Retaining Employees During the Pandemic
What Is the Employee Retention Credit?
The Employee Retention Credit (ERC) was introduced as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act in 2020 to incentivize employers to retain employees during the pandemic by offering a refundable tax credit against employment taxes. It was later expanded into four separate ERCs for the following periods:
- March 13, 2020 – December 31, 2020
- January 1, 2021 – March 31, 2021
- April 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021
- July 1, 2021 – September 30, 2021
Who Is Eligible for the Employee Retention Credit?
As of April 15, 2024, employers eligible to claim the ERC may no longer claim the 2020 ERC. Eligible Employers may still claim the ERC for any of the first three quarters of 2021 until April 15, 2025 (to the extent they qualify as an Eligible Employer).
How Can We Help?
Cherry Bekaert has a dedicated ERC team that can help guide your business in the application and claiming process for claiming and defending audits around the ERC.
Now through 2025, Cherry Bekaert is assisting with the following:
- Identifying and filing new 2021 claims.
- Assisting taxpayers who worked with other consultancies to develop documentation to answer IRS inquiries.
- Assisting professional employer organizations (PEOs) verify that their clients are Eligible Employers for purposes of the ERC.
- Helping taxpayers who worked with other consultancies to withdraw inappropriate claims or return funds that they should not have received through the Voluntary Disclosure Program for 2021 ERC claims which is open until November 22, 2024, and allows for withdrawal of claims that have been received at a 15% discount.