IRS Commissioner Says the Employee Retention Credit Program “Will Go Forward.”
What You Need to Know
Key takeaway #1
Taxpayers with outstanding ERC claims will be pleased that the Commissioner has indicated that the IRS will restart its processing of ERC claims in the near future.
Key takeaway #2
Taxpayers who may have received funds to which they were not entitled may be encouraged by the IRS’s willingness to accept repayment of the funds over time.
Client Alert | 1 min read | 11.16.23
This week, IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel informed a crowd at a conference that the IRS was looking to reset its approach to ERC claims after implementing a moratorium on processing claims in September. Mr. Werfel communicated that the IRS is focused on changing the way it processes these claims and on communicating the eligibility criteria to taxpayers. He also indicated a willingness to work with employers who received the credit, but were not actually entitled to it, allowing taxpayers to pay back the funds to the IRS in a way that works for their businesses.
Takeaways
- Taxpayers with outstanding ERC claims will be pleased that the Commissioner has indicated that the IRS will restart its processing of ERC claims in the near future.
- Taxpayers who may have received funds to which they were not entitled may be encouraged by the IRS’s willingness to accept repayment of the funds over time.
Contacts
Insights
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.21.25
On November 7, 2025, in Thornton v. National Academy of Sciences, No. 25-cv-2155, 2025 WL 3123732 (D.D.C. Nov. 7, 2025), the District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a False Claims Act (FCA) retaliation complaint on the basis that the plaintiff’s allegations that he was fired after blowing the whistle on purported illegally discriminatory use of federal funding was not sufficient to support his FCA claim. This case appears to be one of the first filed, and subsequently dismissed, following Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s announcement of the creation of the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative on May 19, 2025, which “strongly encourages” private individuals to file lawsuits under the FCA relating to purportedly discriminatory and illegal use of federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in violation of Executive Order 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity (Jan. 21, 2025). In this case, the court dismissed the FCA retaliation claim and rejected the argument that an organization could violate the FCA merely by “engaging in discriminatory conduct while conducting a federally funded study.” The analysis in Thornton could be a sign of how forthcoming arguments of retaliation based on reporting allegedly fraudulent DEI activity will be analyzed in the future.
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.19.25
