If you were recently a business owner and you were able to successfully acquire another business, you may be wondering if you should use the employee retention credits you receive to cover all of your losses from the business. The truth is, this is not the answer. You can only claim these credits if you have a reasonable basis for believing that the business was acquired because of your personal interest in the business. In other words, you have to prove that you were not simply buying it to gain an advantage over your competition.
You can claim against 70% of wages paid instead of 50%
Employee Retention Credit is a tax credit that is geared towards encouraging businesses to keep their employees. It offers the chance for employers to take advantage of a refundable tax credit for up to 70% of wages paid during a quarter.
This is a significant change from the previous law. The maximum credit was a hefty $25,000. However, this credit was only available to certain types of companies.
For example, only a business that was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic was eligible. In addition, the ERC could only be claimed for full-time employees who worked at least 30 hours a week.
The new rules also allow for new employers to claim the credit in 2021. A startup business that shut down after February 15 may be eligible for up to $50,000 a quarter. To qualify, the employer must have experienced a 50% decline in gross receipts and must pay all wages before January 1, 2021.
Another change is that the employee retention tax credit is not available for wages paid after September 30, 2021. Instead, businesses will need to file an amended tax return using Form 941X.
Although the employee retention tax credit is limited to the new rules, businesses are still eligible to receive the refundable payroll tax credit. Companies with less than 100 employees can claim the credit for all of their wages and services. They can receive up to a 70% credit instead of the usual 50%.
There are a lot of rules and regulations to remember when claiming the employee retention tax credit. If you need help, Ogletree Deakins will be more than happy to help you navigate the complexities of this program.
You may include the gross receipts of the acquired business in your gross receipts for the same calendar quarter in 2019
The IRS has issued a series of FAQs on how to calculate gross receipts for a new business. These FAQs are not legal authority and should not be relied upon as a basis for any business decisions. However, they represent the current thinking of the IRS and should be considered carefully.
In calculating gross receipts for a new business, you may use gross receipts from the quarter when you started your business. You may also estimate gross receipts for the full quarter. For example, if you start your business in the third quarter of 2019, you should estimate gross receipts for the fourth quarter of 2020.
New businesses can also use gross receipts from the first quarter of the business’s existence as a base period for determining eligibility. To determine whether you qualify for an Employee Retention Credit (ERC) based on a significant decline in gross receipts, you must have less than 50% of your gross receipts in the first quarter of your business.
Gross receipts are the total revenue of an employer. They do not include sales taxes, which are legally imposed on purchasers of goods and services. Qualified wages are wages paid to all employees during a qualifying quarter.
A business that acquires another business in 2020 may also use the gross receipts of the acquired business as part of its gross receipts for the same calendar quarter in 2019. If you are a large eligible employer, you must show a 20% or greater decline in gross receipts for a given quarter.
Notice 2021-20 provides a safe harbor for employers. If you started your business in the middle of the calendar quarter in 2020, you should follow the rules in Notice 2021-20.
You can claim up to $5,000 per employee per year
The Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) is a federal tax credit that is available to qualifying businesses and organizations. It is designed to encourage businesses to retain employees during a period of economic difficulty.
Businesses with fewer than 500 full-time employees may claim dollar for dollar tax credits through the ERC. However, these companies will not be able to claim the credit for wages paid after September 30, 2021.
In order to qualify for the credit, employers must have a significant decrease in gross revenue. This decline must be at least 20% in the first year. Additionally, there are a few additional limitations.
For the 2020 calendar year, the “significant decline in gross receipts” definition has changed. In the new version, a 50% decrease is required.
The credit was initially introduced as part of the CARES Act. Now, it is available for businesses, public instrumentalities, and public universities. Public instrumentalities include medical-care providers, hospitals, and public universities.
ERTC Tax Credit Gov says for businesses, the benefits are quite substantial. A business that meets the minimum criteria can receive up to $26,000 in employee retention credit per year. An eligible employer can keep the employee’s share of social security and Medicare taxes, and reduce employment tax deposits.
There is also a safe harbor rule. Specifically, if an eligible company demonstrates that its gross receipts have fallen below the pre-COVID-19 level in the last quarter, the business can claim the credit for the previous quarter.
In order to make the most of the Employee Retention Tax Credit, you should consult a tax attorney. If you are unsure, you should consider a professional accountant.
The CARES Act allows you to claim the ERC through December 2023
If you own a business that is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be eligible to claim the CARES Act’s Employee Retention Credit. This tax credit is designed to help you retain key employees, especially in times of financial hardship. In order to qualify, your business must have suffered a significant decline in gross receipts during the pandemic.
The ERC is designed to provide a refundable payroll tax credit for qualified wages that are paid to employees. ERC is available to all businesses, including non-governmental tax-exempt organizations.
To apply for the credit, you must fill out Form 941-X. You must also provide basic information about your business. After you receive approval, your ERC will be applied to any future payroll taxes you owe.
The CARES Act, signed into law in March 2020, includes the following benefits. First, it created the Payroll Protection Program, which provides eight weeks of payroll assistance. Secondly, it established the Economic Injury Disaster Loan, which gave small business owners an upfront loan of $10,000. However, the loan does not have to be repaid. Finally, the law included a variety of incentives.
CARES Act benefits were expanded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Specifically, it extended the period during which an employer could claim the ERC. It also included qualifying periods for wages paid before July 1, 2021. For employers with 500 or fewer employees, the threshold for claiming the credit increased to all employees.
Additionally, the CARES Act made it easier for businesses to carry forward unused ERTC credits from 2020 into 2021. Businesses that were closed as a result of the COVID-19 shutdown can claim the ERTC through December 2021.