Understanding How to Record the Employee Retention Credit

The Employee Retention Credit (ERC) is a program created by the government to help businesses retain their employees during the pandemic. If your company is eligible to receive the ERC, it's important to understand how to correctly record it in your financial statements. According to the IRS, the amount of this credit must be recorded as a reduction in deductible payroll expenses. This can be done by classifying the ERC item as Gross Payroll Payment in the journal transaction.

Companies that follow IAS 20 have the option of declaring the employee retention credit as income or net of qualifying costs. Credit will most likely be reported as income in the other two models. When registering the employee retention credit, it must be recorded as a credit to grant income and as a debit for accounts receivable. If your organization received the credit as prepayments, the refundable advance obligation will be credited and the cash will be debited.

To record your employee retention credit (ERC) accurately in QuickBooks, you should create a bank deposit if you received a refund check for the ERC. Your company's tax liability will accrue for the full amount before you receive the employee retention credit. The employee retention credit is not subject to any particular regulation under the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). In these circumstances, the third payer files a payroll tax return (such as Form 94) for the wages he paid to employees with his name and the EIN, and the common-law employer files a payroll tax return for the wages he paid directly to employees under his own name and EIN.

Accounting for the employee retention credit can seem difficult, especially if you're not sure what guidance to use. There are some common misunderstandings that many organizations have when it comes to this credit. To ensure that you are recording your ERC accurately, it is best to consult an expert who can provide guidance on how to declare it in your financial statement. Schedule a free consultation on the employee retention credit to see how much of this tax credit your company qualifies for.

Employer F can file a Form 7200 to request a credit or refund of this amount before the end of the quarter (but not for any amount of the employee retention credit that has already been used to reduce the deposit obligation).