Whether your not-for-profit is newly deluged with demand for services or you’ve closed doors temporarily, it’s important to keep up with legislation responding to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. On March 18, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act was signed into law to provide American workers affected by the pandemic with extended sick and family leave benefits.
The new law applies to your nonprofit if you have fewer than 500 employees, although you may be exempt if you have fewer than 50. Here are some details.
3 things to know
There are three important components of the new law:
1. Paid sick leave. If a staffer is ill, is instructed to be isolated by a physician or government authority or is caring for a sick family member or child whose school has closed, your organization must provide two weeks of paid leave. Pay part-time workers based on their average hours over a two-week period. Benefits are capped at $511 per day and $5,110 total for employees on leave because of their own health issue, or $200 per day and $2,000 total to care for others.
2. Job-protected leave. You must provide 12 weeks of job-protected leave for employees who need to take care of a child due to the closure of a school or day care center. This provision updates existing rules under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Employers are now required to pay workers two-thirds of their regular wages, not to exceed $200 per day and $10,000 total. You aren’t required to pay employees during the first 10 days off; however, they may choose to use accrued time off benefits at this time.
3. Employer payroll tax credits. To help employers pay for time off, the law enables tax credits. You may claim a 100% refundable payroll tax credit on wages associated with paid sick and medical leave and other expenditures associated with health benefit contributions. Additional wages paid to staffers due to the law’s leave requirement aren’t subject to the employer portion of the payroll tax.
Unemployment assistance
The Cares Act provides extra unemployment insurance payments of $600 per week on top of current state unemployment benefits through July, 2020. If individuals are still unemployed when state benefits run out, the federal government will pay unemployment benefits of $600 per week for up to 13 additional weeks.
Staying afloat
If you have questions about how the Families First Act applies to your nonprofit, please contact us. Also, because many nonprofits operate on thin margins at the best of times, you may worry about staying afloat. We can analyze your position and help you come up with possible survival strategies.
We Are Here to Help
Please visit the Warady & Davis LLP COVID-19 Resource Center for a wealth of information on stimulus assistance, new legislation and much more. This information is updated daily. This is a rapidly evolving situation so please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns at 847-267-9600.
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