Byrne,

Elizabeth Craft is a Senior Tax Specialist in the Not-For-Profit tax group at BerryDunn. She specializes in preparing tax returns for tax exempt organizations and providing guidance to clients on their tax-related inquiries. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting (2018) and a Master’s in Professional Accountancy (2019) from The University of Southern Mississippi. She achieved her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation in 2021. Elizabeth works remotely from Mississippi, serving clients in the New England Area.

Elizabeth Craft
10.01.24

It seems these days as though there’s a policy or some fine print for everything. As I grow older, I find myself more and more ensconced in reading the fine print on things—be it a food ingredient label, a contract, or the Apple user agreement (ok, maybe I just skim that one). Just last week, I went to return some school clothes my son had already grown out of and was asked if I had reviewed the store’s return/refund policy (I hadn’t). There’s no question that a review of applicable policies is a best practice for everyone—including exempt organizations.

If it’s been a while since your nonprofit organization last conducted a review of its governing documents and policies, worry not, you’re not alone! This article will highlight a few of the most critical documents applicable to nonprofits to ensure you remain in compliance and good standing.

Conflict of interest policy

If I were playing a rather nerdy version of nonprofit Family Feud, and the category was “Most Important Policies,” I would be shocked if the conflict of interest policy wasn’t the number one answer. It is vital that any potential conflict, either real or perceived, be identified and addressed in a manner consistent with the organization’s policy.

This policy is so important the IRS devotes several questions to it on the Form 990, including a required written narrative detailing how the organization consistently monitors and enforces compliance with said policy. Further, there is a requirement for potential disclosure of certain transactions with “interested persons” on Schedule L of Form 990. Transactions include loans as well as business transactions over a specified dollar threshold. It’s important to note that for Form 990 disclosure, the term “interested persons” includes family members of any officers, directors, trustees, or key employees of the organization, as well as any business entity more than 35% owned or controlled by any of the folks mentioned above.

For these reasons, distribution of a questionnaire to applicable organizational members on an annual basis is a baseline standard.

Gift acceptance policy

The gift acceptance policy is one that often goes overlooked or underappreciated until it’s needed; but when it is needed, it can be a lifesaver. This policy can help to navigate and dictate a myriad of issues, including what sort of gifts the organization is willing to accept and how long the organization is required to retain the gift, as well as provide guidance for board or staff members who are on either the asking or receiving end of contributions. And, perhaps most importantly, the policy can help manage the expectations of donors while maintaining a level of courtesy and respect.

The policy most comes into play when it comes to gifts of something other than cash. For example, if a donor wishes to gift the organization with their interest in a partnership, there could be all sorts of potential tax impacts and complications, including unrelated business income and foreign filing compliance. Another more recent example is the proliferation of cryptocurrency. Having a policy in place that addresses these sorts of non-standard contributions can help mitigate potentially awkward or difficult conversations with donors.

Written whistleblower and document retention and destruction policies

Like the aforementioned conflict of interest policy, the whistleblower and document retention/destruction policies have dedicated questions on the Form 990 asking if the organization has these in place. The key word for both policies is "written." Often times, we will hear that a client follows a policy, but it’s not in writing. Unfortunately, this would warrant a “no” response on the Form 990. Potential donors, members of the media, regulators, and careful job seekers will have greater confidence when you respond “yes” to the policy questions on the Form 990.

While there have not been any sweeping changes or recent regulations on either, it is still a good idea to review these policies on an annual basis to ensure they are still in lockstep with the organization. The IRS does consider these policies to be best practices for any organization (large or small) to have in place.

In addition to reviewing policies of the organization, we also recommend reviewing the governing documents of the organization on a regular basis, especially as IRS guidance or tax laws change.

Dissolution clause

It’s a sad reality that all things must come to an end, including business entities. Historically, nonprofit organizations were able to rely upon Revenue Procedure 82-2. This procedure identified states where a Section 501(c)(3) charity could rely on state law to satisfy the requirement that its organizing documents require that, upon dissolution, the charity must distribute all of its assets for IRC Section 501(c) tax-exempt purposes. However, the IRS recently issued Revenue Procedure 2024-22, which now makes Rev. Proc. 82-2 obsolete. Said in simpler terms, organizations can no longer simply rely upon applicable state law to satisfy dissolution requirements at the federal level.

