Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Income Taxes [Abstract]
Income Taxes	13. 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, 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. In the second quarter, the company filed its preliminary 2019 federal income tax return, as well as a refund claim with the IRS to carry back our 2019 NOL to prior years. The company recorded an additional income tax benefit of approximately $5.5 million during the second quarter related to the CARES Act in addition to adjustments to certain valuation allowances. In the third quarter no additional tax benefit was recorded related to the CARES Act. The company recorded income tax expense of $7.3 million and income tax benefit of $48.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, compared with income tax benefit of $12.5 million and $40.7 million for the same periods in 2019. The income tax expense recorded for the three months ended September 30, 2020, as compared to income tax benefit for the same period in 2019, was primarily due to the recording of a valuation allowance against increases in deferred tax assets in the third quarter. The increase in the amount of the tax benefit recorded for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the same period in 2019 was to record the tax benefit 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, offset by the release of a previously recorded valuation allowance against the 2019 NOL and other deferred tax assets. The amount of unrecognized tax benefits for uncertain tax positions was $51.6 million as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019. The 2020 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.

Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

13. 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, 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. In the second quarter, the company filed its preliminary 2019 federal income tax return, as well as a refund claim with the IRS to carry back our 2019 NOL to prior years. The company recorded an additional income tax benefit of approximately $5.5 million during the second quarter related to the CARES Act in addition to adjustments to certain valuation allowances. In the third quarter no additional tax benefit was recorded related to the CARES Act.

The company recorded income tax expense of $7.3 million and income tax benefit of $48.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, compared with income tax benefit of $12.5 million and $40.7 million for the same periods in 2019. The income tax expense recorded for the three months ended September 30, 2020, as compared to income tax benefit for the same period in 2019, was primarily due to the recording of a valuation allowance against increases in deferred tax assets in the third quarter. The increase in the amount of the tax benefit recorded for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to the same period in 2019 was to record the tax benefit 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, offset by the release of a previously recorded valuation allowance against the 2019 NOL and other deferred tax assets. The amount of unrecognized tax benefits for uncertain tax positions was $51.6 million as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019.

The 2020 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.