The employee retention credit is a fully refundable tax credit that eligible employers claim against certain employment taxes. It is not a loan and does not need to be repaid. For most taxpayers, the refundable credit exceeds the payroll taxes paid in a credit-generating period. The ERTC is fully refundable and applies to the portion of payroll taxes paid by the employer.
The IRS has developed a plan to allow eligible businesses to receive an early payment on their credit. This aims to alleviate the liquidity problems of many companies applying for the ERTC. Although the ERTC program ended in September. The Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) is one of many relief provisions included in the CARES Act to encourage small businesses to keep employees on staff rather than firing or firing them.
The new guidance explains that the election is made simply by not claiming the ERTC for those specific salaries in the corresponding 941 return. Earlier this year, the IRS published guidance on how companies can use the ERTC program to cover certain payroll costs that exceeded the money received under a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. It's important to note that the ERTC is subject to income tax because the employer's aggregated wage deductions are reduced by the amount of the credit. To apply for the ERTC, eligible employers must report quarterly their total qualified salaries and any related credits.
However, your company is likely to be eligible and should immediately explore the ERTC before funds run out. It will take approximately 5 to 8 months for the government to process your ERTC application and will mail your credit checks directly to your company. The ERTC is a payroll tax credit (not an income tax credit) and must ultimately be reported on Form 941. It's important to know that you can still qualify for the ERTC even if you applied for or received PPP or other COVID relief funds. In addition, most of the notice reiterates the ERTC FAQs that were previously posted on the IRS website.
Unlike other more broadly applicable provisions mentioned in the CARES Act, the ERTC is only available to certain qualified employers whose businesses have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. If a company doesn't receive a loan forgiveness from the PPP, it can also use the ERTC to cover allowable payroll expenses. The Consolidated Appropriations Act provided a very welcome amendment to the CARES Act by allowing all eligible employers to apply for the ERTC, even if they have received a PPP loan. A company may qualify for the ERTC if it shows a required drop in its gross revenues or a “higher than nominal” impact on the company due to government mandates and restrictions during the pandemic.
The ERTC is a refundable credit that companies can apply for on qualified salaries, including certain health insurance costs, paid to employees. Basically, if they are considered to be majority owners, their salaries are not ERTC-qualified salaries.
