Iowa Admin. Code r. 701-52.31

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 25, May 29, 2024

Rule 701-52.31 - Biodiesel blended fuel tax credit

Effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2006, a retail dealer of biodiesel blended fuel may claim a biodiesel blended fuel tax credit. "Biodiesel blended fuel" means a blend of biodiesel with petroleum-based diesel fuel that meets the standards provided in Iowa Code section 214A2.. In determining the minimum percentage by volume of biodiesel, the department will take into account reasonable variances due to testing and other limitations. For purposes of this rule, tank wagon sales are considered retail sales. The credit is calculated on Form IA 8864.

(1)Calculating the credit.

a.Gallonage requirement.

(1) Tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2006, but prior to January 1, 2009. In order for a retail dealer to qualify for the biodiesel blended fuel tax credit for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2006, but prior to January 1, 2009, of the total gallons of diesel fuel that the retail dealer sells and dispenses during the tax year, 50 percent or more of those gallons must be biodiesel blended fuel formulated with a minimum percentage of 2 percent by volume of biodiesel. The gallonage amounts for all motor fuel sites of a retail dealer are combined when calculating this gallonage requirement.

(2) Tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2009, but prior to January 1, 2012. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2009, but prior to January 1, 2012, the biodiesel blended fuel tax credit is calculated separately for each retail motor fuel site for which 50 percent or more of the total gallons of diesel fuel sold at the motor fuel site was biodiesel blended fuel formulated with a minimum percentage of 2 percent by volume of biodiesel.

(3) Tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2012. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2012, the requirement that 50 percent of all diesel fuel gallons sold be biodiesel gallons to be eligible for the tax credit is eliminated. A retail dealer may qualify for the biodiesel fuel tax credit even if the gallons of biodiesel blended fuel sold is less than 50 percent of the total gallons of diesel fuel sold.

b.Amount of credit.

(1) Fuel sold on or after January 1, 2006, but prior to January 1, 2012. For biodiesel blended fuel sold on or after January 1, 2006, but prior to January 1, 2012, the tax credit equals three cents multiplied by the qualifying number of biodiesel blended fuel gallons sold by the taxpayer during the tax year. Qualifying biodiesel blended fuel must be formulated with a minimum percentage of 2 percent by volume of biodiesel.

(2) Fuel sold on or after January 1, 2012, but prior to January 1, 2013. For biodiesel blended fuel sold on or after January 1, 2012, but prior to January 1, 2013, the tax credit equals the sum of two cents multiplied by the qualifying number of biodiesel blended fuel gallons sold by the taxpayer during the tax year that have a minimum percentage of 2 percent by volume of biodiesel but less than 5 percent by volume of biodiesel plus four and one-half cents multiplied by the qualifying number of biodiesel blended fuel gallons sold by the taxpayer during the tax year that have a minimum percentage of 5 percent by volume of biodiesel. In addition, the gallonage requirements described in paragraph 52.31(1)"a" do not apply to fuel sold on or after January 1, 2012.

(3) Fuel sold on or after January 1, 2013, but prior to January 1,2018. For biodiesel blended fuel sold on or after January 1,2013, but prior to January 1,2018, the tax credit equals four and one-half cents multiplied by the qualifying number of biodiesel blended fuel gallons that have a minimum percentage of 5 percent by volume of biodiesel. Diesel fuel sold that contains less than 5 percent by volume of biodiesel does not qualify for the biodiesel blended fuel tax credit.

(4) Fuel sold on or after January 1, 2018, but prior to January 1, 2025.

1. Amount of credit. For biodiesel blended fuel sold on or after January 1, 2018, but prior to January 1, 2025, the tax credit equals the sum of three and one-half cents multiplied by the qualifying number of biodiesel blended fuel gallons sold by the taxpayer during the tax year that have a minimum percentage of 5 percent by volume of biodiesel but less than 11 percent by volume of biodiesel plus five and one-half cents multiplied by the qualifying number of biodiesel blended fuel gallons sold by the taxpayer during the tax year that have a minimum percentage of 11 percent by volume of biodiesel.

2. Blending errors. Where a blending error occurs and an insufficient amount of biodiesel has inadvertently been blended with petroleum-based diesel fuel so that the mixture fails to contain 11 percent by volume of biodiesel, a 1 percent tolerance applies in determining the credit amount for the blended product as described in 52.31(1) "b"(4)"2":

* If the amount of the biodiesel erroneously blended with petroleum-based diesel is at least 10 percent of the total blended product by volume, the entire blended product qualifies for the credit amount available for biodiesel blended fuel that has a minimum percentage of 11 percent by volume of biodiesel.

* If the amount of biodiesel blended with petroleum-based diesel is at least 5 percent but less than 10 percent of the total blended product by volume, the entire blended product qualifies for the credit amount available for biodiesel blended fuel that has a minimum percentage of 5 percent by volume of biodiesel but less than 11 percent by volume of biodiesel.

* Numbered paragraph 52.31(1) "b"(4)"2" applies only if a retail dealer intends to sell and dispense biodiesel blended fuel that has a minimum percentage of 11 percent by volume of biodiesel. If a retail dealer does not intend to sell and dispense biodiesel blended fuel that has a minimum percentage of 11 percent by volume of biodiesel and the product sold and dispensed contains less than 11 percent biodiesel by volume, no error has occurred and the product does not qualify for the credit amount available for biodiesel blended fuel that has a minimum percentage of 11 percent by volume of biodiesel.

c.Refundability. Any credit in excess of the taxpayer's tax liability is refundable. In lieu of claiming the refund, the taxpayer may elect to have the overpayment credited to the tax liability for the following tax year.

d.Transferability. The credit may not be transferred to any other person.

e.Examples.

