Florida hotels, resorts, hospitality, and leisure travel businesses in FL that were impacted financially by the COVID pandemic automatically qualify certain periods of time for the employee retention tax credit refund.
When Florida tourism and travel was shut down, then limited capacity when reopened, hospitality and leisure, accommodations, motels, Florida lodging, casinos and other related Florida hotel related companies suffered during 2020 and 2021 in FL.
The Florida economy dropped substantially during the pandemic that left many hotel industry employees in FL out of work due to closures. Job openings and labor turnover in Florida is still evident with 714,440 job openings in FL
In FL, some of the main hotel and travel destinations for Florida cities include Cape Coral, Crestview, Deltona, Gainesville, Homosassa Springs, Jacksonville, Lakeland, Miami, Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Delray Beach, Naples, North Port, Ocala, Orlando, Palm Bay, Panama City, Pensacola, Port St. Lucie, Punta Gorda, Sebastian, Sebring, Tallahassee, Tampa, The Villages.
Maybe your Florida accountant or tax preparer told you that your FL hotel resort did not qualify for the employee retention tax credit in Florida? Probably they are wrong and are not up to date on current IRS guidelines for the employee retention credit that will qualify your hotel in Florida for the ERC tax refund.
See how your Florida Hospitality and Leisure business qualifies for the IRS Employee Retention Credit Tax Refund for your hotel and lodging business in FL. Schedule Your Free Florida Hotel ERC Consultation.
Key ERC Credit Takeaways You Will Learn:
- FL Hotels Can Recover Financially: Hotels in Florida can utilize the ERC to aid in recovery from financial impacts.
- Up to 50% of Wages Covered: Eligible FL hotels can get a refundable tax credit for 50% of wages paid.
- ERC for Wages Paid in 2020: The tax credit applies to wages paid from March 12th to December 31st, 2020.
- Hospitality Industry Benefits: Specifically aimed at helping the hospitality sector, including hotels and resorts.
- Significant Monetary Relief: The ERC provides substantial financial support to qualifying businesses.
See Important 2024 Employee Retention Tax Credit Deadline Information at the Bottom of This Article.
Florida Employee Retention Tax Credit for Hotels, Resorts and Hospitality Industry in FL
Florida hotels, resorts, and other hospitality, travel, accommodation, and leisure related businesses in FL are eligible to claim the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). They can receive up to 50% of their qualified wages paid between March 12th, 2020, and December 31st, 2020, in the form of a refundable tax credit from the IRS.
Florida lodging businesses that were established before February 15th, 2020, can receive a refundable tax credit amounting to 70% of qualified salaries and wages paid between January 1st, 2021, and September 30th, 2021. For FL hotels or motels started or acquired after that date (referred to as a Recovery Start-up business), they are eligible for employee wage reimbursement up until December 31st, 2021.
The employee retention credit may be retroactively claimed for 2020 and 2021, through 2023, 2024, and 2025 for your hotel, resort, or motel in Florida.
FL Hotels Employee Retention Credit, How it Works for Hospitality and Leisure in Florida
With the Florida requirements and amount of the ERTC tax credits continually changing with the ERC program, FL hospitality, resorts, and hotel owners and principals may find it difficult to understand if they qualify and how much they can claim.
To maximize the benefits from this Florida hotel employee retention tax credit, you must understand which quarters are eligible as well as which employees, wages, and payments meet the criteria for receiving the tax credit for your hotel in FL.
Florida Employee Retention Credit Eligibility Requirements for Hotels, Resorts, and Motels in FL
The Florida hospitality industry can take advantage of the employee retention credit in several ways.
For a Florida lodging related business to be eligible for the program, it must have gone through an entire or partial closure because of COVID-19 government regulations or any other kind of government-mandated shut down during certain periods in either 2020 or 2021 as a result of this global pandemic.
Another way is for your Florida hotel property to demonstrate that it has had either a 2020 quarter with gross receipts at least 50% lower than the same quarter in 2019, or in 2021, quarters with 20% fewer gross receipts compared to the corresponding quarters of 2019. Each three-month period of 2020 and 2021 should be compared to its equivalent month period in 2019.
In Florida, Did Your Hotel, Resort, Motel, or Casino Experience any of These?
Full or Partial Shutdown of Your Hotel Property in FL
If your hotel or lodging location was fully or partially shut down for even a few days due to COVID-19, it would qualify your Florida hotel for the ERC tax credit. There are multiple other ways to qualify and claim your Florida ERC credit for your FL hotel to help financially recover. Even if your Florida hotel company received an SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, you may still qualify.
Florida Hotel Bookings Decreased Leading to High Vacancy Rates in FL
Did your hotel room bookings drop? Maybe your FL hotel is more of a tourist destination and both Florida tourism and business travelers were not booking. In this case, if you can show nominal harm of 10% or more in declining room reservations to your Florida lodging business, you qualify. This is a valid example for you to claim and receive the ERC tax credit in Florida.
Limitations on Guests and Hotel Room Capacity Florida
Due to the shutdown and partial-shutdown in Florida, your hotel operations greatly reduced capacity due to government mandates and orders. This means that even if your FL hotel, resort, or motel did not meet adequate revenue losses, you can still be eligible for the ERTC tax credit from mandated Florida restrictions from executive orders.
No In-Person Florida Events Leads to Impacted Business and Tourism Travel in FL
The inability of tourist and business travelers to attend events in Florida lead to substantial losses. Public events and gatherings in FL were canceled, and then eventually minimized. This caused most Florida Events to be canceled completely for 1 to 2 years. This created massive lost sales and revenue potential for many hotel properties in Florida. Therefore, you may qualify for the ERC tax credit if your lodging and accommodation business has been affected by these limitations in FL.
