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IPED AFTER THE CLOSING: Maximizing Value and Avoiding Pitfalls at Tax Credit Properties Pre-Conference Workshop: Tax Credit Basics San Diego, California April 25-27, 2007. James F. Duffy – Nixon Peabody LLP Thomas A. Giblin – Nixon Peabody LLP Brad Elphick – Novogradac & Company LLP.
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IPEDAFTER THE CLOSING: Maximizing Value and Avoiding Pitfallsat Tax Credit PropertiesPre-Conference Workshop:Tax Credit BasicsSan Diego, CaliforniaApril 25-27, 2007 James F. Duffy – Nixon Peabody LLP Thomas A. Giblin – Nixon Peabody LLP Brad Elphick – Novogradac & Company LLP
Background • Tax Reform of 1986 • Section 42 of IRC of 1986 • Housing Program in the Tax Code • Statute Amended Several Times, Including in 2000 • Objective to Provide Investor Equity • Credit is a Dollar-for-Dollar Tax Reduction
Structure Syndicator GP Investor LP$$$ Local GP InvestmentPartnership LP Developer OperatingPartnership
Key Business Terms • Projects Generally Owned by Limited Partnership or Limited Liability Company • Limited Partner Generally Owns 99.99% of Tax Credits, Losses & Profits • Limited Partner Pays in Capital Contributions in Multiple Installments (generally 3 or 4), Based on Negotiated Benchmarks • General Partner Guarantees Completion, Amount of Credits and Funding of Deficits
Calculating Credits/Defining Terms • “Applicable Percentage” times “Qualified Basis” = Annual Credit Amount • Annual Credit Amount available for 10 years.
Applicable Percentage • Two Credits: • 70 Percent Present Value Credit (the “9% Credit”) • 30 Percent Present Value Credit (the “4% Credit”) • Credit Rates • 8.10% (9% Credit) & 3.47% (4% Credit) – April 2007 • Lowest rates in July 2003 – 7.78% and 3.33%
Applicable Percentage (cont’d) • Owner’s election to set the Applicable Percentage either (i) when receiving a binding commitment from the state to allocate credits (or when tax-exempt bonds issued) (a “lock-in election”) OR (ii) when building placed in service
4% New Construction/Substantial Rehabilitation Credit • “Federally Subsidized” new construction or rehabilitation expenditures • Building Receives Tax-Exempt Bonds or Below Market Federal Loan • “Below Market Federal Loan” • Interest Rate below the “applicable federal rate” (the “AFR “) which is approximately 4.81% in April 2007 (for long-term loans compounded annually) • Funded from federally appropriated dollars
Exceptions From Federally Subsidized Definition • HOME Loan if 40% at 50% Targeting (in each building) • Community Development Block Grant (“CDBG”) Loans • Affordable Housing Program (“AHP”) Loans • Loan is Subtracted from “Eligible Basis” • Section 8 • Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (“NAHASDA”) of 1996 if 40% at 50% Targeting (in each building)
4% Acquisition Credit • Existing Buildings/Acquisition Costs • Purchase from “Unrelated Party” • Ten-Year Rule • Waiver of Ten-Year Rule from Treasury Department
4% Acquisition Credit (cont’d) • Certain Placements in Service Ignored • Carryover Basis • Acquired from Decedent • Placement in Service by Governmental Unit or Non-Profit Entity • Foreclosure
Substantial Rehabilitation Requirement • Greater of: • $3,000 per Low-Income Unit, or • 10% of Adjusted Basis • “Separate New Building” • Can Receive 4% plus 9% Credits
9% New Construction/Substantial Rehabilitation Credit • If Not Federally Subsidized
Basis Calculations • Start with “Eligible Basis”, then “Qualified Basis”
“Eligible Basis” • New Construction = Adjusted Basis (generally, development cost less land) • Acquisition = Acquisition Cost • Substantial Rehabilitation = Capitalized Rehabilitation Expenditures (24-month rule) • Must Subtract Federal Grants • 130% Increase in Qualified Census Tracts Census (“QCTs”) and Difficult Development Areas (“DDAs”)
“Qualified Basis” • “Applicable Fraction” times “Eligible Basis” equals “Qualified Basis” • “Applicable Fraction” is the Lower of: • Number of Occupied “Low-Income Units” divided by the Total Number of Units, or • “Floor Space Fraction”
“Low Income Units” • Threshold of Election of: • 20% of Units at 50% of Area Median Income (“AMI”), or • 40% of Units at 60% of AMI • Election Upon Placement in Service • Must Meet Minimum by End of 1st Credit Year • HUD Publishes Area Income Figures Annually
“Low Income Units” (cont’d) • Adjustments for Family Size like Section 8 • Family of 4 Qualifies at 60% (50%) AMI • Family of 3 Qualifies at 54% (45%) AMI • Family of 2 Qualifies at 48% (40%) AMI • Single Household Qualifies at 42% (35%) AMI
“Rent Restricted” • Rent (including utilities) cannot exceed 30% of qualifying income for assumed family size; based on bedrooms per unit • Occupancy Assumptions: • One Person for Studio • 1.5 Persons per Bedroom
Rent Calculation Example • Median Income = $60,000 • Two Bedroom Unit • 3 Person (2BR x 1.5) Income Limit = $32,400 • 30% of Income Limit = $9,720 • Monthly Rent (1/12) = $810
Additional Rent Rules • Rent Limits Change Annually with Publication of New Area Median Incomes • Rent Will Not Decrease Below Original Floor • Gross Rent Does Not Include Section 8 (or Similar Rental Subsidies) • Gross Rent Must Include Utility Allowance for Tenant-Paid Utilities (i.e., Deduct from Rent to Owner)
