IRS shares 7 warning signs Employee Retention Credit claims may be incorrect; urges businesses to revisit eligibility, resolve issues now before March 22

With a key March deadline quickly approaching, the Internal Revenue Service today highlighted special warning signs that an Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claim may be questionable to help small businesses that may need to resolve incorrect claims.  The agency alerted businesses about seven suspicious warning signs that could signal future IRS problems involving ERC claims.  The indicators, built on feedback from the tax professional community and IRS compliance personnel, center on misinformation some unscrupulous ERC promoters used.  Many of these groups urged taxpayers to ignore advice from trusted tax professionals and claim the pandemic-era credit even though they may not qualify.

“IRS compliance activity continues increasing involving Employee Retention Credit claims, and those claiming this pandemic-era credit need to quickly review their situation to avoid future problems,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel.  “Many businesses were wildly misled about the qualifications, and the IRS is taking a special step to highlight common problems being seen about these claims.  The IRS urges ERC claimants to get with a trusted tax professional and review their qualifications before time runs out on IRS disclosure and withdrawal programs.  The ‘suspicious seven’ signs released today are clear red flags that ERC claimants should carefully review.”

The alert comes as a March 22, 2024, deadline approaches for the ERC Voluntary Disclosure Program for anyone that filed a claim in error and received a payment; the disclosure program allows businesses to repay just 80% of the claim.  Taxpayers who filed a claim previously that hasn’t been processed should also review the guidelines and quickly pursue the claim withdrawal process if they now see their claim is ineligible.  The IRS took steps on the ERC program after the well-intentioned pandemic-era program came under aggressive, misleading marketing that oversimplified or misrepresented eligibility rules.  Promoters pushed more applicants into the program, frequently by taking a percentage of the payout.  The IRS wants businesses to know about these warning signs, revisit their claim if there are questions, and act quickly before the special disclosure and withdrawal programs end.  Resolving an incorrect claim through the IRS’s special programs will avoid penalties and interest.

“We’ve heard from the tax pro community and others that sharing more warning signs can help point well-intentioned people in the right direction,” Werfel said.  “Many of these taxpayers were misled by overzealous and unscrupulous promoters taking advantage of honest taxpayers.  The most beneficial time to resolve any incorrect claims is now before this special window closes.”

The ERC, sometimes called the Employee Retention Tax Credit or ERTC, is complex, and the IRS urged claimants to talk to a reputable tax professional for help with an ERC claim.  Taxpayers should avoid working with anyone who doesn’t ask for details or business records, such as payroll records.

7 suspicious signs an ERC claim could be incorrect

Here are some of the common red flags being seen on ERC claims that the IRS is focusing on:

• Too many quarters being claimed.  Some promoters have urged employers to claim the ERC for all quarters that the credit was available.  Qualifying for all quarters is uncommon, and this could be a sign of an incorrect claim.  Employers should carefully review their eligibility for each quarter.

• Government orders that don’t qualify.  Some promoters have told employers they can claim the ERC if any government order was in place in their area, even if their operations weren’t affected or if they chose to suspend their business operations voluntarily.  This is false.  To claim the ERC under government order rules:

• Government orders must have been in effect and the employer’s operations must have been fully or partially suspended by the government order during the period for which they’re claiming the credit.
• The government order must be due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The order must be a government order, not guidance, a recommendation or a statement.

Some promoters suggest that an employer qualifies based on communications from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  This is generally not true.  See the ERC FAQ about OSHA communications and the 2023 legal memo on OSHA communications for details and examples.  The frequently asked questions about ERC – Qualifying Government Orders section of IRS.gov has helpful examples.  Employers should make sure they have documentation of the government order related to COVID-19 and how and when it suspended their operations.  Employers should avoid a promoter that supplies a generic narrative about a government order.

• Too many employees and wrong calculations.  Employers should be cautious about claiming the ERC for all wages paid to every employee on their payroll.  The law changed throughout 2020 and 2021.  There are dollar limits and varying credit amounts, and employers need to meet certain rules for wages to be considered qualified wages, depending on the tax period.  The IRS urges employers to carefully review all calculations and to avoid overclaiming the credit, which can happen if an employer erroneously uses the same credit amount across multiple tax periods for each employee.  For details about credit amounts, see the Employee Retention Credit - 2020 vs 2021 Comparison Chart.

• Business citing supply chain issues.  Qualifying for ERC based on a supply chain disruption is very uncommon.  A supply chain disruption by itself doesn’t qualify an employer for ERC.  An employer needs to ensure that their supplier’s government order meets the requirements.  Employers should carefully review the rules on supply chain issues and examples in the 2023 legal memo on supply chain disruptions.

• Business claiming ERC for too much of a tax period.  It's possible, but uncommon, for an employer to qualify for ERC for the entire calendar quarter if their business operations were fully or partially suspended due to a government order during a portion of a calendar quarter.  A business in this situation can claim ERC only for wages paid during the suspension period, not the whole quarter.  Businesses should check their claim for overstated qualifying wages and should keep payroll records that support their claim.

• Business didn’t pay wages or didn’t exist during eligibility period.  Employers can only claim ERC for tax periods when they paid wages to employees.  Some taxpayers claimed the ERC but records available to the IRS show they didn’t have any employees.  Others have claimed ERC for tax periods before they even had an employer identification number with the IRS, meaning the business didn’t exist during the eligibility period.  The IRS has started disallowing these claims, and more work continues in this area as well as other aspects of ERC.

• Promoter says there’s nothing to lose.  Businesses should be on high alert with any ERC promoter who urged them to claim ERC because they “have nothing to lose.”  Businesses that incorrectly claim the ERC risk repayment requirements, penalties, interest, audit, and potential expenses of hiring someone to help resolve the incorrect claim, amend previous returns, or represent them in an audit.

Resolving incorrect ERC claims

Businesses that are not eligible for ERC but have received it – as a check that’s been cashed or deposited, or in the form of a credit applied to a tax period – may be able to participate in the IRS’s ERC Voluntary Disclosure Program.  The special program runs through March 22, 2024, and allows eligible participants to repay their incorrect ERC, minus 20%.  If a taxpayer’s ERC is incorrect and is paid after Dec. 21, 2023, they aren’t eligible for the ERC VDP.  They should not cash or deposit their check.  They can withdraw the claim, return the check and avoid penalties and interest.  The withdrawal option lets certain employers withdraw their ERC submission and avoid future repayment, interest, and penalties.  Businesses can use this option if they haven’t received the payment, or they've received a check but haven’t deposited or cashed it.  If a taxpayer’s withdrawal request is accepted, the IRS will treat the claim as though it was never filed.

Resources and tools to learn more about ERC eligibility

The IRS’s frequently asked questions on ERC include links to additional resources and some helpful examples.  The IRS also has an interactive ERC Eligibility Checklist that tax professionals and taxpayers can use to check potential eligibility for ERC.  It’s also available as a printable guide.

Eligibility highlights

The ERC is available to eligible employers that paid qualified wages to some or all employees after March 12, 2020, and before Jan. 1, 2022.  Eligibility and credit amounts vary depending on when the business impacts occurred.  The ERC is not available to individuals.

• For 2020 and the first two calendar quarters of 2021, an employer may qualify if their trade or business operations were fully or partially suspended due to a government order related to COVID-19 or they experienced the required decline in gross receipts.
• For the third quarter of 2021, an employer may qualify if their trade or business operations were fully or partially suspended due to a government order related to COVID-19, they experienced the required decline in gross receipts, or they were considered a recovery startup business.
• For the fourth quarter of 2021, only recovery startup businesses are eligible.