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What the IRS Thinks You Need to Know About Repayment of Deferred Payroll Taxes

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The IRS published in its e-News for Tax Professionals on March 13th the following guidance on repaying of the employee 2020 deferred social security taxes in 2021.  This update includes the provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act signed by President Biden.

The Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act allowed employers to defer payment of the employer’s share of Social Security tax. IRS Notice 2020-65 allowed employers to defer withholding and payment of the employee’s Social Security taxes on certain wages paid in calendar year 2020. Employers must pay back these deferred taxes by their applicable dates.

The employee deferral applied to people with less than $4,000 in wages every two weeks, or an equivalent amount for other pay periods. It was optional for most employers, but it was mandatory for federal employees and military service members. Repayment of the employee’s portion of the deferral started Jan. 1, 2021, and will continue through Dec. 31, 2021. Payments made by Jan 3, 2022, will be timely because Dec. 31, 2021, is a holiday. The employer should send repayments to the IRS as they collect them. If the employer does not repay the deferred portion on time, penalties and interest will apply to any unpaid balance.

Employers can make the deferral payments through the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) or by credit or debit card, money order or with a check. These payments must be separate from other tax payments to ensure they are applied to the deferred payroll tax balance. IRS systems won’t recognize the payment if it is with other tax payments or sent as a deposit. EFTPS will soon have a new option to select deferral payment. The employer selects deferral payment and then changes the date to the applicable tax period for the payment. Employers can visit  EFTPS.gov, or call 800-555-4477 or 800-733-4829 for details.

If the employee no longer works for the organization, the employer is responsible for repayment of the entire deferred amount. The employer must collect the employee’s portion using their own recovery methods.

Join us on March 24, 2021 at 10:00 am Pacific for this information-packed webinar

Be sure to register for our first payroll lecture/webinar of the year.  The topic is the 2021 Form 941 and is being held on Wednesday, March 24th starting at 10:00 am Pacific.  Click here for more details and to register.  Use coupon code CJYFRQA6 at check out to receive a 10% discount as a Payroll 24/7 BLOG FOLLOWER.  The webinar is pending approval by the APA for 1.5 RCHs.

 

Making Sense of COVID-19 FAQs Part 1

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Since the pandemic of COVID-19 began I have been getting a tremendous amount of questions about the different tax credits and how those tax credits relate to the Form 941. Although I posted quite a few blog items concerning these credits I thought what I might do now is go through the different FAQs that are on the IRS website and take a closer look at specific information the IRS has provided. Over the next several blogs I will pick one or two of the FAQs and discuss them and how they affect payroll and/or the 941 form. I am not going to be covering them in numerical order but rather picking the ones that I think are the most relevant to the questions I have been receiving. I will give the FAQ number and under what topic they can be found, as well as the link if you want more information. One bad thing about the FAQs on this website is if they do jump around quite a bit. You start off at question four and then must wander off to question 44 to get the remainder of the answer. So, what I am going to try to do is put it all in one place. Today’s blog gets us started with our first question.

Under the IRS topic Covid-19-Related Tax Credits: General Information FAQs. FAQ number 4 deals with documentation. The question reads:

What documentation must an eligible employer retain to substantiate eligibility to claim the tax credits?

In this case the question is asking about the tax credits under the paid family leave and paid sick leave along with the allocable qualified health plan expenses and the eligible employer share of Medicare taxes. In answering this question, the IRS is not giving us any specifics when it comes to the type of records that we need to maintain. They simply list the normal records that we would maintain in a payroll department including Form 941. However, they do refer to another FAQ, specifically number 44 under the IRS Topic Covid-19-Related Tax Credits: How To Substantiate Eligibility And Periods Of Time For Which Credits Are Available FAQs. But to truly answer the question we not only need number 44 but also number 45 and number 46 under this topic.

Number 44 reads: what information should an eligible employer received from an employee and maintain to substantiate eligibility for the sick leave our family leave credits? The answer provided is as follows: An Eligible Employer will substantiate eligibility for the sick leave or family leave credits if the employer receives a written request for such leave from the employee in which the employee provides:

  1. The employee’s name
  2. The date or dates for which leave is requested
  3. A statement of the COVID-19 related reason the employee is requesting leave and written support for such reason
  4. A statement that the employee is unable to work, including by means of telework, for such reason.