Example 1: A taxpayer operated four retail motor fuel sites during 2006 and sold a combined total at all four sites of 100,000 gallons of diesel fuel, of which 55,000 gallons was biodiesel blended fuel containing a minimum percentage of 2 percent by volume of biodiesel. Because 50 percent or more of the diesel fuel sold was biodiesel blended fuel, the taxpayer may claim the biodiesel blended fuel tax credit totaling $1,650, which is 55,000 gallons multiplied by three cents.

Example 2: A taxpayer operated two retail motor fuel sites during 2006, and each site sold 40,000 gallons of diesel fuel. One site sold 25,000 gallons of biodiesel blended fuel containing a minimum percentage of 2 percent by volume of biodiesel, and the other site sold 10,000 gallons of biodiesel blended fuel containing a minimum percentage of 2 percent by volume of biodiesel. The taxpayer would not be eligible for the biodiesel blended fuel tax credit because only 35,000 gallons of the total 80,000 gallons, or 43.75 percent of the total diesel fuel gallons sold, was biodiesel blended fuel. The 50 percent requirement is based on the aggregate number of diesel fuel gallons sold by the taxpayer, and the fact that one retail motor fuel site met the 50 percent requirement does not allow the taxpayer to claim the biodiesel blended fuel tax credit for the 2006 tax year.

Example 3: Same facts as in example 2, except the fuel sales occurred in 2009. The taxpayer can claim a biodiesel blended fuel tax credit totaling $750, which is 25,000 gallons multiplied by three cents, since one of the retail motor fuel sites met the 50 percent biodiesel blended fuel requirement.

Example 4: Same facts as in example 2, except the fuel sales occurred in 2016, and all biodiesel blended fuel sold contains a minimum percentage of 5 percent by volume of biodiesel. The taxpayer can claim a biodiesel blended fuel tax credit totaling $1,575, which is 35,000 gallons multiplied by four and one-half cents, since the 50 percent biodiesel blended fuel requirement has been eliminated.

(2)Fiscal year filers. For taxpayers whose tax year is not on a calendar-year basis and whose tax year ends before December 31, 2006, the taxpayer may compute the tax credit on the gallons of biodiesel blended fuel sold during the period from January 1, 2006, through the end of the tax year, provided that 50 percent of all diesel fuel sold during that period was biodiesel blended fuel. Because the tax credit is repealed on January 1, 2025, a taxpayer whose tax year ends prior to December 31, 2024, may continue to claim the tax credit in the following tax year for any biodiesel blended fuel sold through December 31, 2024.

Example 1: A taxpayer who operates one retail motor fuel site has a fiscal year ending April 30, 2006. The taxpayer sold 60,000 gallons of diesel fuel for the period from May 1, 2005, through April 30, 2006, of which 28,000 gallons was biodiesel blended fuel. However, for the period from January 1, 2006, through April 30, 2006, the taxpayer sold 20,000 gallons of diesel fuel, of which 12,000 gallons was biodiesel blended fuel. The taxpayer is entitled to claim the biodiesel blended fuel tax credit of $360 (12,000 gallons multiplied by 3 cents) on the taxpayer's Iowa income tax return for the period ending April 30, 2006, since more than 50 percent of all diesel fuel sold during the period from January 1,2006, through April 30, 2006, was biodiesel blended fuel.

Example 2: A taxpayer who operates one retail motor fuel site has a fiscal year ending June 30, 2006. The taxpayer sold 80,000 gallons of diesel fuel for the period from July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006, of which 42,000 gallons was biodiesel blended fuel. However, for the period from January 1, 2006, through June 30, 2006, the taxpayer sold 40,000 gallons of diesel fuel, of which 19,000 gallons was biodiesel blended fuel. The taxpayer is not entitled to claim the biodiesel blended fuel tax credit on the taxpayer's Iowa income tax return for the period ending June 30, 2006, since less than 50 percent of all diesel fuel sold during the period from January 1, 2006, through June 30, 2006, was biodiesel blended fuel, even though more than 50 percent of all diesel fuel sold during the period from July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006, was biodiesel blended fuel.

Example 3: A taxpayer who operates one retail motor fuel site has a fiscal year ending February 28, 2025. The taxpayer sold 100,000 gallons of diesel fuel for the period from March 1, 2024, through February 28,2025, of which 60,000 gallons was biodiesel blended fuel containing aminimum percentage of 5 percent by volume of biodiesel. For the period from March 1,2024, through December 31,2024, the taxpayer sold 85,000 gallons of diesel fuel, of which 50,000 gallons was biodiesel fuel. The taxpayer is entitled to claim the biodiesel blended fuel tax credit of $2,250 (50,000 gallons multiplied by 4.5 cents) on the taxpayer's Iowa income tax return for the period ending February 12, 2025, since the credit is computed only on gallons sold through December 31, 2024.

(3)Allocation of credit to owners of a business entity or to beneficiaries of an estate or trust. If a taxpayer claiming the biodiesel blended fuel tax credit is a partnership, limited liability company, S corporation, or an estate or trust electing to have the income taxed directly to the individual, an individual may claim the credit. The amount claimed by an individual must be based on the individual's pro rata share of the individual's earnings of the partnership, limited liability company, S corporation, or estate or trust.

This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code section 422.33 as amended by 2016 Iowa Acts, Senate File 2309.

Iowa Admin. Code r. 701-52.31

ARC 9821B, lAB 11/2/11, effective 12/7/11

Amended by IAB April 26, 2017/Volume XXXIX, Number 22, effective 5/31/2017