The Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, but limitations on its availability tempered interest in the relief measure. That is about to change, thanks to significant changes made on Dec. 27, 2020, by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the Act). The ERTC is now available to employers that received loans under the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), so any employer meeting ERTC eligibility criteria can benefit. Because employers potentially benefit from the enhanced ERTC on a retroactive basis, employers should immediately begin analyses to identify and calculate the value of retroactive or prospective ERTC benefits.
