Bill Text: NY S06417 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Provides for advance payment of the earned income credit by employers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-02-22 - PRINT NUMBER 6417A [S06417 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S06417-Amended.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         6417--A
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                      May 17, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  JACOBS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
          ment Operations -- recommitted to the Committee on Investigations  and
          Government  Operations  in  accordance  with  Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --
          committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as  amended  and
          recommitted to said committee
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  tax  law, in relation to advance payment of the
          earned income credit
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1. The tax law is amended by adding a new section 679 to read
     2  as follows:
     3    § 679. Advance payment of earned income credit.    (a)  General  rule.
     4  Except  as  otherwise  provided  in  this chapter, every employer making
     5  payment of wages to an employee with respect to whom  an  earned  income
     6  eligibility  certificate  is in effect shall, at the time of paying such
     7  wages, make an additional payment to such employee equal to such employ-
     8  ee's earned income advance amount.
     9    (b) Earned income eligibility certificate. For purposes of this  arti-
    10  cle,  an  earned income eligibility certificate is a statement furnished
    11  by an employee to the employer which:
    12    (1) certifies that the employee will be eligible to receive an  earned
    13  income credit or an enhanced earned income credit provided by subsection
    14  (d)  or (d-1) of section six hundred six of this article for the taxable
    15  year,
    16    (2) certifies that the employee has one or  more  qualifying  children
    17  for such taxable year,
    18    (3)  certifies that the employee does not have an earned income eligi-
    19  bility certificate in effect for the calendar year with respect  to  the
    20  payment of wages by another employer, and
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11538-03-8

        S. 6417--A                          2
     1    (4)  states  whether or not the employee's spouse has an earned income
     2  eligibility certificate in effect.
     3    For  purposes of this section, a certificate shall be treated as being
     4  in effect with respect to a spouse if such  a  certificate  will  be  in
     5  effect  on  the  first  status  determination date following the date on
     6  which the employee furnishes the statement in question.
     7    (c) Earned income advance amount. (1) In general, for purposes of this
     8  section, the term "earned income advance amount" means, with respect  to
     9  any payroll period, the amount determined:
    10    (A)  on  the  basis of the employee's wages from the employer for such
    11  period, and
    12    (B) in accordance with tables prescribed by the commissioner.
    13    In the case of an employee who is a member of the Armed Forces of  the
    14  United  States,  the earned income advance amount shall be determined by
    15  taking into account such employee's  earned  income  as  determined  for
    16  purposes of subsection (d) of section six hundred six of this article.
    17    (2)  Advance amount tables. The tables referred to in subparagraph (B)
    18  of paragraph one of this subsection:
    19    (A) shall be similar in form to the tables  prescribed  under  section
    20  3402  of  the Internal Revenue Code and, to the maximum extent feasible,
    21  shall be coordinated with such tables, and
    22    (B) if the employee is not married, or if no earned income eligibility
    23  certificate is in effect with respect to the  spouse  of  the  employee,
    24  shall  treat  the  credit provided by subsection (d) or (d-1) of section
    25  six hundred six of this article as if it were a credit:
    26    (i) of not more than sixty percent of the credit percentage in  effect
    27  under  section  32(b)(1)  of  the  Internal Revenue Code for an eligible
    28  individual with one qualifying child  and  with  earned  income  not  in
    29  excess  of  the earned income amount in effect under section 32(b)(2) of
    30  the Internal Revenue Code for such an eligible individual, which
    31    (ii) phases out at sixty percent of the phaseout percentage in  effect
    32  under section 32(b)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code for such an eligible
    33  individual  between the phaseout amount in effect under section 32(b)(2)
    34  of the Internal Revenue Code for such an  eligible  individual  and  the
    35  amount  of  earned income at which the credit under section 32(a) of the
    36  Internal Revenue Code phases out for such an eligible individual, or
    37    (C) if an earned income eligibility  certificate  is  in  effect  with
    38  respect  to  the spouse of the employee, shall treat the credit as if it
    39  were a credit determined under subparagraph (B)  of  this  paragraph  by
    40  substituting  one-half of the amounts of earned income described in such
    41  subparagraph for such amounts.
    42    (d) Payments to be treated as payments of withholding.  (1) In  gener-
    43  al,  for  purposes  of  this article, payments made by an employer under
    44  subsection (a) of this section to his or her employees for  any  payroll
    45  period:
    46    (A) shall not be treated as the payment of compensation, and
    47    (B)  shall  be  treated as made out of amounts required to be deducted
    48  and withheld for the payroll period under part five of this article,  as
    49  if  the  employer  had paid to the commissioner, on the day on which the
    50  wages are paid to the employees, an amount equal to such payments.
    51    (2) Advance payments exceed taxes due. In the case of any employer, if
    52  for any payroll period the aggregate amount  of  earned  income  advance
    53  payments  exceeds the sum of the amounts referred to in subparagraph (B)
    54  of paragraph one of this subsection, each such advance payment shall  be
    55  reduced  by  an amount which bears the same ratio to such excess as such

