In March 2020, several firms were obliged to halt activities that were not required to preserve or defend life. This is where ERTC emerged. How do you qualify and when is the ERTC program ending?
You are qualified for this credit if you had to significantly modify the way you did business when the pandemic struck. To comply with this order, you had to have entirely or partially suspended operations due to COVID-19. Closing indoor dining rooms and serving takeaway is an example of a partial suspension of business. Closing all areas of your firm temporarily under governmental order is an example of completely halting operations.
DO YOU THINK YOU QUALIFY FOR THE ERTC PROGRAM? BOOK A MEETING WITH ONE OF OUR EXPERTS TODAY AND FIND OUT!
You can also call us at 909.466.7876 and learn more about what TPG does to make your business grow.
The Employee Retention Tax Credit was a refundable payroll tax credit for “qualified earnings”. The credit was provided to aid in worker retention between March 2020 and December 2020. The initial ERC was altered many times. It was eventually retrospectively suspended as of September 2021. The one exception is for starting recovery enterprises outlined by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The ERC for 2020 is 50% of all eligible earnings given to workers between March 12, 2020, and December 31, 2020. For all quarters, salaries are limited to $10,000 per employee. As a result, you might claim a maximum credit of $5,000 per employee.
For 2021, the credit is 70% of all eligible salaries paid to workers from January 1, 2021, to September 30, 2021. It is capped at $10,000 in compensation per employee every quarter. As a result, you may claim $7,000 for each employee each quarter. The maximum credit per employee is $21,000.
If your company is classified as a recovery startup, your total credit is restricted to $50,000 each calendar quarter. The credit is available for wages received through December 31, 2021.
So, when is the ERTC program ending? Although the ERTC expired at the end of 2021, qualifying firms still have time to claim the credit if they haven’t already. Eligible firms can still claim the ERTC for the employment taxes that apply to them, and eligible salaries provided to their employees until December 31, 2021.
Even though the program was due to expire at the end of 2021, businesses can claim the credit on revised payroll tax returns as long as the statute of limitations, which is three years from the filing date, remains open. On taxes filed in 2022, business owners can still claim the ERTC for qualifying employees for all of 2020 and a portion of 2021.
Other resources, in addition to the ERTC, are still available. For example, paid-leave tax benefits have been extended and are now accessible until the end of September. While PPP monies have been depleted, numerous Small Business Administration Programs, such as the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans, may be appropriate for qualifying enterprises.
The Restaurant Revitalization Fund is currently overcrowded, but legislation has been submitted to add $60 billion to the program. Some states, including New York, are developing state-based grant programs to assist small companies.
Employers could claim the ERTC retroactively for the periods while it was in force if they did not do so earlier. The IIJA retroactively terminated the ERTC on October 1, 2021, except for recovery starting firms, which were given until December 31, 2021. You can, however, modify your quarterly employment tax return using Form 941-X for any period in which you qualified but did not claim the ERTC.
There is no size restriction for ERTC eligibility. Although, small and large firms are handled differently. Employers with 100 or fewer full-time employees are eligible for the credit on all employee pay, whether the firm is open for operation or subject to a closure order.
Qualified wages are earnings paid to employees when they cannot provide services due to COVID-19-related situations. This applies to companies with more than 100 full-time employees. Private-sector business that had to undergo complete or partial halt of operations due to a government order limiting trade due to COVID-19 in 2020 or 2021 are eligible employers.
To qualify for the gross revenue test, a firm must have seen a more than 50% decrease in 2020 compared to the same quarterly period in 2019. A company’s gross receipts must have decreased by more than 20% in 2021 compared to the same quarter in 2019. New firms not in operation during a quarter in 2019 may replace the corresponding quarter in 2020 for the comparison. If your company had a significant drop in gross receipts but has subsequently recovered and you did not claim the credit, you can do so now.
ERTC was designed to encourage firms to keep their employees on payroll for the duration of the lockdown. This was at a time when businesses were not operational, and no one was going into work. The initial ERTC was altered many times for this reason. Nonetheless, if you qualify for the Employee Retention Tax Credit, it might provide immediate monetary assistance and huge credit amounts for your business. But it’s important to know when the ERTC program is ending.
To obtain the ERTC, you should determine whether the company’s personnel fit the ERTC standards as soon as possible. Navigate to the MyTPG.com ERTC page or click one of the scheduling links on this page. Then see how TPG can make sure you get the credits you deserve. The sooner a qualified business files for the ERTC, the sooner it will receive this critical cash.