For this reason, we strongly encourage all organizations to review this particular clause and consult with legal counsel as needed to ensure the wording and procedures followed are in line with current law. It may be necessary in some cases to amend governing documents and/or bylaws to add the required dissolution wording to remain in compliance. 

Sample policies for nonprofits

Policies and governing documents are critical in ensuring the organization and its decision-makers protect themselves from wrongdoing and criticism that could undermine the ability to promote the organization’s mission. Organizations will be better protected if there are sound policies and procedures in place that can be adequately followed. There are a number of various outlets that provide sample policies, including the Internal Revenue Service, among others. Links to sample policies and additional guidance can be found below:

If you have any questions about the applicability of certain policies, we are here to help! Please do not hesitate to contact a member of your tax engagement team for further guidance.

Now, what to do with these undersized school clothes… perhaps I can donate them to charity? I better check their gift acceptance policy first!

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Read this if you are at a not-for-profit organization.

There is no question that cryptocurrency has been gaining in popularity over the past few years. It may be hard to believe, but Bitcoin, the first and most commonly known form of cryptocurrency, has been around since the good old days of 2009! What was once only seen as a quasi-asset traded solely on the dark web by a handful of private yet savvy investors has recently begun to step out into the light. With this newly found mainstream popularity come many questions from the not-for-profit (NFP) sector about how their organizations should proceed when it comes to donations of cryptocurrency, and how they might benefit (or not) from doing so. 

This article will answer some of the questions we’ve received from clients in this area and attempt to shed some light on the tax reporting and compliance requirements around cryptocurrency donations for not-for-profit organizations, as well as other topics not-for-profit organizations should consider before dipping their toes into the crypto current.

So, what exactly is cryptocurrency? 

Cryptocurrency is a digital asset. It generally has no physical form (no actual coins or paper money). Further, it is not issued by a central bank and is largely unregulated. Its value is dependent upon many factors, the largest being supply and demand.

Can a not-for-profit organization accept cryptocurrency as a donation?

Yes! For tax purposes, cryptocurrency is considered noncash property, and is perfectly acceptable for not-for-profit organizations to accept.

With that said, NFPs absolutely need to review and update their gift acceptance policies as necessary as to whether or not they are willing to accept cryptocurrency. Having a clear and established policy position in place one way or the other can mitigate any confusion or misunderstanding between the organization and a potential donor.

The organization may also want to consider adding language to the policy regarding its intent to either hold the asset or sell it as soon as administratively possible. A savvy donor may request that the organization hold the cryptocurrency donation for a period of time after the donation is made, so organizations will want to have clear policies in place.

What about acknowledging the donor’s gift?

Standard donor acknowledgement rules still apply. Any donation of $250 or more requires a standard “thank you” acknowledgement to the donor. Remember, the IRS has deemed cryptocurrency to be noncash property, which means a description of the donated property (but not its value) should be mentioned in the donor acknowledgement.

Are there any other forms I need to be aware of?

Yes. Forms 8283 & 8282 apply to donations of cryptocurrency. Where the donation is noncash, the donor should be providing the organization with Form 8283, Noncash Charitable Contributions, for a claimed value of more than $500. Further, if the claimed value is more than $5,000, the Form 8283 should be accompanied by a qualified appraisal report. Form 8283 should be signed by the donor, the qualified appraiser (if applicable), as well as the recipient organization upon acceptance.

NOTE: Form 8283, Part V, Donee Acknowledgement, contains a yes/no question asking if the organization intends to use the property for an unrelated use. Where the property in question is cryptocurrency, the answer to this question is likely always to be ‘yes’.

Should the organization sell the underlying cryptocurrency within three years of acceptance, the organization must complete Form 8282, Donee Information Return, and file a copy with the IRS as well as providing a copy to the original donor. Other rules apply if the organization transfers the property to a successor donee.