Example of Tax Credit Calculation • 100 Unit Project/70 Low-Income Units • Total Development Costs (Including Land) = $5.5M • Land Value = $500K • Eligible Basis = $5.0M • Qualified Basis = $3.5M ($5.0M x 70%)
Example Tax Credit Calculation (cont’d) • Applicable Percentage = 8.10% (Not Federally Subsidized) • Annual Credit = $283,500 ($3.5M x 8.10%) • 10 Year Credits = $2,835,000
Equity Calculation • Pricing Primarily Based on Total Amount of 10 Year Credits Available to Investor and Market Conditions • Expressed as “Cents Per Tax Credit Dollar” • In Above Example, if Investor Will Pay 90 Cents Per Tax Credit Dollar, Equity Equals $2,551,245 ($2,835,000 x 99.99% x 0.90) • Equity generally paid in several installments (often 3 or 4 installments) based upon negotiated benchmarks
Equity Calculation (cont’d) • If Tax-Exempt Bond Financing “4% Credit”, Equity Equals $1,092,941 • ($5,500,000 - $500,000) x 70% x 3.47% x 10 x 0.90 x 99.99% = $1,092,941
Continued Compliance • 15-Year “Compliance Period” • Continued Tenant Qualification: • 40% Increase Above Then-Current Eligibility Level is OK • Vacant Units/Over-Income Units OK if “Next Available Unit Rule” Followed
Recapture • Recapture on Non-Compliance: • “Accelerated Portion” of Credit Recaptured (1/3 of Credit 1st 10 years, Decreasing Through Year 15) • If Minimum Set-Aside Fails, All Accelerated Credits Recaptured • Otherwise, Unit-by-Unit (Extent of Decrease in Qualified Basis)
Recapture (cont’d) • Recapture on Change of More Than 1/3 in Ownership or Sale of Project • Bond Posting Procedure • New Owner Steps into Seller’s Shoes Upon Sale of Project
Extended Use • Recorded “Extended Low-Income Housing Commitment” • “Extended Use Period”: • At Least 30 Years, May be Longer to Gain Points • Termination (with three-year vacancy de-control) • Upon Foreclosure • “Qualified Contract”
“Qualified Contract” • State to Find Buyer If Requested by Owner After 14th Year Pursuant to “Qualified Contract” • Contract Price = Fair Market Value of Any Market Rate Portion Plus, for the Low-Income Portion, the Applicable Fraction Times: • Outstanding Debt Plus • “Adjusted Investor Equity” Plus • Other Capital Contributions, Less • Cash Available for Distribution
Qualified Contract (cont’d) • “Adjusted Investor Equity” = Initial Investor Equity to Project, to the extent reflected in the adjusted basis of the Project, Inflated by COLA (up to 5% per year) • If No Buyer Found Within One Year, the Extended Use Period ends, Subject to 3-Year Vacancy Decontrol
Compliance Monitoring • State Credit Agencies Monitor Projects • Owners’ Recordkeeping Requirements: • Number of Low-Income & Total Units • Income Certifications/Annual Re-Certifications & Backup Verifications • Qualified Basis & Eligible Basis Amounts • Rent Amounts • Owner Annual Compliance Certifications
STATE ALLOCATION VOLUME LIMIT • Congress Raised Cap in 2000 From $1.25 to $1.50 in 2001, $1.75 in 2002, Then Adjusted for Inflation • $1.95 Per Person for 2007 • $2,275,000 State Minimum in 2007
Volume Limit Rules • Example: • State With Three Million Population has $5,850,000 in Credits in 2007 • Amount is for One Year of Credit • 10% Non-Profit Set-Aside • 50% Test: Private Activity Tax-Exempt Bonds Subject to Bond Volume Cap; Tax Credits Do Not Count Against the State’s Limitation of Aggregate Tax Credits
“Qualified Allocation Plans” • State Must Adopt QAP to Allocate Credits • QAP Must Set Forth Allocation Priorities • QAP Must Give Preference to: • Lowest Incomes • Longest Period of Low-Income Use • QCT Projects Contributing to a Concerted Revitalization Plan
Additional QAP Rules • QAP Must Provide Procedure for Notifying IRS of Non-Compliance • Bond Financed Projects Must “Satisfy” QAP
Project Evaluation • Credit May Not Exceed Amount State Agency Determines Is Necessary For Feasibility and Viability • Agency Must Consider: • Sources and Uses • Amounts Expected to Be Generated by Tax Benefits • Reasonableness of Development and Operating Costs
Project Evaluation (cont’d) • Evaluation Occurs at Application, Allocation and Completion • Owner Must Certify as to Amount of Subsidies • For Tax-Exempt Bond Financed Projects, Issuer Must Do Similar Evaluation • Agency Must Require Market Study Paid by Developer
State Allocation Process • “Carryover Allocation” • 10% of “Reasonably Expected Basis” Must be Incurred by 12/31 of Allocation Year or 6 Months After Allocation, if Allocation After 6/30 • Building Must be Placed in Service by 12/31 of 2nd Year After Carryover • Carryover Basis Includes Costs of Land and Depreciable Property
Carryover Allocation Document • Must be Issued by State Agency by 12/31 of Allocation Year • 10 Elements Required in Document • Agency Must Later Issue Forms 8609 After Buildings Complete • State May Carry Forward Unused Credits for One Year; Then Goes to National Pool
Who Can Use Credits? • Individuals Limited Under Passive Loss Rules to Approximately $9,900/Year at the 39.6% rate • C Corporations Can Use Losses and Credits Against Ordinary Income and Taxes • Cannot Use Credits Against AMT • Limitations on “Closely-Held” Corporations 10531434