Whether you are an employer or an employee, you have undoubtedly heard about the new Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) concerning employee paid leave rights. This new law requires employers with less than 500 employees to provide employees with emergency paid sick leave or a newly expanded family and medical leave when employees are unable to work due to reasons related to COVID-19. You can read more about the details of the FFCRA by visiting the U.S. Department of Labor website here.

Our focus today is the required documentation employers should collect and retain as an official record of employees using this type of paid leave. The purpose of the documentation is twofold. Firstly, we want to have accurate records of which employees are requesting the leaves, for how long, under what circumstances the leave will be taken, and why they are unable to work. Secondly, employers will need proper documentation to provide to the IRS to receive the corresponding tax credits that can be used as reimbursement for the paid leave.

Documentation plays a critical role in helping to ensure approval, agreement, and clear expectations for all parties involved. Perhaps you remember the old Apple tagline, “There’s an app for that!” Well, HR Professionals know “There’s a form for that!” and we at EBHR have developed a customizable FFCRA Request Form.

Please email [email protected] if you would like to discuss any questions about the new emergency paid leave laws and to receive a personalized FFCRA Request Form for your business.