NOTE: Organizations may want to consider referencing the Forms 8283 & 8282 in their aforementioned gift acceptance policy.

How is a cryptocurrency donation reported on the financial statements and Form 990?

If donated and held by the organization as of the end of the year, it will be reported as an intangible asset on the balance sheet, and contribution revenue on the statement of activities. 

Similar reporting would follow for 990 purposes—the donation would be reported as part of noncash contribution revenue with additional reporting on 990, Schedule B, Schedule of Contributors, and Schedule M, Noncash Contributions, as necessary.

Why should I accept cryptocurrency?

This is by far the hardest question to answer, for a variety of reasons. There is no question that cryptocurrency has its risks. Cryptocurrency is known to be highly volatile. Bitcoin, which originally was valued at eight cents per coin in 2010 soared to an all-time high of over $63,000 back in April of 2021—and then two months later sold for around $34,000 per coin. And who could forget the recent Dogecoin (I’m still not sure how to pronounce that) phenomenon? It too in recent months became a sensation only to see its value plummet by almost 30% in a single day after an appearance by Elon Musk on Saturday Night Live (it did subsequently rebound after a Musk tweet).

The fact is no one really knows where the value of cryptocurrency is headed, so should a not-for-profit organization decide to proceed, you should be aware it may not be worth what it was when originally accepted, which could be either good or bad depending on the day. Ultimately, any value is still good for a not-for-profit organization, but the risks with cryptocurrency and its volatility are very real.

Other things to know about crypto

As of right now, cryptocurrency has its own trading platforms. Robinhood, a platform in the news recently when it halted trading of Gamestop’s stock when speculative traders got the price to soar to all new highs, being the most well known. Large investment firms are well on their way to creating their own platforms as cryptocurrency gains in popularity, so we certainly recommend speaking with your current investment advisors to find the platform that best suits your needs.

Cryptocurrency is held in a digital wallet, which can only be accessed by a password, or private keys. Digital wallets can be stored locally on a computer, but there are also web-based wallets.

There have been horror stories about people losing or forgetting passwords, ultimately rendering the cryptocurrency worthless because it cannot be accessed. Cryptocurrency, due to its private nature, is very desirable by hackers who could also potentially access the wallet and steal its contents. And if stored locally, the currency could be lost forever if the computer containing the wallet were to become corrupted or compromised.

Organizations holding cryptocurrency will need to ensure proper internal controls are in place to make sure the funds are secure and cannot be easily accessed or potentially stolen. Working with your internal IT department is a good strategy here. The questions above are not intended to be all inclusive. Cryptocurrency is still finding its way in the world and we’ll continue to keep an eye on any developments and keep clients up to date as cryptocurrency continues to expand its reach and as further guidance is issued.

If you have any questions, please contact me or another member of our not-for-profit tax services team. We're here to help.

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Cryptocurrency and the charitable contribution conundrum

Read this if you are a not-for-profit looking to learn more about tax filing deadlines.

State of New Hampshire: If your organization has a December 31 year-end, your annual report filing with the Charitable Trusts Unit and related payment are still due by May 15. If you are not ready to file, you may file Form NHCT-4 for an extension by May 15. If your organization has a June 30 year-end, you may email the State Attorney General to ask for additional time to July 15.

April 24, 2020, UPDATE: Commonwealth of Massachusetts: The Massachusetts Attorney General’s office has extended the Form PC filing requirement. All filing deadlines for annual charities filings for fiscal year 2019 have been extended by six months. This extension is in addition to the automatic six month extension that many not-for-profits receive. In addition, original signatures, photocopies of signatures, and e-signatures (e.g., DocuSign) will be accepted.

On April 9, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2020-23, its third round of tax filing relief guidance, which amplifies relief set forth in previously issued IRS notices providing relief to taxpayers affected by COVID-19. Notice 2020-23 also provides additional time to perform certain other actions. The Notice holds the special distinction of being the first to provide specific relief to not-for-profit organizations with return filing and tax payment obligations due between April 1 and July 15, 2020. The details are highlighted below:

Tax deadline extended to July 15, 2020
The Notice explicitly states that Form 990-T tax payment and filing obligations due during the period between April 1 and July 15 will be automatically extended to July 15, 2020. Additionally, Form 990-PF (and associated tax payments) as well as quarterly Federal estimated tax payments remitted via Form 990-W are also explicitly noted and are granted an extension to July 15.
    
