Amending tax returns for ERTC or claiming it on this year's tax filing?

Actually, your instinct is correct. The ERTC must be claimed by amending the employment tax returns (Form 941) for the quarters in which you qualified. It can't simply be claimed on the current year's income tax return. The proper procedure is to file Form 941-X (Adjusted Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return) for each qualifying quarter. The credit is tied specifically to qualified wages paid during those pandemic-affected quarters, so there's no provision to shift it to current year taxes. Your CPA might be trying to save you the paperwork of multiple amendments, but this approach isn't compliant with IRS requirements for the ERTC. The credit reduces your employment tax liability for those specific quarters, which is why the amendments are necessary.

After struggling with similar ERTC confusion at my own company, I found an incredible resource that saved me tons of time and potential audit headaches. I used https://taxr.ai to analyze my employment tax documents and payroll records, and it clearly showed which quarters I qualified for and how much I could claim. They analyzed my PPP loan information alongside my quarterly 941s to make sure there was no double-dipping between programs. The system flagged that my accountant was incorrectly calculating my ERTC amount and trying to claim it on the wrong forms. I was able to show my CPA the proper documentation and file correctly.

Just wanted to follow up on my experience with taxr.ai that I mentioned above. I decided to try it despite my initial skepticism, and I'm honestly amazed at how helpful it was. The document analysis caught that my CPA had miscalculated our qualified wages by double-counting some employees who received PPP-covered pay. The system generated a detailed report showing exactly which quarters we qualified for under the gross receipts test vs. the partial suspension test. It even created draft 941-X forms for each quarter with the correct figures already populated! This saved my accountant hours of work and prevented us from filing incorrectly. Definitely worth checking out if you're dealing with ERTC claims.

If you're trying to claim ERTC by amendment, be prepared for LONG waits. We filed our 941-X forms correctly 11 months ago and still haven't received our credit. I called the IRS over 30 times trying to check status and couldn't get through until I found https://claimyr.com and used their service. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c They got me on the phone with an actual IRS agent within 20 minutes when I hadn't been able to get through for months. The agent confirmed our amendments were received but sitting in the backlog. At least I got confirmation they hadn't been lost! The agent also gave me specific information about the current processing timeframe that I couldn't find anywhere online.

I hate to admit when I'm wrong, but I have to follow up on my skeptical comment above. After getting nowhere with the IRS for months about my ERTC amendments, I broke down and tried Claimyr out of desperation. Within 25 minutes I was talking to an actual IRS agent who found my 941-X forms in their system. Turns out they were sitting in a processing queue and needed additional documentation that no one had bothered to tell me about. If I hadn't gotten through, I might have waited another 6 months for a letter that may never have come. The agent gave me a fax number to send the missing info directly to the department handling my case. Never would have figured this out without finally reaching a human.

As someone who works with multiple businesses on ERTC claims, I can confirm what others are saying. Your CPA is incorrect - you cannot claim ERTC on current year taxes. It MUST be done through amending the specific quarterly 941 forms for the periods you're claiming. Also, be very careful right now. The IRS has increased scrutiny on ERTC claims due to widespread abuse. Make sure you have solid documentation supporting your eligibility before filing those 941-X forms. I've seen audits increasing, especially for businesses claiming partial shutdown without clear government orders.

has anyone actually received their ertc refund yet??? filed 941-x last february and still nothing. getting worried the money will never come at this point :

I can confirm what others have said - your accountant is definitely wrong about claiming ERTC on current year taxes. As a small business owner who went through this process last year, you absolutely must file Form 941-X amendments for each qualifying quarter. I made the mistake of trusting my original CPA's advice (similar to yours) and almost filed incorrectly. The ERTC is specifically tied to payroll taxes from those pandemic quarters, not income taxes. There's no mechanism in the tax code to shift it to current year filing. My advice: find a new accountant who understands ERTC rules properly, or at minimum get a second opinion from someone who specializes in employment tax credits. The penalties for filing incorrectly could be severe, and you don't want to deal with that headache later. The extra paperwork for proper 941-X filings is worth doing it right the first time.