        S. 6417--A                          3
     1  advance payment bears to  the  aggregate  amount  of  all  such  advance
     2  payments.
     3    (3)  Employer  may  make full advance payments. The commissioner shall
     4  prescribe regulations under which an employer may elect (in lieu of  any
     5  application of paragraph two of this subsection):
     6    (A) to pay in full all earned income advance amounts, and
     7    (B) to have additional amounts paid by reason of this paragraph treat-
     8  ed as the advance payment of taxes imposed by this title.
     9    (4)  Failure  to  make  advance payments. For purposes of this article
    10  (including penalties), failure to make any advance  payment  under  this
    11  section at the time provided therefor shall be treated as the failure at
    12  such  time  to deduct and withhold under this article an amount equal to
    13  the amount of such advance payment.
    14    (e) Furnishing and taking effect of certificates. For purposes of this
    15  section:
    16    (1) When certificate takes effect.
    17    (A) First certificate furnished.  An earned income eligibility certif-
    18  icate furnished the employer in cases in which no previous such  certif-
    19  icate  had  been in effect for the calendar year shall take effect as of
    20  the beginning of the first payroll period ending, or the  first  payment
    21  of  wages  made without regard to a payroll period, on or after the date
    22  on which such certificate is so furnished (or if later, the first day of
    23  the calendar year for which furnished).
    24    (B)  Later  certificate.  An  earned  income  eligibility  certificate
    25  furnished the employer in cases in which a previous such certificate had
    26  been  in  effect for the calendar year shall take effect with respect to
    27  the first payment of wages made on or after the  first  status  determi-
    28  nation  date  which  occurs at least thirty days after the date on which
    29  such certificate is so furnished, except that at  the  election  of  the
    30  employer  such  certificate  may  be  made effective with respect to any
    31  payment of wages made on or after the date on which such certificate  is
    32  so  furnished.  For  purposes of this section, the term "status determi-
    33  nation date" means January first, May first,  July  first,  and  October
    34  first of each year.
    35    (2)  Period  during  which  certificate  remains  in effect. An earned
    36  income eligibility certificate which takes effect under this section for
    37  any calendar year shall continue in effect with respect to the  employee
    38  during such calendar year until revoked by the employee or until another
    39  such certificate takes effect under this section.
    40    (3) Change of status.
    41    (A)  Requirement  to  revoke or furnish new certificate.  If, after an
    42  employee has furnished an earned income  eligibility  certificate  under
    43  this  section,  there  has  been a change of circumstances which has the
    44  effect of:
    45    (i)  making  the  employee  ineligible  for  the  credit  provided  by
    46  subsection  (d)  or (d-1) of section six hundred six of this article for
    47  the taxable year, or
    48    (ii) causing an earned income eligibility certificate to be in  effect
    49  with  respect  to the spouse of the employee, the employee shall, within
    50  ten days after such change in circumstances, furnish the employer with a
    51  revocation of such certificate or with a new certificate  (as  the  case
    52  may be). Such a revocation (or such a new certificate) shall take effect
    53  under  the  rules  provided by subparagraph (B) of paragraph one of this
    54  subsection for a later certificate and shall be made in such form as the
    55  commissioner shall by regulations prescribe.

        S. 6417--A                          4
     1    (B) Certificate no  longer  in  effect.  If,  after  an  employee  has
     2  furnished  an  earned  income eligibility certificate under this section
     3  which certifies that such a certificate is in effect with respect to the
     4  spouse of the employee, such a certificate is no longer in  effect  with
     5  respect  to such spouse, then the employee may furnish the employer with
     6  a new earned income eligibility certificate.
     7    (4) Form  and  contents  of  certificate.  Earned  income  eligibility
     8  certificates shall be in such form and contain such other information as
     9  the commissioner may by regulations prescribe.
    10    (5) Taxable year defined. The term "taxable year" means the last taxa-
    11  ble  year  of  the  employee beginning in the calendar year in which the
    12  wages are paid.
    13    (f) Notification. The commissioner shall take such  steps  as  may  be
    14  appropriate  to  ensure  that  taxpayers who have one or more qualifying
    15  children and who receive a refund of the credit under subsection (d)  or
    16  (d-1) of section six hundred six of this article are aware of the avail-
    17  ability of earned income advance amounts under this section.
    18    (g) Coordination with advance payments of earned income credit.
    19    (1)  Recapture  of excess advance payments.  If any payment is made to
    20  the individual by an employer under this  section  during  any  calendar
    21  year,  then  the  tax  imposed by this chapter for the individual's last
    22  taxable year beginning in such calendar year shall be increased  by  the
    23  aggregate amount of such payments.
    24    (2)  Safe  harbor  against recapture of excess advance payments. If an
    25  individual establishes that they are requesting and  receiving  payments
    26  under  this  section  in  good-faith  by establishing that they properly
    27  claimed payments under this section in the prior year and that they have
    28  not experienced a substantial change in  circumstances  such  that  they
    29  have  a  reasonable expectation of eligibility in the current year, then
    30  paragraph one of this subsection shall not apply.
    31    (3) Reconciliation of payments  advanced  and  credit  allowed.    Any
    32  increase  in  tax  under  this  subsection  shall  not be treated as tax
    33  imposed by this chapter for purposes of determining the  amount  of  any
    34  credit  (other  than  the  credit  allowed by subsection (d) or (d-1) of
    35  section six hundred six of this article) allowable under this article.
    36    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to taxable
    37  years beginning January 1, 2019.
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