While this is certainly good news, the more eagerly anticipated news is the Notice also includes “Affected Taxpayers” who are required to perform “Specified Time-Sensitive Actions” referenced in Revenue Procedure 2018-58. The Revenue Procedure specifically mentions exempt organizations as “Affected Taxpayers” required to perform “specified time-sensitive actions”—one such action being the filing of Form 990.

In summary (with the combined power of the Notice and Revenue Procedure), any entity with a Form 990, Form 990-EZ, Form 990-PF, Form 990-T, Form 990-W estimated tax filing requirement, Form 1120-POL or Form 4720 filing obligation due between April 1 and July 15, 2020 now have until July 15, 2020 to file. Needless to say this is very welcome news for an industry that like so many others, is being pushed to the brink during this turbulent and difficult time.

Additional extensions
Notice 2020-23 (with reference to Revenue Procedure 2018-58) also extends the due date of certain forms, notices, applications, and other exempt organization activities due between April 1 and July 15, 2020, until July 15, 2020 as noted below: 

  • Community health needs assessments (CHNAs) and Implementation Strategies
  • Application for Recognition of Exemption (Forms 1023 and 1024) 
  • Section 501(h) Elections and Revocations (Form 5768)
  • Information Return of US Persons with Respect to Certain Foreign Corporations (Form 5471)
  • Political Organization Notices and Reports (Forms 8871 and 8872)
  • Notification of Intent to Operate as a Section 501(c)(4) Organization (Form 8976) 

We are here to help
Please contact the BerryDunn not-for-profit tax team if you have any questions, or would like to discuss your specific situation.

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Not-for-profit May 15 tax deadline extended

Of all the changes that came with the sweeping Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in late 2017, none has prompted as big a response from our clients as the changes TCJA makes to the qualified parking deduction. Then, last month, the IRS issued its long-waited guidance on this code section in the form of Notice 2018-99

We've taken a look at both the the original provisions, and the new guidance, and have collected the salient points and things we think you need to consider this tax season. For not-for-profit organizations, visit my article here. And for-profit companies can read here.  

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IRS guidance on qualified parking: Our take

IRS Notice 2018-67 Hits the Charts
Last week, in addition to The Eagles Greatest Hits (1971-1975) album becoming the highest selling album of all time, overtaking Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the IRS issued Notice 2018-67its first formal guidance on Internal Revenue Code Section 512(a)(6), one of two major code sections added by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that directly impacts tax-exempt organizations. Will it too, be a big hit? It remains to be seen.

Section 512(a)(6) specifically deals with the reporting requirements for not-for-profit organizations carrying on multiple unrelated business income (UBI) activities. Here, we will summarize the notice and help you to gain an understanding of the IRS’s thoughts and anticipated approaches to implementing §512(a)(6).

While there have been some (not so quiet) grumblings from the not-for-profit sector about guidance on Code Section 512(a)(7) (aka the parking lot tax), unfortunately we still have not seen anything yet. With Notice 2018-67’s release last week, we’re optimistic that guidance may be on the way and will let you know as soon as we see anything from the IRS.

Before we dive in, it’s important to note last week’s notice is just that—a notice, not a Revenue Procedure or some other substantive legislation. While the notice can, and should be relied upon until we receive further guidance, everything in the notice is open to public comment and/or subject to change. With that, here are some highlights:

No More Netting
512(a)(6) requires the organization to calculate unrelated business taxable income (UBTI), including for purposes of determining any net operating loss (NOL) deduction, separately with respect to each such trade or business. The notice requires this separate reporting (or silo-ing) of activities in order to determine activities with net income from those with net losses.

Under the old rules, if an organization had two UBI activities in a given year, (e.g., one with $1,000 of net income and another with $1,000 net loss, you could simply net the two together on Form 990-T and report $0 UBTI for the year. That is no longer the case. From now on, you can effectively ignore activities with a current year loss, prompting the organization to report $1,000 as taxable UBI, and pay associated federal and state income taxes, while the activity with the $1,000 loss will get “hung-up” as an NOL specific to that activity and carried forward until said activity generates a net income.

