On March 18 Congress passed (nearly unanimously) and the President signed, the new “Families First Coronavirus Response Act”. Additional guidance was supposed to be released, but that has yet to happen so we are getting out the information as we best understand it.
Effective immediately, all full time employees qualify for 80 hours of Federal paid sick leave at their full pay rate of up to $511 daily if they are ill, quarantined, been advised by a medical professional to self-quarantine or have symptoms for which they are seeking medical diagnosis, all from Covid-19. They also qualify for FMLA sick leave at up to 2/3 of their normal pay up to $200 daily for 12 weeks (of which 10 are paid) for caring for any individual under quarantine, isolation, etc., or because their child under 18’s school or daycare has been closed.
If you incur additional sick leave (under the two provisions of the act) due to Covid-19, you will be reimbursed on your payroll tax form 941 as a tax credit/payment. More guidance will be issued on this. For now, keep close track of any sick leave paid under these provisions.
Please understand this law was passed quickly, so there is bound to be many problems, issues and questions until more guidance is released. We will try to answer any questions you may have to the best of our ability.
There is an additional Economic Stimulus bill (The CARES Act) pending as of the date of this letter. When that Act becomes law and more information is available, we will be sending out another letter.
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