CARES Act

The IRS recently released a second set of draft instructions for Form 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return.  The IRS also released the final Form 941, which was revised significantly from the prior form to accommodate the employer social security tax deferral and employer social security tax credits enacted as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”).  The final Form 941 is identical to the draft Form 941 released in April. To take full advantage of the employer social security tax deferral, however, some employers must take immediate steps within the next several days and in some cases, no later than today depending upon their pay cycles and when they implemented the deferral.
Continue Reading Some Employers Must Act Immediately to Take Advantage of CARES Act Social Security Tax Deferral for Deposits Made Early in the Second Quarter

On May 7, the IRS updated its frequently asked questions to reverse its earlier determination that health plan expenses paid or incurred by an employer to provide health benefits to furloughed employees who were not paid other wages were not qualified health plan expenses for which an employer could claim…
Continue Reading IRS Reverses Course on Health Plan Expenses for Furloughed Employees

On May 4, the IRS revised its newly released frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) to clarify the interaction of the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) with the employee retention credit.  FAQ 79 now indicates that an employer that repays its PPP loan by May 7, 2020, in accordance with rules issued by…
Continue Reading IRS Clarifies that Employers Who Repay PPP Loans May Claim Retention Credit

On April 29, the IRS released extensive new guidance in the form of frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) on the IRS website addressing various aspects of the employee retention credit.  Section 2301(l) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) instructs Treasury to issue regulations concerning the application of the credit to employers that use third-party payers.  This is the fifth and final article in our series addressing various aspects of the FAQs.  This article addresses issues related to the use of a third-party payer, such as a reporting agent, payroll processor, section 3504 agent, or professional employer organization (“PEO”).
Continue Reading IRS FAQs Provide More Guidance on Employee Retention Credit for Employers Using Third Party Payers

Late Wednesday, the IRS released extensive new guidance in the form of frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) on the IRS website addressing various aspects of the employee retention credit.  This is the fourth in a series of articles that will address various aspects of the FAQs.  This article addresses income and deduction issues related to the payment of qualified wages and the employee retention credit.  In our first article, we discussed the IRS’s interpretation of the aggregation rules under section 2301(d) of the CARES Act and the determination of employer eligibility based on a full or partial suspension of operations due to a government order.  Our second article addressed employer eligibility for the credit based on a significant decline in gross receipts, and our third article addressed the calculation of qualified wages and allocable qualified health plan expenses.  Our final article will address issues related to the use of third-party payers.  Before the release of the IRS FAQs, we addressed how employers can claim the employee retention credit and its interaction with the deferral of employer social security tax deposits (see earlier article).

Employers should carefully consider the FAQs, but remain mindful that although they represent the current thinking of the IRS, the FAQs are not binding guidance.Continue Reading IRS FAQs Address Income and Deduction Issues around Employee Retention Credit

On Wednesday, the IRS released extensive new guidance in the form of frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) on the IRS website addressing various aspects of the employee retention credit.  This is the third in a series of articles addressing various aspects of these FAQs.  This article addresses the determination of qualified wages and allocable qualified health plan expenses.  Our first article discussed the IRS’s interpretation of the aggregation rules under section 2301(d) of the CARES Act and the determination of employer eligibility based on a full or partial suspension of operations due to a government order.  Our second article focused on employer eligibility for the credit based on a significant decline in gross receipts.  Subsequent articles will address issues related to the income and deduction treatment of qualified wages for employees and employers and issues related to the use of third-party payers.  Before the release of the IRS FAQs, we addressed how employers can claim the employee retention credit and its interaction with the deferral of employer social security tax deposits (see earlier article).

