Late Friday, the IRS released Notice 2020-65 providing guidance to employers regarding the implementation of President Trump’s presidential memorandum issued on August 8, 2020. The memorandum directed the Secretary of the Treasury to defer the withholding, deposit, and payment of
Tax Withholding & Reporting
The Tax Withholding & Reporting blog, published by Covington & Burling LLP, focuses on developments and guidance related to tax withholding obligations and reporting requirements under U.S. federal tax law. It covers topics such as IRS regulations on compensation deduction limitations for publicly held corporations, tax treatment of contributions and benefits under state paid family and medical leave programs, withholding rules for retirement plan distributions to U.S. taxpayers abroad, and tax implications of employer-provided work-life referral services. The blog addresses regulatory updates, compliance considerations, and practical implications for employers, employees, and payors in various withholding and reporting contexts.
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IRS Warns Employers to Choose Carefully When Selecting a Payroll Service Provider
On August 19, 2020, the IRS urged employers to exercise caution in selecting their payroll service providers (“PSPs”) following ongoing concerns that some disreputable PSPs may fail to deposit employment taxes, leaving businesses vulnerable to unpaid payroll taxes as well…
IRS Releases Additional FAQs on Deferral of Employment Tax Deposits Under Section 2302 of the CARES Act
On July 30, 2020, the IRS released guidance in the form of new frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) addressing the deferral of the employer portion of Social Security taxes under section 2302 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”)…
Mnuchin Confirms Trump Payroll Tax Deferral is not Mandatory
Secretary Mnuchin acknowledged in an interview today that the employee Social Security tax deferral envisioned in President Trump’s Presidential Memorandum will not be mandatory. The memorandum instructs the Treasury Department to issue guidance under Section 7508A permitting employers to suspend…
Trump Executive Action to Defer Employee Share of Social Security Taxes Raises Significant Legal Questions for Employers
On Saturday, August 8, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the Secretary of the Treasury to “use his authority pursuant to [Code section] 7508A to defer the withholding, deposit, and payment of the tax imposed by [Code section] 3101(a)…
Senate Bill Would Ignore COVID-19 Assistance in Determining Worker Classification; Treat Certain Benefits as Qualified Disaster Relief Payments
Is an individual service provider an employee or an independent contractor? As our employee benefits colleagues have noted previously in Covington’s Inside Compensation blog, the IRS test is complicated and just one of many for determining worker status under federal…
Senate Republican Proposal Includes Payroll Tax Credit to Defray Employer Expenses for COVID-19 Prevention
On July 27, Senate Republicans released a series of COVID-19 relief bills, including the “American Workers, Families, and Employers Assistance Act” (the “Bill”). The Bill is a successor to several provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic…
Senate Republican Proposal Would Enhance Employee Retention Credit
As we noted in an earlier post, on July 27, Senate Republicans introduced new legislation in response to the continued COVID-19 pandemic. One of the introduced bills, titled the American Workers, Families, and Employers Assistance Act (the “Bill”), would…