Employer Alert: Families First Coronavirus Response Act Provisions are Mandatory

Article Highlights:

  • Emergency Sick and Family Leave Benefits 
  • Employer Paid 
  • Reimbursed by the Government 
  • Mandatory 
Due the COVID-19 outbreak and all of the government’s efforts to curtal its spread and to prop up the economy, we have been in information overload for just about a month now. One of the government’s efforts was to pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act which, at the government’s expense, requires employers to pay emergency sick leave and family medical leave benefits to employees affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

It appears that many employers are unaware the provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act are

mandatory. The provision took effect April 2, and the Department of Labor has indicated they would use the first 30 days after the effective date to help employers comply with this new law before implementing enforcement actions.

There is no cost to employers to make these payments, other than administrative, since the government allows employers to reimburse themselves by withholding payroll taxes, and if that is not enough, to request an expedited refund. The details of the Act can be viewed here: Families First Coronavirus Response Act

If you have any questions, please give the office a call.

Share this article...

*Circular 230 Disclaimer: To ensure compliance with Treasury Regulations governing written tax advice, please be advised that any tax advice included in this communication, including attachments, is not intended, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding any federal tax penalty or (ii) promoting, marketing, or recommending any transaction or matter to another person. Confidentially Notice: This email message is CONFIDENTIAL and is intended for the addressee only. If you are not the intended addressee of this message, you may not use, copy or disclose to anyone the contents of this message or any information contained herein or any attachment thereof. If you have received this message in error and are not the intended addressee, please advise the sender by reply email and delete this message immediately.


*The IRS does not endorse any particular individual tax return preparer. For more information on tax return preparers go to IRS.gov.