This Is Just In! - FFCRA Leave To Be Voluntary in 2021
By Amy L. Angel & Julie A. Preciado
Posted on December 22, 2020
The new bill supports paid sick leave for certain COVID-related reasons, but not in the same way it did in 2020. Mandated FFCRA leave still ends on December 31, 2020. After December 31, 2020, employers are not required to provide paid FFCRA leave to employees. However, employers who do provide employees with paid sick leave for COVID-related reasons may still claim the FFCRA tax credit through March 31, 2021.
Even if you voluntarily continue to offer FFCRA leave, employees may have already exhausted that leave. If an employee used the 80 hours of Emergency Paid Sick Leave (“EPSL”) earlier this year, there will not be a new EPSL allocation come January 1, 2021. Employers will not be allowed the EPSL tax credit if an employee has already taken the maximum EPSL leave allowable under FFCRA. More complicated is Expanded FMLA (“EFMLA”) leave. If under your policy, the 12-month FMLA period resets on January 1, it appears that an employee could be eligible for paid EFMLA again. While we expect more guidance on this issue from the Department of Labor and/or the Internal Revenue Service, for now it appears that the employer could potentially qualify for tax credits for additional paid EFMLA leave to an employee who exhausted EMFLA in 2020 if the leave year restarted. To refresh yourself on the FFCRA tax credit, read our E-Alert from April.
The Takeaway:
- FFRCA is still in full effect until December 31, 2020.
- The new stimulus bill allows employers to claim tax credits for paid leave until March 31, 2021.
- While details are still a bit fuzzy, for now we assume the leave may be taken for the same qualifying reasons as leave under FFCRA and that the same caps apply.
- It is unclear whether the leave bank resets for EFMLA if employees are in a new FMLA leave year.
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Las Alertas electrónicas son escritas por abogados de Barran Liebman para sus clientes y amigos. Las Alertas no son proveídas como asesoramiento legal, sino solo como anuncios de leyes de empleo, leyes laborales y beneficios de empleo. Si esto ha sido remetido a usted y quisieras empezar a recibir las Alertas directamente, por favor mándanos un correo electrónico o llama a Traci Ray al 503-276-2115. Derechos de autor ©2021 por Barran Liebman LLP.