Separate Trade or Business
So, how does one distinguish (or silo) a separate trade or business from another? The Treasury Department and IRS intend to propose some regulations in the near future, but for now recommend that organizations use a “reasonable good-faith interpretation”, which for now includes using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) in order to determine different UBI activities.

For those not familiar, the NAICS categorizes different lines of business with a six-digit code. For example, the NAICS code for renting* out a residential building or dwelling is 531110, while the code for operating a potato farm is 111211. While distinguishing residential rental activities from potato farming activities might be rather straight forward, the waters become muddier if an organization rents both a residential property and a nonresidential property (NAICS code 531120). Does this mean the organization has two separate UBI rental activities, or can both be grouped together as rental activities? The notice does not provide anything definitive, but rather is requesting public comments?we expect to see something more concrete once the public comment period is over.

*In the above example, we’re assuming the rental properties are debt-financed, prompting a portion of the rental activity to be treated as UBI.

UBI from Partnership Investments (Schedule K-1)
Notice 2018-67 does address how to categorize/group unrelated business income for organizations that receive more than one partnership K-1 with UBI reported. In short, if the Schedule K-1s the organization receives can meet either of the tests below, the organization may treat the partnership investments as a single activity/silo for UBI reporting purposes. The notice offers the following:

De Minimis Test
You can aggregate UBI from multiple K-1s together as long as the exempt organization holds directly no more than 2% of the profits interest and no more that 2% of the capital interest. These percentages can be found on the face of the Schedule K-1 from the Partnership and the notice states those percentages as shown can be used for this determination. Additionally, the notice allows organizations to use an average of beginning of year and end of year percentages for this determination.

Ex: If an organization receives a K-1 with UBI reported, and the beginning of year profit & capital percentages are 3%, and the end of year percentages are 1%, the average for the year is 2% (3% + 1% = 4%/2 = 2%). In this example, the K-1 meets the de minimis test.

There is a bit of a caveat here—when determining an exempt organization's partnership interest, the interest of a disqualified person (i.e. officers, directors, trustees, substantial contributors, and family members of any of those listed here), a supporting organization, or a controlled entity in the same partnership will be taken into account. Organizations need to review all K-1s received and inquire with the appropriate person(s) to determine if they meet the terms of the de minimis test.

Control Test
If an organization is not able to pass the de minimis test, you may instead use the control test. An organization meets the requirements of the control test if the exempt organization (i) directly holds no more than 20 percent of the capital interest; and (ii) does not have control or influence over the partnership.

When determining control or influence over the partnership, you need to apply all relevant facts and circumstances. The notice states:

“An exempt organization has control or influence if the exempt organization may require the partnership to perform, or may prevent the partnership from performing, any act that significantly affects the operations of the partnership. An exempt organization also has control or influence over a partnership if any of the exempt organization's officers, directors, trustees, or employees have rights to participate in the management of the partnership or conduct the partnership's business at any time, or if the exempt organization has the power to appoint or remove any of the partnership's officers, directors, trustees, or employees.”

As noted above, we recommend your organization review any K-1s you currently receive. It’s important to take a look at Line I1 and make sure your organization is listed here as “Exempt Organization”. All too often we see not-for-profit organizations listed as “Corporations”, which while usually technically correct, this designation is really for a for-profit corporation and could result in the organization not receiving the necessary information in order to determine what portion, if any, of income/loss is attributable to UBI.

Net Operating Losses
The notice also provides some guidance regarding the use of NOLs. The good news is that any pre-2018 NOLs are grandfathered under the old rules and can be used to offset total UBTI on Form 990-T.

Conversely, any NOLs generated post-2018 are going to be considered silo-specific, with the intent being that the NOL will only be applicable to the activity which gave rise to the loss. There is also a limitation on post-2018 NOLs, allowing you to use only 80% of the NOL for a given activity. Said another way, an activity that has net UBTI in a given year, even with post-2017 NOLs, will still potentially have an associated tax liability for the year.

