As a small business owner, the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) can provide much-needed relief to businesses that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently updated its annual “Dirty Dozen” list, which warns taxpayers about the most common tax-related scams.

We get it – as a business owner, anything to do with taxes can be incredibly intimidating. And filing for a tax credit like the Employee Retention Credit? That’s on a completely different level. A lot is at stake. What if the IRS decides to do an audit and they determine that you need to return the funds you received? That could cost your business extra legal and tax specialist fees on top of the mandated return of funds. What a headache.