The IRS has announced eligible employers who provide paid family and medical leave to their employees may qualify for a new business credit for tax years 2018 and 2019, according to www.irs.gov.
In addition, eligible employers who set up qualifying paid family leave programs or amend existing programs by Dec. 31 will be eligible to claim the employer credit for paid family and medical leave—retroactive to the beginning of the employer's 2018 tax year—for qualifying leave already provided.
The new credit was enacted by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). In Notice 2018-71 posted on the IRS website, the agency provides detailed guidance regarding the credit in a question and answer format. The notice clarifies how to calculate the credit including the application of special rules and limitations. Only paid family and medical leave provided to employees whose prior-year compensation was at or below a certain amount qualify for the credit. Generally, for tax year 2018, the employee's 2017 compensation from the employer must have been $72,000 or less.
Updates regarding the implementation of the TCJA can be found on the Tax Reform page of IRS.gov.
