Employee retention credit for employers
New law. This provision provides a refundable payroll tax credit for 50% of wages paid by eligible employers to certain employees during the COVID-19 crisis. (Act Sec. 2301(a))
Eligible employers. The credit is available to employers, including non-profits, whose operations have been fully or partially suspended as a result of a government order limiting commerce, travel, or group meetings. The credit is also provided to employers who have experienced a greater than 50% reduction in quarterly receipts, measured on a year-over-year basis. (Act Sec. 2301(c)(2))
The credit is not available to employers receiving Small Business Interruption Loans under Sec. 1102 of the Act. (Act Sec. 2301(j))
Wages paid to which employees? For employers who had an average number of full-time employees in 2019 of 100 or fewer, all employee wages are eligible, regardless of whether the employee is furloughed. For employers who had a larger average number of full-time employees in 2019, only the wages of employees who are furloughed or face reduced hours as a result of their employers' closure or reduced gross receipts are eligible for the credit. (Act Sec. 2301(c)(3)(A))
No credit is available with respect to an employee for any period for which the employer is allowed a Work Opportunity Credit (Code Sec. 21) with respect to the employee. (Act Sec. 2301(h)(1))
Wages. The term "wages" includes health benefits and is capped at the first $10,000 in wages paid by the employer to an eligible employee. ((Act Sec. 2301(c)(3)(C); Act Sec. 2301(b)(1))
Wages do not include amounts taken into account for purposes of the payroll credits, for required paid sick leave or required paid family leave in the Families First Coronavirus Act (part of P.L. 116-127) (Act Sec. 2301(c)(3)(A)), nor for wages taken into account for the Code Sec. 45S employer credit for paid family and medical leave. (Act Sec. 2301(h)(2))
Other. IRS is granted authority to advance payments to eligible employers (Act Sec. 2301(l)(1)) and to waive applicable penalties for employers who do not deposit applicable payroll taxes in anticipation of receiving the credit. (Act Sec. 2301(k))
Effective date. The credit applies to wages paid after March 12, 2020 and before Jan. 1, 2021. (Act Sec. 2301(m))
Basically All 501(c) organizations are eligible for the new partially refundable Employee Retention Tax Credit authorized by the legislation. Presuming your business operations were fully or partially suspended due to COVID-19 or you have experienced a revenue reduction of 50% in the first quarter 2020 as compared to the first quarter of 2019. This provision provides a refundable payroll tax credit for 50 percent of wages paid by employers to employees during the COVID-19 crisis. The credit is available to employers whose (1) operations were fully or partially suspended due to a COVID-19-related shut down order,or (2) gross receipts declined by more than 50 percent when compared to the same quarter in the prior year. For employers with more than 100 full-time employees, qualified wages are wages paid to employees when they are not providing services due to the COVID-19-related circumstances described above. For employers with 100 or fewer full-time employees, all employee wages qualify for the credit, whether the employer is open for business or subject to a shut-down order. The credit is provided for the first $10,000 of compensation, including health benefits, paid to an eligible employee. The credit is provided for wages paid or incurred from March 13, 2020 through December 31, 2020.
All 501(c) organizations are eligible to take advantage of the Employee Retention Tax Credit; however any 501(c)(3) receiving a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program detailed above are ineligible for this tax credit.
The credit is capped at the first $10,000 of compensation, including health benefits, paid to the employee. The credit is refundable to the extent it exceeds the employer portion of social security taxes reduced by the paid sick leave and paid extended FMLA established by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The provision is effective for wages paid or incurred from March 13, 2020 through December 31, 2020.