In the case of a leave request based on a quarantine order or self-quarantine advice, the statement from the employee should include the name of the governmental entity ordering quarantine or the name of the health care professional advising self-quarantine, and, if the person subject to quarantine or advised to self-quarantine is not the employee, that person’s name and relation to the employee.

In the case of a leave request based on a school closing or child care provider unavailability, the statement from the employee should include the name and age of the child (or children) to be cared for, the name of the school that has closed or place of care that is unavailable, and a representation that no other person will be providing care for the child during the period for which the employee is receiving family medical leave and, with respect to the employee’s inability to work or telework because of a need to provide care for a child older than fourteen during daylight hours, a statement that special circumstances exist requiring the employee to provide care.

But that still does not tell us exactly what that documentation should look like. That is addressed in question number 45, which reads: what additional records should an eligible employer maintained to substantiate eligibility for the sick leave or family leave credit? This answer gets down to the actual documentation from the payroll system. The employer would need to create and maintain records that include the documentation to show how the employer determine the amount of qualified second family leave wages paid to employees are eligible for the credit, including records of work, telework and qualified sick leave and qualified family leave. The documentation should also show how the employer determine the amount of qualified health plan expenses that the employer allocated to those wages. This of course is in addition to the completed 941 form and any copies of Form 7200. These records could come from your payroll system directly via a report, or if that is not possible, an Excel spreadsheet.

Finally question number 46 deals with record retention time limits. Covid-19 related records fall under the same category as all other employment tax records. This is basically four years plus current.

IRS Reminder of COVID-19 Credits

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In their latest issue, IR-2020-89, the Internal Revenue Service is reminding businesses of the three new credits that are available to many businesses hit by COVID-19. To recap, these are:

Employee Retention Credit:

The employee retention credit is designed to encourage businesses to keep employees on their payroll. The refundable tax credit is 50% of up to $10,000 in wages paid by an eligible employer whose business has been financially impacted by COVID-19. The credit is available to all employers regardless of size, including tax-exempt organizations. There are only two exceptions: State and local governments and their instrumentalities and small businesses who take small business loans.

Qualifying employers must fall into one of two categories:

  1. The employer’s business is fully or partially suspended by government order due to COVID-19 during the calendar quarter.
  2. The employer’s gross receipts are below 50% of the comparable quarter in 2019. Once the employer’s gross receipts go above 80% of a comparable quarter in 2019, they no longer qualify after the end of that quarter.

Employers will calculate these measures each calendar quarter.

Paid Sick Leave Credit and Family Leave Credit:

The paid sick leave credit is designed to allow business to get a credit for an employee who is unable to work (including telework) because of Coronavirus quarantine or self-quarantine or has Coronavirus symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis. Those employees are entitled to paid sick leave for up to 10 days (up to 80 hours) at the employee’s regular rate of pay up to $511 per day and $5,110 in total.

The employer can also receive the credit for employees who are unable to work due to caring for someone with Coronavirus or caring for a child because the child’s school or place of care is closed, or the paid childcare provider is unavailable due to the Coronavirus. Those employees are entitled to paid sick leave for up to two weeks (up to 80 hours) at 2/3 the employee’s regular rate of pay or, up to $200 per day and $2,000 in total.

Employees are also entitled to paid family and medical leave equal to 2/3 of the employee’s regular pay, up to $200 per day and $10,000 in total. Up to 10 weeks of qualifying leave can be counted towards the family leave credit.

Employers can be immediately reimbursed for the credit by reducing their required deposits of payroll taxes that have been withheld from employees’ wages by the amount of the credit.

Eligible employers are entitled to immediately receive a credit in the full amount of the required sick leave and family leave, plus related health plan expenses and the employer’s share of Medicare tax on the leave, for the period of April 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2020. The refundable credit is applied against certain employment taxes on wages paid to all employees.

How will employers receive the credit?

Employers can be immediately reimbursed for the credit by reducing their required deposits of payroll taxes that have been withheld from employees’ wages by the amount of the credit.

Eligible employers will report their total qualified wages and the related health insurance costs for each quarter on their quarterly employment tax returns or Form 941 beginning with the second quarter. If the employer’s employment tax deposits are not sufficient to cover the credit, the employer may receive an advance payment from the IRS by submitting Form 7200, Advance Payment of Employer Credits Due to COVID-19.

Eligible employers can also request an advance of the Employee Retention Credit by submitting Form 7200.

