Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021
Income Taxes [Abstract]
Income Taxes	12. INCOME TAXES The company records actual income tax expense or benefit during interim periods rather than on an annual effective tax rate method. Certain items are given discrete period treatment and the tax effect of those items are reported in full in the relevant interim period. Green Plains Partners is a limited partnership, which is treated as a flow-through entity for federal income tax purposes and is not subject to federal income taxes. As a result, the consolidated financial statements do not reflect income taxes on pre-tax income or loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest in the partnership. The CARES Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act includes several significant business tax provisions, including elimination of the taxable limit for certain net operating losses (“NOL”), allowing businesses to carry back NOLs arising in 2018, 2019 and 2020 to the five prior tax years, accelerating refunds of previously generated corporate AMT credits, and loosening the business interest limitation under §163(j) from 30% to 50%. The CARES Act also contains an employee retention credit to encourage employers to maintain headcounts even if employees cannot report to work because of issues related to the COVID-19. In the first quarter of 2020, the company recorded an income tax benefit related to the expected NOL carry back claim of $28.4 million, which was an estimate based on the amount of NOL rated to the 2019 year-end tax provision. No additional tax benefit was recorded related to the CARES Act during the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The company recorded income tax expense of $7 thousand and income tax benefit of $2.9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, compared with income tax expense of $7.3 million and income tax benefit of $48.5 million for the same periods in 2020. The decrease in income tax expense recorded for the three months ended September 30, 2021 was primarily due to a decrease in pretax book income for the period offset by recording a valuation allowance against the tax net operating loss (NOL) generated in the period. The decrease in the amount of tax benefit recorded for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the same period in 2020 was primarily due to the tax benefit recognized in 2020 associated with the carry back of the tax NOL generated in 2019 to the 2014 tax year under the newly enacted CARES Act. The amount of unrecognized tax benefits for uncertain tax positions was $51.4 million as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020. The effective tax rate can be affected by variances in the estimates and amounts of taxable income among the various states, entities and activity types, realization of tax credits, adjustments from resolution of tax matters under review, valuation allowances and the company’s assessment of its liability for uncertain tax positions. Upon adoption of amended guidance in ASC 470-20, during the first quarter of 2021, the company reversed the remaining deferred tax liability of $9.2 million associated to the equity portion of previously issued convertible debt. As the company had recorded a full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets, the reversal of the $9.2 million deferred tax liability would require an increase to the existing valuation allowance by the same amount which would normally be recorded through current income tax expense. However, as the change in the deferred tax liability is directly linked to the adoption of ASC 470-20, which is accounted for as a cumulative effect adjustment, the required increase to the valuation allowance is recorded as part of the cumulative adjustment to stockholders’ equity and has no effect on the consolidated statements of operations.

Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

12. INCOME TAXES

The company records actual income tax expense or benefit during interim periods rather than on an annual effective tax rate method. Certain items are given discrete period treatment and the tax effect of those items are reported in full in the relevant interim period. Green Plains Partners is a limited partnership, which is treated as a flow-through entity for federal income tax purposes and is not subject to federal income taxes. As a result, the consolidated financial statements do not reflect income taxes on pre-tax income or loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest in the partnership.

The CARES Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act includes several significant business tax provisions, including elimination of the taxable limit for certain net operating losses (“NOL”), allowing businesses to carry back NOLs arising in 2018, 2019 and 2020 to the five prior tax years, accelerating refunds of previously generated corporate AMT credits, and loosening the business interest limitation under §163(j) from 30% to 50%. The CARES Act also contains an employee retention credit to encourage employers to maintain headcounts even if employees cannot report to work because of issues related to the COVID-19. In the first quarter of 2020, the company recorded an income tax benefit related to the expected NOL carry back claim of $28.4 million, which was an estimate based on the amount of NOL rated to the 2019 year-end tax provision. No additional tax benefit was recorded related to the CARES Act during the nine months ended September 30, 2021.

The company recorded income tax expense of $7 thousand and income tax benefit of $2.9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, compared with income tax expense of $7.3 million and income tax benefit of $48.5 million for the same periods in 2020. The decrease in income tax expense recorded for the three months ended September 30, 2021 was primarily due to a decrease in pretax book income for the period offset by recording a valuation allowance against the tax net operating loss (NOL) generated in the period. The decrease in the amount of tax benefit recorded for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the same period in 2020 was primarily due to the tax benefit recognized in 2020 associated with the carry back of the tax NOL generated in 2019 to the 2014 tax year under the newly enacted CARES Act. The amount of unrecognized tax benefits for uncertain tax positions was $51.4 million as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020.

The effective tax rate can be affected by variances in the estimates and amounts of taxable income among the various states, entities and activity types, realization of tax credits, adjustments from resolution of tax matters under review, valuation allowances and the company’s assessment of its liability for uncertain tax positions.

Upon adoption of amended guidance in ASC 470-20, during the first quarter of 2021, the company reversed the remaining deferred tax liability of $9.2 million associated to the equity portion of previously issued convertible debt. As the company had recorded a full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets, the reversal of the $9.2 million deferred tax liability would require an increase to the existing valuation allowance by the same amount which would normally be recorded through current income tax expense. However, as the change in the deferred tax liability is directly linked to the adoption of ASC 470-20, which is accounted for as a cumulative effect adjustment, the required increase to the valuation allowance is recorded as part of the cumulative adjustment to stockholders’ equity and has no effect on the consolidated statements of operations.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for income taxes. Disclosures may include net deferred tax liability or asset recognized in an enterprise's statement of financial position, net change during the year in the total valuation allowance, approximate tax effect of each type of temporary difference and carryforward that gives rise to a significant portion of deferred tax liabilities and deferred tax assets, utilization of a tax carryback, and tax uncertainties information.

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