Obviously, Notice 2018-67 provides a good baseline for general information, but the details will be forthcoming, and we will know then if they have a hit. Hopefully the IRS will not Take It To The Limit in terms of issuing formal guidance in regards to 512(a)(6) & (7). Until they receive further IRS guidance,  folks in the not-for-profit sector will not be able to Take It Easy or have any semblance of a Peaceful Easy Feeling. Stay tuned.

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Tax-exempt organizations: The wait is over, sort of

Benchmarking doesn’t need to be time and resource consuming. Read on for four simple steps you can take to improve efficiency and maximize resources.

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before (from your Board of Trustees or Finance Committee): “I wish there was a way we could benchmark ourselves against our competitors.”

Have you ever wrestled with how to benchmark? Or struggled to identify what the Board wants to measure? Organizations can fall short on implementing effective methods to benchmark accurately. The good news? With a planned approach, you can overcome traditional obstacles and create tools to increase efficiency, improve operations and reporting, and maintain and monitor a comfortable risk level. All of this can help create a competitive advantage — and it  isn’t as hard as you might think.

Even with a structured process, remember that benchmarking data has pitfalls, including:

  • Peer data can be difficult to find. Some industries are better than others at tracking this information. Some collect too much data that isn’t relevant, making it hard to find the data that is.
     
  • The data can be dated. By the time you close your books for the year and data is available, you’re at least six months into the next fiscal year. Knowing this, you can still build year-over-year trending models that you can measure consistently.
     
  • The underlying data may be tainted. As much as we’d like to rely on financial data from other organization and industry surveys, there’s no guarantee that all participants have applied accounting principles consistently, or calculated inputs (e.g., full-time equivalents) in the same way, making comparisons inaccurate.

Despite these pitfalls, benchmarking is a useful tool for your organization. Benchmarking lets you take stock of your current financial condition and risk profile, identify areas for improvement and find a realistic and measurable plan to strengthen your organization.

Here are four steps to take to start a successful benchmarking program and overcome these pitfalls:

  1. Benchmark against yourself. Use year-over-year and month-to-month data to identify trends, inconsistencies and unexplained changes. Once you have the information, you can see where you want to direct improvement efforts.
  2. Look to industry/peer data. We’d love to tell you that all financial statements and survey inputs are created equally, but we can’t. By understanding the source of your information, and the potential strengths and weaknesses in the data (e.g., too few peers, different size organizations and markets, etc.), you will better know how to use it. Understanding the data source allows you to weigh metrics that are more susceptible to inconsistencies.
  1. Identify what is important to your organization and focus on it. Remove data points that have little relevance for your organization. Trying to address too many measures is one of the primary reasons benchmarking fails. Identify key metrics you will target, and watch them over time. Remember, keeping it simple allows you to put resources where you need them most.
  1. Use the data as a tool to guide decisions. Identify aspects of the organization that lie beyond your risk tolerance and then define specific steps for improvement.

Once you take these steps, you can add other measurement strategies, including stress testing, monthly reporting, and use in budgeting and forecasting. By taking the time to create and use an effective methodology, this competitive advantage can be yours. Want to learn more? Check out our resources for not-for-profit organizations here.

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Benchmarking: Satisfy your board and gain a competitive advantage

Read this if your CFO has recently departed, or if you're looking for a replacement.

With the post-Covid labor shortage, “the Great Resignation,” an aging workforce, and ongoing staffing concerns, almost every industry is facing challenges in hiring talented staff. To address these challenges, many organizations are hiring temporary or interim help—even for C-suite positions such as Chief Financial Officers (CFOs).

You may be thinking, “The CFO is a key business partner in advising and collaborating with the CEO and developing a long-term strategy for the organization; why would I hire a contractor to fill this most-important role?” Hiring an interim CFO may be a good option to consider in certain circumstances. Here are three situations where temporary help might be the best solution for your organization.