Delay of payment of employer payroll taxes
Background. Employers are required to withhold social security taxes (Code Sec. 3111(a)) and tax under the Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA) from wages paid to employees. (Code Sec. 3211(a) and Code Sec. 3221(a)). Self-employed individuals are subject to self-employment (SECA) tax. (Code Sec. 1401(a))
New law. The CARES Act allows taxpayers to defer paying the employer portion of certain payroll taxes through the end of 2020. Thus, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the payment for "applicable employment taxes" for the "payroll tax deferral period" won't be due before the "applicable date." (Act Sec. 2302(a)(1))
For purposes of the above rules, the term ''applicable employment taxes'' means: (A) the taxes imposed under Code Sec. 3111(a) (social security taxes), (B) so much of the taxes imposed under Code Sec. 3211(a) as are attributable to the rate in effect under Code Sec. 3111(a), and (C) so much of the taxes imposed under Code Sec. 3221(a) as are attributable to the rate in effect under Code Sec. 3111(a) (RRTA taxes). (Act Sec. 2302(d)(1))
The term ''payroll tax deferral period'' means the period beginning on the date of enactment of the Act and ending before Jan. 1, 2021. (Act Sec. 2302(d)(2))
The term ''applicable date'' means: (A) Dec. 31, 2021, with respect to 50% of the amounts to which Act Sec. 2302(a) (employment taxes) and Act Sec. 2302(b) (self-employment tax), as the case may be, apply, and (B) Dec. 31, 2022, with respect to the remaining 50% of those amounts. (Act Sec. 2302(d)(3))
Notwithstanding Code Sec. 6302 (which authorizes IRS to set deadlines for tax deposits), an employer will be treated as having timely made all deposits of applicable employment taxes required (without regard to Act Sec. 2302) to be made during the payroll tax deferral period if all such deposits are made not later than the applicable date. (Act Sec. 2302(a)(2))
The above rules won't apply to any taxpayer which has had indebtedness forgiven under Act Sec. 1106 with respect to a loan under Small Business Act Sec. 7(a)(36), as added by Act Sec. 1102, or indebtedness forgiven under Act Sec. 1109. (Act Sec. 2302(a)(3))
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the payment for 50% of the taxes imposed under Code Sec. 1401(a) (self-employment taxes) for the payroll tax deferral period won't be due before the applicable date. (Act Sec. 2302(b)(1))
For purposes of applying Code Sec. 6654 (requiring individuals to make estimated tax payments) to any tax year which includes any part of the payroll tax deferral period, 50% of the self-employment taxes imposed under Code Sec. 1401(a) for the payroll tax deferral period won't be treated as taxes to which Code Sec. 6654 applies. (Act Sec. 2302(b)(2))
For purposes of Code Sec. 3504 (imposing third party liability for withholding tax), in the case of any person designated under that section (and any regulations or other guidance issued by IRS with respect to that section) to perform acts otherwise required to be performed by an employer, if an employer directs that person to defer payment of any applicable employment taxes during the payroll tax deferral period under Act Sec. 2302, the employer will be solely liable for the payment of the applicable employment taxes before the applicable date for any wages paid by that that person on behalf of that employer during that period. (Act Sec. 2302(c)(1))
For purposes of Code Sec. 3511 (which requires certified professional employer organizations (CPEOs) to be treated as employers for employment tax withholding purposes), in the case of a CPEO (as defined in Code Sec. 7705(a)) that has entered into a service contract described in Code Sec. 7705(e)(2) with a customer, if that customer directs that CPEO to defer payment of any applicable employment taxes during the payroll tax deferral period under this section, the customer will, notwithstanding Code Sec. 3511(a) and Code Sec. 3511(c), be solely liable for the payment of those applicable employment taxes before the applicable date for any wages paid by the CPEO to any worksite employee performing services for that customer during that period. (Act Sec. 2302(c)(2))
Effective date . The provisions of Act Sec. 2302 apply to the period beginning on the date of enactment of the Act. (Act Sec. 2302(d)(2))
Basically The CARES Act postpones the due date for the employer’s share of payroll taxes (6.2 percent) related to Social Security and Railroad Retirement for businesses. The deferred amounts would be payable over the next two years, with 50 percent due on December 31, 2021, and the remaining 50 percent due on December 31, 2022.
Emergency Paid Sick leave (Families First Coronavirus Response Act)
This act, as amended by the CARES Act, is effective April1, 2020,and provides that all employers with less than 500 employees must provide employees two weeks of paid sick leave, paid at the employee's regular rate up to $511per day and $5,110 in the aggregate. This sick leave can be used if the employee is unable to work because the employee is quarantined by governmental or medical order or is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking medical diagnosis. This sick leave can also be used by an employee to care for an individual subject to quarantine or for children under 18 whose school or care provider is closed due to COVID-19. This sick time is paid at two-thirds of the employee's pay up to $200 per day and $2,000 in the aggregate. Part-time employees are entitled to sick leave on a pro-rated basis. The employer will be reimbursed for these expenses through credits against payroll taxes.
Emergency Family and Medical leave Expansion (Families First Coronavirus Response Act)
The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has been expanded for employers with less than 500 employees. It requires employers to provide up to 12 weeks of FMLA leave for employees who have been employed for 30 days who are unable to work or telework during a COVID-19 emergency due to the closure of a child's school or day care. The first 10 days are unpaid, but the employee can use the emergency paid sick leave described above for the first 10 days. Beyond that, the employee is paid the lesser of two-thirds of their regular pay rate. The paid leave is capped at $200 per day and $10,000 in the aggregate for the duration of the leave. Additionally, their position must be held open for the duration of the leave. Some exclusions do apply. Amounts paid under this program can be reclaimed through future payroll tax credits.
IMPORTANT:
Generally, if you do not have employees participating in the Emergency Paid Sick Leave or FMLA, the Employee Retention Tax Credit alone would apply to you. Otherwise, that credit is reduced by the amount that you will be reimbursed for Emergency Paid Sick Leave and FMLA.