The IRS has also posted Employee Retention Credit FAQs and Paid Family Leave and Sick Leave FAQs that will help answer questions.

Updates on the implementation of the Employee Retention Credit and other information can be found on the Coronavirus page of IRS.gov.

Related Items:

•FS-2020-05, New Employee Retention Credit helps employers keep employees on payroll

Corona Virus Update from DOL

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Here is the latest updates from the Department of Labor’s website on the Corona Virus legislation:

On April 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor announced new action regarding how American workers and employers will benefit from the protections and relief offered by the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, both part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The Department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) posted a temporary rule issuing regulations pursuant to this new law, effective April 1, 2020. For more information, see the DOL website  for fact sheets, Q&As, and posters.  The Posters are mandatory.

 

In addition, the DOL has:

Set up a Pandemic page set up on DOL website.

The DOL issued news release on its implementation of the payroll tax credits.

And finally, the CARES Act addresses many of the issues in the FFCRA but still waiting for clarification on what exactly it “changes” or “fixes” in the FFCRA from DOL. It does start the ball rolling on unemployment insurance. DOL issued an operating guidance to the states concerning unemployment insurance.

Coronavirus Update

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As I posted in my last blog, many states as well as the federal government are making temporary changes to tax filing deadlines, unemployment insurance requirements and other matters during this pandemic.  The following is a recap of the latest updates that have crossed my desk this week:

Note:  I will be offering a webinar on the payroll related items occurring during this pandemic.  See info at bottom of blog for more details.

Federal: the U.S. Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the U.S. Department of Labor (Labor) announced that small and midsize employers can begin taking advantage of two new refundable payroll tax credits, designed to immediately and fully reimburse them, dollar-for-dollar, for the cost of providing Coronavirus-related leave to their employees. This relief to employees and small and midsize businesses is provided under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Act), signed by President Trump on March 18, 2020. For full details see IRS website’s Coronavirus webpage.

The following states are providing filing or deposit penalty relief or extending deadlines due to the Corona Virus:

 

Unemployment Insurance Update: The following states are waiving waiting times or making other temporary changes:

The following is provided by these states:

San Francisco, California: Workers and Families First Program will provide paid sick leave to impacted workers.

New York: Guaranteed sick leave for New Yorkers under mandatory or precautionary quarantine

I will be offering a webinar/lecture on major impacts that affect payroll professionals due to the pandemic.  It will be held on Friday, April 10, 2020 from 10 am to 11:30 am Pacific time.  More details will be available next week.

Corona Virus Update

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The federal and state governments are focusing on providing either tax relief, lost wages relief or updates when employers are affected by the Corona Virus.  This may include delaying reporting or allowing for penalty relief.  It may also include mandatory sick pay, clarification on current sick pay mandates or changes to unemployment insurance qualifications. The following are some of the actions being taken by the IRS or states during this difficult time:

Internal Revenue Service: The IRS has established a special section focused on steps to help taxpayers, businesses and others affected by the coronavirus. This page will be updated as new information is available. This page includes information on (1) Deferring tax payments and (2) High deductible plans covering the pandemic.

So far, the following states are addressing the pandemic:

States Extending Filing Deadlines:

  • California: 60-day filing extension available
  • Maryland: Extend to June 1

State Unemployment and/or Disability:

The following states have suspended the waiting period for unemployment benefits for any employees affected by the Corona Virus: California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.

Paid Sick Leave Updates or Guidance:

San Francisco: The San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) has issued guidance regarding the use of San Francisco paid sick leave for situations involving the recent Coronavirus outbreak.

Colorado: Effective March 11, 2020, emergency rules temporarily require employers in certain industries to provide a small amount of paid sick leave (up to four days) to employees with flu-like symptoms while awaiting coronavirus (COVID-19) testing. The DLSS has a webpage dedicated to the emergency rules with further information that will be updated as necessary.

New Jersey: Workers may use sick leave, apply for TDI or apply for Family Leave Insurance due to the Corona Virus.

Washington: Workers who are sick with the virus and have a Certification of a Serious Health Condition form signed by a healthcare provider may be eligible for Paid Family and Medical Leave benefits. The ESD has a comparison guide and a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) to find out which programs and benefits are available in various circumstances.

As more information comes in for the states, I will update this blog.

ALEC Wins Another State Over!