Your organization has grown

If your company has grown since you created your finance department, or your controller isn’t ready or suited for a promotion, bringing on an interim CFO can be a natural next step in your company’s evolution, without having to make a long-term commitment. It can allow you to take the time and fully understand what you need from the role — and what kind of person is the best fit for your company’s future.

BerryDunn's Kathy Parker, leader of the Boston-based Outsourced Accounting group, has worked with many companies to help them through periods of transition. "As companies grow, many need team members at various skill levels, which requires more money to pay for multiple full-time roles," she shared. "Obtaining interim CFO services allows a company to access different skill levels while paying a fraction of the cost. As the company grows, they can always scale its resources; the beauty of this model is the flexibility."

If your company is looking for greater financial skill or advice to expand into a new market, or turn around an underperforming division, you may want to bring on an outsourced CFO with a specific set of objectives and timeline in mind. You can bring someone on board to develop growth strategies, make course corrections, bring in new financing, and update operational processes, without necessarily needing to keep those skills in the organization once they finish their assignment. Your company benefits from this very specific skill set without the expense of having a talented but expensive resource on your permanent payroll.

Your CFO has resigned

The best-laid succession plans often go astray. If that’s the case when your CFO departs, your organization may need to outsource the CFO function to fill the gap. When your company loses the leader of company-wide financial functions, you may need to find someone who can come in with those skills and get right to work. While they may need guidance and support on specifics to your company, they should be able to adapt quickly and keep financial operations running smoothly. Articulating short-term goals and setting deadlines for naming a new CFO can help lay the foundation for a successful engagement.

You don’t have the budget for a full-time CFO

If your company is the right size to have a part-time CFO, outsourcing CFO functions can be less expensive than bringing on a full-time in-house CFO. Depending on your operational and financial rhythms, you may need the CFO role full-time in parts of the year, and not in others. Initially, an interim CFO can bring a new perspective from a professional who is coming in with fresh eyes and experience outside of your company.

After the immediate need or initial crisis passes, you can review your options. Once the temporary CFO’s agreement expires, you can bring someone new in depending on your needs, or keep the contract CFO in place by extending their assignment.

Considerations for hiring an interim CFO

Making the decision between hiring someone full-time or bringing in temporary contract help can be difficult. Although it oversimplifies the decision a bit, a good rule of thumb is: the more strategic the role will be, the more important it is that you have a long-term person in the job. CFOs can have a wide range of duties, including, but not limited to:

  • Financial risk management, including planning and record-keeping
  • Management of compliance and regulatory requirements
  • Creating and monitoring reliable control systems
  • Debt and equity financing
  • Financial reporting to the Board of Directors

If the focus is primarily overseeing the financial functions of the organization and/or developing a skilled finance department, you can rely — at least initially — on a CFO for hire.

Regardless of what you choose to do, your decision will have an impact on the financial health of your organization — from avoiding finance department dissatisfaction or turnover to capitalizing on new market opportunities. Getting outside advice or a more objective view may be an important part of making the right choice for your company.

BerryDunn can help whether you need extra assistance in your office during peak times or interim leadership support during periods of transition. We offer the expertise of a fully staffed accounting department for short-term assignments or long-term engagements―so you can focus on your business. Meet our interim assistance experts.

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Three reasons to consider hiring an interim CFO

Read this if you are at a rural health clinic or are considering developing one.

Section 130 of H.R. 133, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (Covid Relief Package) has become law. The law includes the most comprehensive reforms of the Medicare RHC payment methodology since the mid-1990s. Aimed at providing a payment increase to capped RHCs (freestanding and provider-based RHCs attached to hospitals greater than 50 beds), the provisions will simultaneously narrow the payment gap between capped and non-capped RHCs.

This will not obtain full “site neutrality” in payment, a goal of CMS and the Trump administration, but the new provisions will help maintain budget neutrality with savings derived from previously uncapped RHCs funding the increase to capped providers and other Medicare payment mechanisms.

Highlights of the Section 130 provision:

  • The limit paid to freestanding RHCs and those attached to hospitals greater than 50 beds will increase to $100 beginning April 1, 2021 and escalate to $190 by 2028.
  • Any RHC, both freestanding and provider-based, will be deemed “new” if certified after 12/31/19 and subject to the new per-visit cap.
  • Grandfathering would be in place for uncapped provider-based RHCs in existence as of 12/31/19. These providers would receive their current All-Inclusive Rate (AIR) adjusted annually for MEI (Medicare Economic Index) or their actual costs for the year.