FL Hotel Guest Cancellations and Refunds Due to COVID in Florida
Maybe your FL hotel property had various types of conferences, meetings, and other event types. When Florida shutdown, and then faced many capacity and travel restrictions, consumer and business travelers canceled vacation and business plans, causing many FL hotel operations to refund deposits and lose further revenue. This was a financial devastation to the economy and hotels in Florida
No In-Person Hotel Restaurant Dining in FL
Due to the pandemic, FL hotels that had on-site restaurants, catering, food service, were not able to have in person or indoor dining. This was an obstacle for Florida hotels trying to accommodate guests. Guest convenience of eating at the hotel restaurant was taken away. If your FL hospitality business dealt with this situation, and had to close your on-site restaurant, or severely limit seating capacity due to Florida mandated orders, you will qualify for the ERC tax credit.
Florida Cancellations of Conventions, Special Events, and Weddings Causing Your Hotel Property to Lose Revenue and Sales in FL
Many Florida hotel resort or casino properties had to reduce their guest services due to COVID-19, such as not offering in-person legal consultations due to travel restrictions or self-quarantine requirements. If that is the case for you, your legal consultation may be eligible for the ERC tax credit in Florida.
Florida Hotel Property Amenities Forced to be Closed – Pool, Spa, Massage, Room Service, and More in FL
Many Florida hotel resort or casino properties had to reduce their guest services due to COVID-19, such as closing their indoor or outdoor swimming pools, closing their spas, eliminating or reducing room service for FL guests.
Calculating Your Florida Hospitality Employee Retention Credit for Hotels in FL
Accurately calculating the Florida employee retention credit for your hotel resort employees requires attention to detail, especially when it comes to determining your total payroll gross wages paid during each quarter to your workforce. Without accurately calculating this figure, you won’t be able to maximize the full tax benefits of this ERC credit. Therefore, having a comprehensive understanding of how best to calculate these figures is essential to maximize your hospitality related business tax credit in FL.
How Florida Hotel, Resort, Casino, Lodging, or Motel Employers in FL Can Claim the Employee Retention Credit
Although the process of applying for the ERTC for your Florida company has changed a bit, there’s still time to claim your ERC tax refund. Remember that this window won’t be open forever. It will cease in 2023, 2024, and 2025 based on the past 2020-2021 quarter evaluations. Don’t worry about running out of funds either. These IRS business tax refunds are calculated using each business’ qualifications and financials. The only way you can miss out is by not filing prior to the given deadlines for your hotel in Florida.
Conclusion and Summary for Florida Hotels, Resorts, Hospitality, and Lodging Employee Retention Credit in FL
To ensure your Florida resort hotel, motel, or lodging business is in compliance with the Employee Retention Credit, it’s critical to have all original records, including payroll, W-2s, original 941’s filed, and other documents related to hospitality employee wages. Additionally, any Florida government shutdown executive orders or restrictions on your Florida hotel business should be documented.
By understanding the rules of the employee retention credit, hotels, motels, and lodging companies in Florida can make sure they’re getting all the IRS tax credit benefits owed to them. The ERTC provides an opportunity for hospitality businesses affected by COVID-19 in Florida to recoup some financial losses.
Florida Hotels and Lodging Businesses Qualify for the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERC / ERTC) in FL: Claim Up To a $26,000 Refund Per Hotel Employee for Your Hotel Property in FL
Disaster Loan Advisors™ can assist your Florida hotel lodging business with the complex and confusing Employee Retention Credit (ERC) and Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) program, without you having to sacrifice an excessive percentage % of your hard-earned ERC refund.
DLA doesn’t charge a percent % like many companies do. Our flat fee structure is fair and reasonable based on the amount of work involved. Keep More of Your Refund™
Depending on eligibility, hotel owners, hospitality professionals, and resort principals and partners can receive up to $26,000 per hotel workforce employee based on the number of W2 employees you had on the payroll in 2020 and 2021.
The ERC / ERTC Program is a valuable IRS tax credit you can claim for your hotel in Florida.
Schedule Your Free Florida Hotel Employee Retention Credit Consultation to see what amount of employee retention credit tax refund you qualify for your hotel in Florida.
ERC Deadline Urgency in 2024
April 15, 2024 Deadline for the 2020 ERC Tax Year
The deadline is coming up for the final opportunity to retroactively claim your business Employee Retention Credit for the past 2020 tax year. With the April 15, 2024 deadline fast approaching, we urge you; don’t let this final chance pass!
While not all businesses will qualify, as it depends on multiple factors per IRS Rules and Guidelines, you might be leaving significant financial relief on the table from prior COVID impact to your business during the past 2020 and 2021 business operation years.
Last year, in September 2023, the IRS temporarily paused processing ERC Claims for the remainder of last year. We at Disaster Loan Advisors (DLA) predicted this over one year ago when we made this ERC video warning business owners. See the ten-minute mark of the video for details.
TAKE ACTION NOW IN 2024
Even though the IRS has temporarily paused processing, you will still want to check eligibility and file now (if you qualify) because once the IRS will resume processing, ERC tax credit claims are processed in the order they are received.
If you haven’t previously filed for the ERC Credit, it is worth scheduling a phone call to at least explore your possible eligibility from both the past 2020 and 2021 business tax years. Contact us today for a deep-dive analysis to determine if your business qualifies one or more quarters from the 2020 and / or 2021 tax years.