COVID-19-Related Employee Retention Credits: Determining When an Employer is Considered to have a Significant Decline in Gross Receipts and Maximum Amount of an Eligible Employer’s Employee Retention Credit FAQs

This FAQ is not included in the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and therefore may not be relied upon as legal authority. This means that the information cannot be used to support a legal argument in a court case.

• Determining When an Employer is Considered to have a Significant Decline in Gross Receipts
• Determining the Maximum Amount of an Eligible Employer’s Employee Retention Credit

Determining When an Employer is Considered to have a Significant Decline in Gross Receipts

An employer that has a significant decline in gross receipts is an Eligible Employer that may be entitled to the Employee Retention Credit. An employer is considered to have a significant decline in gross receipts for the period beginning with the first calendar quarter in 2020 for which its gross receipts are less than 50 percent of gross receipts from the same calendar quarter in 2019 and ending with the earlier of January 1, 2021 or the first calendar quarter after the quarter for which gross receipts are greater than 80 percent of gross receipts for the same calendar quarter in 2019.

39. How is the significant decline in gross receipts calculated?

A significant decline in gross receipts is calculated by determining the first calendar quarter in 2020 (if any) in which an employer’s gross receipts are less than 50 percent of its gross receipts for the same calendar quarter in 2019. If the gross receipts decline to that extent, the employer also must later determine if there is a later calendar quarter in 2020 in which the employer’s 2020 quarterly gross receipts are greater than 80 percent of its gross receipts for the same calendar quarter in 2019. If so, the significant decline in gross receipts ends with the first calendar quarter that follows the first calendar quarter in which the employer’s 2020 quarterly gross receipts are greater than 80 percent of its gross receipts for the same calendar quarter in 2019, or with the first calendar quarter of 2021.

Example: Employer I’s gross receipts were $100,000, $190,000, and $230,000 in the first, second, and third calendar quarters of 2020, respectively. Its gross receipts were $210,000, $230,000, and $250,000 in the first, second, and third calendar quarters of 2019, respectively. Thus, Employer I’s 2020 first, second, and third quarter gross receipts were approximately 48 percent, 83 percent, and 92 percent of its 2019 first, second, and third quarter gross receipts, respectively. Accordingly, Employer I had a significant decline in gross receipts commencing on the first day of the first calendar quarter of 2020 (the calendar quarter in which gross receipts were less than 50 percent of the same quarter in 2019) and ending on the first day of the third calendar quarter of 2020 (the quarter following the quarter for which the gross receipts were more than 80 percent of the same quarter in 2019). Thus, Employer I is entitled to a retention credit with respect to the first and second calendar quarters.

40. What are "gross receipts" for an employer other than a tax-exempt organization?

“Gross receipts” for purposes of the Employee Retention Credit for an employer other than a tax-exempt organization has the same meaning as when used under section 448(c) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). Under the section 448(c) regulations, “gross receipts” means gross receipts of the taxable year and generally includes total sales (net of returns and allowances) and all amounts received for services. In addition, gross receipts include any income from investments, and from incidental or outside sources. For example, gross receipts include interest (including original issue discount and tax-exempt interest within the meaning of section 103 of the Code), dividends, rents, royalties, and annuities, regardless of whether such amounts are derived in the ordinary course of the taxpayer's trade or business. Gross receipts are generally not reduced by cost of goods sold, but are generally reduced by the taxpayer’s adjusted basis in capital assets sold. Gross receipts do not include the repayment of a loan, or amounts received with respect to sales tax if the tax is legally imposed on the purchaser of the good or service, and the taxpayer merely collects and remits the sales tax to the taxing authority.

41. Does an employer need to prove that a significant decline in gross receipts is related to COVID-19?

No. The CARES Act does not require that the significant decline in gross receipts be related to COVID-19. However, employers should keep records for the relevant calendar quarters in 2019 and 2020 to document the significant decline in gross receipts. The records should be available for IRS review for at least four years.

42. If an Eligible Employer does not determine that it had a significant decline in gross receipts in 2020 until after January 1, 2021, may it still be eligible for the Employee Retention Credit on qualified wages paid in 2020?

Yes. The employer may claim the Employee Retention Credit on qualified wages paid in 2020 if it determines that a significant decline in gross receipts occurred in 2020 even if it does not make the determination until after January 1, 2021. In this case, the employer may claim the credit by filing the appropriate form to report adjustments to its employment taxes, typically Form 941-X, Adjusted Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return or Claim for Refund.

For more information on correcting employment taxes, see Correcting Employment Taxes.

43. For an aggregated group, is the significant decline in gross receipts test determined based on the entire group?

Yes. All entities are considered a single employer for purposes of determining whether the employer had a significant decline in gross receipts if they are aggregated as a controlled group of corporations under section 52(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”); are partnerships, trusts or sole proprietorships under common control under section 52(b) of the Code; or are entities that are aggregated under section 414(m) or (o) of the Code. For more information, see Determining Which Entities are Considered a Single Employer Under the Aggregation Rules.

To be an Eligible Employer on the basis of a significant decline of gross receipts, the employer must take into account the gross receipts of all members of the aggregated group. If the aggregated group does not experience a significant decline in gross receipts, then no member of the group may claim the Employee Retention Credit on that basis.

Example: Employer J and Employer K are members of a section 52(a) controlled group of corporations. Neither Employer J nor Employer K is subject to a governmental order suspending business operations, and neither received a Paycheck Protection Program loan. Employer J has gross receipts of $1,000,000 in the second quarter of 2019 and $400,000 in the second quarter of 2020. Employer K has gross receipts of $1,000,000 in second quarter of 2019 and $750,000 in second quarter of 2020. Although Employer J’s gross receipts in the second quarter of 2020 were 40 percent of its 2019 second quarter gross receipts, neither Employer J nor Employer K can claim the Employee Retention Credit under the gross receipts test. Employers J and K had combined gross receipts of $2,000,000 in the second quarter of 2019 and $1,150,000 in the second quarter of 2020. Their combined gross receipts for the second quarter of 2020 would have had to be less than $1,000,000 (50 percent of $2,000,000) for Employers J and K to have experienced a significant decline in gross receipts for the second quarter of 2020.

