In an announcement last week, the IRS has implemented an “immediate stop to new Employee Retention Credit [ERC] processing amid surge of questionable claims.” They state (among other things) that… “Amid rising concerns about a flood of improper Employee Retention Credit claims, the Internal Revenue Service today announced an immediate moratorium through at least the end of the year on processing new [ERC] claims for the pandemic-era relief program to protect honest small business owners from scams.”
The IRS emphasized that they will be implementing enhanced compliance reviews including more intensive audits and criminal investigations. They stated that payouts for filed/pending claims will continue during the moratorium period but at a slower pace due to the detailed compliance reviews. With the stricter compliance reviews in place during this period, existing ERC claims will go from a standard processing goal of 90 days to 180 days – and much longer if the claim faces further review or audit. The IRS may also seek additional documentation from the taxpayer to ensure it is a legitimate claim.
The IRS further announced that hundreds of criminal cases are being worked, and thousands of ERC claims have been referred for audit.
Institutions are encouraged to review IRS guidance and tools (in blue) for helping determine ERC eligibility, including frequently asked questions and a new question and answer guide released September 14, 2023 to help businesses understand if they are actually eligible for the credit.
The IRS reminded anyone who improperly claims the ERC that they must pay it back, possibly with penalties and interest. A business or tax-exempt group could find itself in a much worse financial position if it has to pay back the credit than if the credit was never claimed in the first place.
With that in mind, the IRS is finalizing details that will be available soon for a special withdrawal option for those who have filed an ERC claim, but the claim has not been processed. This option – which can be used by taxpayers whose claim hasn’t yet been paid– will allow the taxpayers, many of them small businesses who were misled by promoters, to avoid possible repayment issues and paying promoters contingency fees. Filers of these more than 600,000 claims awaiting processing will have this option available. Those who have willfully filed fraudulent claims or conspired to do so should be aware, however, that withdrawing a fraudulent claim will not exempt them from potential criminal investigation and prosecution.
IRS Advice for taxpayers: What to do as IRS works to help businesses facing questionable ERC claims
As the IRS continues working additional details on ERC, there are several steps that the agency recommends for businesses, depending on where they are in the process:
For those currently awaiting an ERC claim.
For those who currently have an ERC claim on file, the IRS will continue processing these claims during the moratorium period but at a greatly reduced speed due to the complex nature of these filings and the need to protect businesses from being improperly paid. Normal processing times could easily stretch to 180 days or longer. The IRS cautions that many applications will be facing additional compliance scrutiny, which means the payments could take even longer to be processed. While the IRS works on compliance measures during this period, the agency cautions businesses to expect extended wait times due to the large volume of claims and the complexity of the applications.
Due to the large volumes and the need for compliance checks to protect against fraud, the IRS is unable to expedite individual claims. The IRS believes many of the applications currently filed are likely ineligible, and tax professionals note anecdotally that they are seeing instances where 95 percent or more of claims coming in recent months are ineligible as promoters continue to aggressively push people to apply regardless of the rules.
For those currently with a pending application at the IRS, they should review the options below to see if any of those could help with their current situation.
For those who haven’t filed a claim yet, consider reviewing the guidelines and waiting to file: For those considering filing a claim, the IRS urges businesses to carefully review the ERC guidelines during the processing moratorium period. The IRS urges businesses to talk to a trusted tax professional – not a tax promoter or marketing firm looking to make money generating applications that takes a big chunk out of the ERC claim. The new question and answer guide can also help. A careful review of the rules will show that many of these businesses do not qualify for the ERC, and avoiding a bad claim will avoid complications with the IRS.
Withdraw an existing claim for businesses that have already filed: For those who have filed and have a pending claim, they should carefully review the program guidelines with a trusted tax professional and check the new question and answer guide. For example, the IRS is seeing repeated instances of people improperly citing supply chain issues as a basis for an ERC claim when a business with those issues will very rarely meet the eligibility criteria. Under any scenario, if a business claimed the ERC earlier and the claim has not been processed or paid by the IRS, they can withdraw the claim if they now believe it was submitted improperly – even if their case is already under audit or awaiting audit. More details will be available shortly.
Wait for the IRS ERC settlement program to be finalized: If a business has already received an ERC that they now believe is in error, the IRS will be providing additional details on the settlement program in the fall that will allow businesses to repay ERC claims. The settlement program will allow the businesses to avoid penalties and future compliance action. The IRS is continuing to assess options on how to deal with businesses that had a promoter contingency fee paid for out of the ERC payment.
The full IRS notice may be found at: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/to-protect-taxpayers-from-scams-irs-orders-immediate-stop-to-new-employee-retention-credit-processing-amid-surge-of-questionable-claims-concerns-from-tax-pros
At this point, it would seem to make sense for institutions to watch for the IRS’ further guidance and various “settlement” options. And to communicate with your qualified tax advisor about your “ERC Situation.”
Written by David C. Moja, CPA www.mojacompany.com The information provided herein presents general information and should not be relied on as accounting, tax, or legal advice when analyzing and resolving a specific tax issue. If you have specific questions regarding a particular fact situation, please consult with competent accounting, tax, and/or legal counsel about the facts and laws that apply.
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