The Families First Coronavirus Response Act

Updated March 22, 2020  (subject to change)

For the latest updates on rapidly changing federal tax issues,  visit the IRS’s Coronavirus Tax Relief resources page.

On March 19, the Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service, and the Department of 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 into law on March 18, 2020.

The Act will help the United States combat the COVID-19 pandemic by giving businesses with fewer than 500 employees funds to provide employees with paid leave, either for the employee’s own health needs or to care for family members.  The legislation is intended to enable employers to keep their workers on their payrolls, while at the same time ensuring that workers are not forced to choose between their paychecks and the public health measures needed to combat the virus.

To take immediate advantage of the paid leave credits, businesses can retain and access funds that they would otherwise pay to the IRS in payroll taxes. If those amounts are not sufficient to cover the cost of paid leave, employers can seek an expedited advance from the IRS by submitting a streamlined claim form that is scheduled to be released the week of March 23.

Background

The Act provided paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave for COVID-19 related reasons and created the refundable paid sick leave credit and the paid child care leave credit for eligible employers.

Eligible employers are businesses and tax-exempt organizations with fewer than 500 employees that are required to provide emergency paid sick leave and emergency paid family and medical leave under the Act.  Eligible employers will be able to claim these credits based on qualifying leave they provide between the effective date and Dec. 31, 2020.

Equivalent credits are available to self-employed individuals based on similar circumstances.

Paid Leave

  • Sick Leave (self)

    The Act provides that employees of eligible employers can receive two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at 100% of the employee’s pay where the employee is unable to work because the employee is quarantined, and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, and seeking a medical diagnosis.

  • Sick Leave (family)

    An employee who is unable to work because of a need to care for an individual subject to quarantine and/or to care for a child whose school is closed or child care provider is unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19 can receive two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at 2/3 the employee’s pay.

  • Child Care Leave

    An employee who is unable to work due to a need to care for a child whose school is closed, or child care provider is unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19, may in some instances receive up to an additional 10 weeks of expanded paid family and medical leave at 2/3 the employee’s pay.

Paid Sick Leave Credit

For an employee in the Sick Leave category, eligible employers may receive a refundable credit for sick leave at the employee’s regular rate of pay, up to $511 per day and $5,110 in the aggregate, for a total of 10 days.

For an employee in the Medical/Family Leave category, eligible employers may claim a credit for two-thirds of the employee’s regular rate of pay, up to $200 per day and $2,000 in the aggregate, for up to 10 days.  Eligible employers are entitled to an additional tax credit determined based on costs to maintain health insurance coverage for the eligible employee during the leave period.

Child Care Leave Credit

In addition to the credit described above, for an employee who is unable to work because of a need to care for a child whose school or child care facility is closed or whose child care provider is unavailable due to the Coronavirus, eligible employers may receive a refundable child care leave credit.  This credit is equal to two-thirds of the employee’s regular pay, capped at $200 per day or $10,000 in the aggregate.  Up to 10 weeks of qualifying leave can be counted towards the child care leave credit. Eligible employers are entitled to an additional tax credit determined based on costs to maintain health insurance coverage for the eligible employee during the leave period.

How it Works:  Prompt Payment for the Cost of Providing Leave

When employers pay their employees, they are required to withhold from their employees’ paychecks federal income taxes and the employees’ share of Social Security and Medicare taxes.  The employers then are required to deposit these federal taxes, along with their share of Social Security and Medicare taxes, with the IRS and file quarterly payroll tax returns with the IRS on Form 941.

Under guidance that is scheduled to be released the week of March 23, eligible employers who pay qualifying sick or child care leave will be able to retain an amount of the payroll taxes equal to the amount of qualifying sick and child care leave that they paid, rather than deposit them with the IRS.

The payroll taxes that are available for retention include withheld federal income taxes, the employee share of Social Security and Medicare taxes, and the employer share of Social Security and Medicare taxes with respect to all employees.

If there are not sufficient payroll taxes to cover the cost of qualified sick and child care leave paid, employers will be able file a request for an accelerated payment from the IRS.  The IRS expects to process these requests in two weeks or less.  The details of this new, expedited procedure are expected to be announced the week of March 23.

Small Business Exemption

Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees may be eligible for an exemption from the leave requirements relating to school closings or child care unavailability where the requirements would jeopardize the ability of the business to continue. The exemption will be available on the basis of simple and clear criteria that make it available in circumstances involving jeopardy to the viability of an employer’s business as a going concern.  The Department of Labor is expected to provide emergency guidance and rule making to clearly articulate this standard in the coming weeks.

Have questions?  It’s important to talk to a trusted advisor to understand how these changes might apply to you.