If you have any questions about your specific situation, please contact us. We’re here to help.

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Section 130 Rural Health Clinic (RHC) modernization: Highlights

The COVID-19 emergency has caused CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) to expand eligibility for expedited payments to Medicare providers and suppliers for the duration of the public health emergency.

Accelerated payments have been available to providers/suppliers in the past due to a disruption in claims submission or claims processing, mainly due to natural disasters. Because of the COVID-19 public health emergency, CMS has expanded the accelerated payment program to provide necessary funds to eligible providers/suppliers who submit a request to their Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) and meet the required qualifications.

Eligibility requirements―Providers/suppliers who:

  1. Have billed Medicare for claims within 180 days immediately prior to the date of signature on the provider’s/supplier’s request form,
  2. Are not in bankruptcy,
  3. Are not under active medical review or program integrity investigation, and
  4. Do not have any outstanding delinquent Medicare overpayments.

Amount of payment:
Eligible providers/suppliers will request a specific amount for an accelerated payment. Most providers can request up to 100% of the Medicare payment amount for a three-month period. Inpatient acute care hospitals and certain other hospitals can request up to 100% of the Medicare payment amount for a six-month period. Critical access hospitals (CAHs) can request up to 125% of the Medicare payment for a six-month period.

Processing time:
CMS has indicated that MACs will work to review and issue payment within seven calendar days of receiving the request.

Repayment, recoupment, and reconciliation:
The December 2020 Bipartisan-Bicameral Omnibus COVID Relief Deal revised the repayment, recoupment and reconciliation timeline on the Medicare Advanced and Accelerated Payment Program as identified below. 

Hospitals repayment, recoupment and reconciliation timeline 
Original Timeline 
Time from date of payment receipt  Recoupment & Repayment
120 days  No payments due 
121 - 365 days  Medicare claims reduced by 100% 
> 365 days provider may repay any balance due or be subject to an ~9.5% interest rate      Recoupment period ends - repayment of outstanding balance due 

Hospitals repayment, recoupment and reconciliation timeline 
Updated Timeline
Time from date of payment receipt  Recoupment & Repayment
1 year  No payments due 
11 months  Medicare claims reduced by 25% 
6 months  Medicare claims reduced by 50% 
> 29 months provider may repay any balance due or be subject to a 4% interest rate  Recoupment period ends - repayment of outstanding balance due 

Non-hospitals repayment, recoupment and reconciliation timeline
Original Timeline 
Time from date of payment receipt  Recoupment & Repayment
120 days  No payments due 
121 - 210 days Medicare claims reduced by 100% 
> 210 days provider may repay any balance due or be subject to an ~9.5% interest rate Recoupment period ends - repayment of outstanding balance due 

Non-hospitals repayment, recoupment and reconciliation timeline
Updated Timeline 
Time from date of payment receipt  Recoupment & Repayment
1 year No payments due 
11 months  Medicare claims reduced by 25% 
6 months Medicare claims reduced by 50% 
> 29 months provider may repay any balance due or be subject to a 4% interest rate  Recoupment period ends - outstanding balance due 

Application:
Applications for accelerated payments can be found on each MACs' website. CMS has established COVID-19 hotlines at each MAC that are operational Monday through Friday to assist providers with accelerated or advance payment concerns. Access your designated MACs' website here.

The MAC will review the application to ensure the eligibility requirements are met. The provider/supplier will be notified of approval or denial by mail or email. If the request is approved, the MAC will issue the accelerated payment within seven calendar days from the request.

When funding is approved, the requested amount is compared to a database with amounts calculated by Medicare and provides funding at the lessor of the two amounts. The current form allows the provider to request the maximum payment amount as calculated by CMS or a lesser specified amount.

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If you have questions or need more information about your specific situation, please contact the healthcare consulting team. We’re here to help.

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Medicare Accelerated Payment Program