Although employers should carefully consider the FAQs, they should be mindful that these FAQs are not binding guidance but instead represent the current thinking of the IRS on the employee retention credit.Continue Reading IRS Employee Retention Credit FAQs Provide Guidance on Calculation of Qualified Wages and Qualified Health Plan Expenses

Late Wednesday, the IRS released extensive new guidance in the form of frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) on the IRS website addressing various aspects of the employee retention credit.  This is the second in a series of articles that will address various aspects of the FAQs.  This article addresses employer eligibility for the credit based on a significant decline in gross receipts.  In our first article, we discussed the IRS’s interpretation of the aggregation rules under section 2301(d) of the CARES Act and the determination of employer eligibility based on a full or partial suspension of operations due to a government order.  Subsequent articles will address the determination of qualified wages and allocable qualified health plan expenses, issues related to the income and deduction treatment of qualified wages for employees and employers, and issues related to the use of third-party payers.  Before the release of the IRS FAQs, we addressed how employers can claim the employee retention credit and its interaction with the deferral of employer social security tax deposits (see earlier article).

Employers should carefully consider the FAQs, but remain mindful that although they represent the current thinking of the IRS, the FAQs are not binding guidance.
Continue Reading IRS FAQs on Retention Credit Provides Guidance on “Significant Decline in Gross Receipts”

Late Wednesday, the IRS released extensive new guidance in the form of frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) on the IRS website addressing various aspects of the employee retention credit.  Covington continues to analyze the guidance, but employers who have made use of the employee retention credit—which took effect over a month ago with respect to wages paid as many as six weeks ago—should review the FAQs to determine how the guidance may affect their determination of eligibility for the credit and the calculation of the credit amount.  Unfortunately, several of the answers take a narrower approach to interpreting the law than is necessary and seem somewhat divorced from the economic reality that is effecting many employers—particularly large employers—given the COVID-19 pandemic.  Employers who have relied on reasonable, good faith determinations of their credit eligibility so that they could afford to keep workers on the payroll may now be put in an even more precarious financial position by FAQs that suggest the credit is not available to them generally or is not available with respect to some workers.

Employers should carefully consider the FAQs, but remain mindful that although they represent the current thinking of the IRS, the FAQs are not binding guidance.  This is the first in a series of articles that will address various aspects of the FAQs.  This article focuses on the IRS’s interpretation of the aggregation rules under section 2301(d) of the CARES Act and the determination of employer eligibility based on a full or partial suspension of operations due to a government order.  Later articles will address employer eligibility based on a significant decline in gross receipts, the determination of qualified wages and allocable qualified health plan expenses, and issues related to the income and deduction treatment of qualified wages for employees and employers.  In an earlier article, we addressed how employers can claim the employee retention credit and its interaction with the deferral of employer social security tax deposits.Continue Reading IRS FAQs on Retention Credit Highlight Aggregation Concerns and Narrow Potential Eligibility

On April 29, 2020, the IRS released new FAQs providing significant guidance on the employee retention credit.  We are still analyzing the guidance, but in general, we are concerned that the IRS’s approach to interpreting its application may make it difficult for some employers in difficult financial conditions to claim…
Continue Reading IRS Released New FAQs on Employee Retention Credit

Employers electing to defer the deposit of the employer share of Social Security taxes on wages, as permitted under section 2302 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, are challenged with how to take the deferral in conjunction with the COVID-19 payroll tax credits—the employee retention credit authorized by section 2301 of the CARES Act and, if applicable, the two payroll tax credits applicable to employers employers of 500 or fewer employees that are required to provide paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (“FFCRA”).

The benefit of electing to defer the deposit of the employer share of Social Security taxes or claiming payroll tax credits may be realized in real time when the employer runs its payroll providing a near-immediate cash injection into the employer’s business to help defray the cost of employee wages.  In other words, the employer does not have to wait to enjoy the benefit until it files its quarterly employment tax return (Form 941).  The IRS is in the process of revising that return so that the reporting of the deferral and credits are reconciled with the payroll taxes (e.g., employer share of FICA taxes, the employee share of FICA taxes and federal income tax withholding) paid and withheld on payments made to employees during the calendar quarter.
Continue Reading A Primer for Employers: How to Stack the Employer Social Security Tax Deferral with the COVID-19 Payroll Tax Credits