44. How does an employer that started a business in 2019 determine whether it had a significant decline in gross receipts for purposes of the Employee Retention Credit?

An employer that started a business in the first quarter of 2019 should use the gross receipts for the applicable quarter of 2019 for comparison to the gross receipts for the same quarter in 2020 to determine whether it experienced a significant decline in gross receipts in any quarter of 2020.

An employer that started a business in the second quarter of 2019 should use that quarter as the base period to determine whether it experienced a significant decline in gross receipts for the first two quarters in 2020 and should use the third and fourth quarters of 2019 for comparison to the third and fourth quarters of 2020, respectively, to determine whether it experienced a significant decline in gross receipts for those quarters.

An employer that started a business in the third quarter of 2019 should use that quarter as the base period to determine whether it experienced a significant decline in gross receipts for the first three quarters in 2020 and should use the fourth quarter of 2019 for comparison to the fourth quarter of 2020 to determine whether it experienced a significant decline in gross receipts for that quarter.

An employer that started a business in the fourth quarter of 2019 should use that quarter as the base period to determine whether it had a significant decline in gross receipts for any quarter in 2020.

If the employer commenced business in the middle of a quarter in 2019, the employer should estimate the gross receipts it would have had for the entire quarter based on the gross receipts for the portion of the quarter that the business was in operation.

45. How does an employer that acquires a trade or business during the 2020 calendar year determine if the employer had a significant decline in gross receipts?

For purposes of the Employee Retention Credit, to determine whether an employer has a significant decline in gross receipts, an employer that acquires (in an asset purchase, stock purchase, or any other form of acquisition) a trade or business during 2020 (an “acquired business”) is required to include the gross receipts from the acquired business in its gross receipts computation for each calendar quarter that it owns and operates the acquired business. Solely for purposes of the Employee Retention Credit, when an employer compares its gross receipts for a 2020 calendar quarter when it owns an acquired business to its gross receipts for the same calendar quarter in 2019, the employer may, to the extent the information is available, include the gross receipts of the acquired business in its gross receipts for the 2019 calendar quarter. Under this safe harbor approach, the employer may include these gross receipts regardless of the fact that the employer did not own the acquired business during that 2019 calendar quarter.

An employer that acquires a trade or business in the middle of a calendar quarter in 2020 and that chooses to use this safe harbor approach must estimate the gross receipts it would have had from that acquired business for the entire quarter based on the gross receipts for the portion of the quarter that it owned and operated the acquired business. However, an employer that chooses not to use this safe harbor approach is only required to include the gross receipts from the acquired business for the portion of the quarter that it owned and operated the acquired business.

Example: Employer L acquired all of the assets of a trade or business in a taxable transaction on January 1, 2020. The gross receipts of the acquired business were $50,000 for the quarter beginning January 1, 2020 and ending March 31, 2020 and $200,000 for the quarter beginning January 1, 2019 and ending March 31, 2019. Employer L has access to the books and records from the prior owner of the acquired trade or business and can determine the amount of gross receipts attributable to the trade or business for the quarter beginning January 1, 2019 and ending March 31, 2019. For purposes of the Employee Retention Credit, Employer L must include $50,000 in its gross receipts computation for the quarter beginning January 1, 2020 and ending March 31, 2020 (Employer L actually owned the trade or business) and may include $200,000 in its gross receipts computation for the quarter beginning January 1, 2019 and ending March 31, 2019.

46. What are "gross receipts" for a tax-exempt employer? (updated June 19, 2020)

Solely for purposes of determining eligibility for the Employee Retention Credit, gross receipts for a tax-exempt employer include gross receipts from all operations, not only from activities that constitute unrelated trades or businesses.  For example, gross receipts for this purpose include amounts received by the organization from total sales (net of returns and allowances) and all amounts received for services, whether or not those sales or services are substantially related to the organization’s exercise or performance of the exempt purpose or function constituting the basis for its exemption. Gross receipts also include the organization’s investment income, including from dividends, rents, and royalties, as well as the gross amount received as contributions, gifts, grants, and similar amounts, and the gross amount received as dues or assessments from members or affiliated organizations.

To determine whether there has been a significant decline in gross receipts, a tax-exempt employer computes its gross receipts received from all of its operations during the calendar quarter and compares those gross receipts to the same gross receipts received for the same calendar quarter in 2019.

Determining the Maximum Amount of an Eligible Employer's Employee Retention Credit

47. How is the maximum amount of the Employee Retention Credit available to Eligible Employers determined?

The credit equals 50 percent of the qualified wages (including qualified health plan expenses) that an Eligible Employer pays in a calendar quarter. The maximum amount of qualified wages taken into account with respect to each employee for all calendar quarters is $10,000, so that the maximum credit for qualified wages paid to any employee is $5,000.

Example 1: Employer M pays $10,000 in qualified wages to Employee A in the second quarter of 2020. The Employee Retention Credit available to Employer M for the qualified wages paid to Employee A is $5,000.

Example 2: Employer N pays $8,000 in qualified wages to Employee B in the second quarter 2020 and $8,000 in qualified wages in the third quarter 2020. The credit available to Employer N for the qualified wages paid to Employee B is equal to $4,000 in the second quarter and $1,000 in the third quarter due to the overall limit of 50 percent of $10,000 of qualified wages per employee for all calendar quarters.

 

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