It’s hard to believe, but it has now been five years since COVID-19 started making headlines around the globe. A lot has happened since that time. During the pandemic, the federal government launched several relief programs, and not long after, it began raising concerns about widespread fraud. As Washington D.C. criminal tax lawyer Kevin E. Thorn, Managing Partner of Thorn Law Group, explains, uncovering and prosecuting pandemic-era fraud remains a top priority for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) heading into 2025.Read More

The IRS has reopened its Voluntary Disclosure Program (VDP) for businesses with improper Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims, providing a limited window to correct errors and avoid future penalties. This initiative, running through November 22, 2024, allows businesses to come forward and correct their ERC claims at a 15% discount, helping them steer clear of audits, penalties, and interest.The IRS has already initiated over 460 false disclosure investigations, but there’s still time to act.Read More

On October 19, 2023, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced a process for businesses to withdraw their Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims. The announcement comes just over a month after the IRS placed a moratorium on new filings due to concerns about widespread ERC fraud. Washington D.C. tax lawyer Kevin E. Thorn, Managing Partner of Thorn Law Group, explains what business owners need to know:Read More

On September 14, 2023, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced a moratorium on processing new Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims. In its News Release, the IRS stated that the moratorium is due to “rising concerns about a flood of improper Employee Retention Credit claims,” which have largely been triggered by scammers aggressively promoting fraudulent ERC “programs” to unsuspecting business owners.Read More

The Employee Retention Credit (ERC) program is one of several federal relief programs that saw high levels of fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the ERC is still available for eligible businesses to claim retroactively, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and other federal authorities are actively targeting ERC fraud in 2023.Read More