The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) legislated mandatory paid leaves for employees.
Essentially, while employers were required to pay for leave when an employee was unable to work due to Covid-19 specific causes, they could get a credit for the paid wages. Those credits applied to wages paid and leave taken between April 1st and December 31st, 2020. Qualified and paid absences were for:
While those leaves are no longer mandatory, employers who choose to extend this program to March 31st may do so and still receive the tax credit provided it hasn't maximized for that staff member in a prior period.
Our HR Outsourcing team recommends that employers consider extending this leave to encourage staff to stay home when ill; to visibly promote safe workplaces. In many cases, it will not be cost-prohibitive to offer this leave for up to 80 hours.
