Accounting for Employee Retention Credit (ERC)

The Employee Retention Credit (ERC) is a government program designed to help businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is recorded as a cash debit or accounts receivable and as a credit to income from contributions or grants, according to the schedule mentioned above. When making the deposit, under “Received From”, select the IRS. Under “From Account”, choose “Employee Retention Credit” (other income).

If you don't have that account, be sure to set it up. ERC advisors can provide you with the information you need to file, report and defend your claim with the ERC. Any ERC credit requested will result in a decrease in wage expenses declared at the level of the account balance. Business entities should report that ERCs use one of these standards after considering which standard would provide the most transparency to users of their financial statements. A for-profit organization would recognize the ERC as income from grants or other income if the requirements are met; the NFP entity is required to declare the ERC as income. We hope that these points will help you determine how to accredit the ERC in your company and how to represent the reward in your reports.

Some argue that the ERC should be declared as an uncertain fiscal situation, but this would raise doubts about the receipt of the credits by the IRS, which would cause mandatory disclosure. If an entity accounted for its PPP loans according to IAS 20 or ASC 958, it is presumed that it will use the same guide to account for its ERCs. If appropriate, ensure that the framework selected by management for accounting for ERC is the same as the framework selected for PPP loans. Large corporations should account for ERCs with one of these protocols after determining which one would provide maximum transparency to consumers of financial statements. The presentation will address the details of the ERC program and the quantities, the accounting technique used and where the amounts are included in the financial statements. In accordance with IAS 20, a commercial entity would recognize ERCs systematically during periods in which it recognizes the payroll expenses for which the grant (i) is awarded.

Like the disclosure requirements for PPP loans, the entity must disclose its accounting policy for ERC and its impact on the financial statements. If the ERCs are received as a cash advance, the entity will record a liability for the cash until the requirements for obtaining the credit have been substantially met. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) do not provide particular guidelines for reporting to ERC, as we have seen with the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of the CARES Act. The employee retention credit is not subject to any particular regulation under GAAP. ERCs are similar to Payroll Protection Program (“PPP”) loans, as they are another form of government assistance.

Zachary Kadner
Zachary Kadner

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