Effective April 1st, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued temporary regulations for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “FFCRA”) that outlined the requirements for employees giving notice and the supporting documentation required.
The FFCRA provides employers with fewer than 500 employees funds, in the form of refundable tax credits, to reimburse them for the cost of providing employees with paid sick and family and medical leave for reasons related to COVID-19, either for the employee’s own health needs or to care for family members.
Up to two weeks of paid sick leave is available to qualifying employees. An additional 10 weeks of partially paid expanded family and medical leave is available to some employees when their children’s school or place of child care is closed.
To request leave, an employee is not required to provide a note from a health care provider. However, an employee requesting leave must notify their employer as soon as possible, and provide a signed statement containing:
An employee requesting expanded medical and family leave must also provide:
To claim tax credits, the IRS issued guidance stating that eligible employers claiming tax credits for qualified leave wages must substantiate their claims by retaining records related to and supporting each employee’s leave. Employers must also retain:
For more information, please click here to view the Temporary Rules on the US DOL Wage and Hour Division website and also check out the Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Questions and Answers.
As we are learning to navigate through these times of uncertainty and adjusting to our new normal, we here are at The Foresight Companies want to be your go-to source for all topics related to your business operations.
Please visit our COVID-19 new Business Operations Resource Center frequently as we continue to update as changes are occurring.
If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to pick up the phone and give one of us a call at 1-800-426-0165.
*Please note that as information is updated and modified, terms and conditions are subject to change.