The pandemic affected everyone in drastic ways. Many people were out of jobs, and some stopped receiving their monthly paycheck. Finances were significantly impacted due to Covid-19. Many employers had to reduce the payroll size for their employees since business operations were halted. 

Employers might not have been able to help themselves out during the pandemic. However, they can help their business and employees retroactively by referring to the Employee Retention Credit(ERC). ERC specifically aimed to help various companies and employers cope with the pandemic’s losses.

The employer must also check the Qualify for all six quarters of ERC if they are already familiar with ERC. Although, you should read this article below if you want to know more about ERC.

What is ERC?

The Covid outbreak affected many employers and employees. Similarly, some employers paid close attention to the employees’ condition during the pandemic. To give you a brief idea about ERC, it is a reward for the employers who tried to keep their employees on the payroll even when the business operations were halted during the pandemic. 

The employee retention credit helps many employees to stay employed. Such action is achieved by providing the employers with a refundable tax credit. These credits potentially eliminate the taxes levied on the payroll of various employees and employers during the outbreak. ERC is one of the most extensive credits available for many employers and employees. 

How much can an employer claim? 

Many businesses and employers have achieved significant financial help by eliminating payroll tax. Also, many employers receive refunds when filing quarterly tax returns of their business. To help the flow of trade and payroll smooth, an employer can claim up to $26,000 per employee if certain conditions and qualifications are met. The employer should contact an ERC specialist to ensure they receive maximum credit for the shutdown. 

Why was ERC passed?

As we mentioned earlier, the pandemic affected many businesses and companies. Let us consider an example wherein you own a business and have employed a given number of employees. During the pandemic, you were forced to adjust your business and its operations due to problems like supply chain, project delays, capacity limitations, etc., caused by the pandemic. 

Such factors made you deal with a loss. Although, you did not deduct or stop the payroll for many employees. You paid the wages to different workers during the pandemic. In a nutshell, employee retention credits were passed to help employers keep workers employed. If you did not disrupt the payroll and were not able to claim credits during the pandemic, you can still claim them.