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The American Legislative Exchange Council, or as it is commonly known ALEC, according to their website, is “America’s largest nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislatures dedicated to the principles of limited government”.  It’s current legislative agenda is to try to stop increases in the minimum wage and the mandatory sick leave movement as it sees it as having a negative effect on workers.  But in order to keep the minimum wage low or as ALEC describes it; “Maximizing the freedom of businesses and employees to negotiate their own wages” they not only have to convince state legislatures not to raise the minimum wage or provide mandated sick leave, but have to convince all local governments as well.  This is a tough job as there are thousands of local entities such as cities and counties that could decide to raise the minimum wage or enforce mandatory sick leave.  So ALEC takes the approach to tackle this from the head down by convincing state legislatures that they need to pass laws that prohibit any local entity from passing any type of minimum wage or benefit increase that does not equal the state level.  At this task they are making headway.  The latest state to buy into ALEC and bar local governments from passing a minimum wage or benefits ordinance is Wisconsin.

New legislation, A748,  prohibits counties, cities, and towns from enacting ordinances that: (1) establish or mandate local hour and overtime requirements, including scheduling employee work hours or shifts; and (2) require employers to provide employment benefits, including a retirement, pension, profit sharing, insurance, or leave benefit. The legislation does allow prospective employers to solicit salary information from previous employers and preempts counties, cities, and towns from prohibiting such solicitation.  The bill is effective as of March 30, 2018.

Show Down in Texas Over Sick Leave Looming

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After Midnight, On February 16th, the Austin, TX city Council approved an ordinance establishing a paid sick leave requirement.  This requirement applies to all private employers located within the City of Austin.  The Mayor is expected to sign the ordinance.  This will have Austin joining the growing lists of cities and states requiring mandatory sick leave.  But before the City Clerk has even had the chance to verify the approved language and post the finalized ordinance, the state legislature began rumblings that they will take steps to curtail the Austin ordinance in its next session.

The Texas Tribune is reporting that just hours after the bill was passed state Rep. Paul Workman, R-Austin sounded off against the bill, saying the ordinance is “declaring war” on small private businesses.  According to Workman, “It’s not the role of the government to mandate for employers to do this”.   This again is going to come to a show-down between local control of the cities versus control in the state capital.  Something that organizations like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) have made good use out of to curtail the sick leave movement. We can only stay tuned to see how the show-down plays out in the state legislature.

State vs. Cities: The Wage Hour Fight Continues

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Localities such as cities or counties have been enacting their own wage and hour requirements for quite a few years now.  Dozens of cities in California and New Jersey have their own sick leave laws as well as higher than state minimum wages.  New Mexico has local minimum wages as does Washington.  But it seems the state legislators are starting to fight back.  With the assistance of groups such as the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) model bills (draft legislation that legislators may customize and introduce) have passed in several states.  The latest states to pass such legislation are Arkansas and Iowa.  These bill basically forbid the local governments from passing any type of law relating to minimum wage, living minimum rates, employment leave or benefits, hiring practices or any condition of employment that is more generous than the federal or state law.  Whether cities will fight back in the courts, or if they even can, remains to be seen. Miami Beach recently tried to establish its own minimum wage despite Florida having passed its own version of the ALEC legislation.  The court struck down the Miami Beach ordinance. So the fight continues.  Payroll professionals need to monitor local minimum wage and sick leave ordinances to ensure compliance but remember these ordinances can be fleeting if the state has passed the ALEC-style legislation.

Get all the latest on local minimum wage laws by subscribing to Payroll 24/7 new alert service. News you need as payroll professionals when you need it.

Sick Leave Reaches Record High

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The push for mandated sick leave has been intense in recent years.  But it appears it is paying off for workers. According to today’s U.S. Department of Labor Blog, on July 22nd the Bureau of Labor Statistics released some very interesting news about sick leave.  Over the past year, the share of private industry workers with access to at least one day of paid sick leave increased from 61 percent to 64 percent.  This is the highest on record.  Further, the increase between 2015 and 2016 was almost entirely due to an increase in access among workers in low-wage occupations, that is, workers in occupations with average wages in the bottom 25 percent. This is the result, it appears, of the national momentum on mandated paid sick leave that has taken place in states and in localities. For example, the biggest increase in access to paid sick days over the last year was in the Pacific Census Division, which includes Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington state. In this set of states, the share of private industry workers with access to paid sick leave jumped up 12 percentage points – from 61 percent to 73 percent – between March 2015 and March 2016, the same period in which both California and Oregon implemented new statewide paid sick time laws.