How to Get Your ERC Money Faster

Wondering how to get your ERC money faster? If you filed for the Employee Retention Credit from the IRS and are waiting for your checks to arrive, then you aren’t alone. It can take months and months for business owners to receive their Employee Retention Credit ERC checks from the IRS. 

Why is it taking so long for the IRS to get these credits out? What can you do to get your ERC money faster? Well, I’m going to share with you everything you need to know about how you can get your Employee Retention Credit money faster. 

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Why is my ERC taking so long? How long does it take to get Employee Retention Credit check?

I recently made a video all about why your employee retention credit checks haven’t shown up from the IRS. If you haven’t seen that video, the short answer is paper returns. The IRS does NOT have an electronic portal for processing forms 941-X. The IRS is receiving hundreds of thousands of revised 941s via snail mail and someone has to open each envelope and hand file these. 

A simple Google search will show you that the IRS says a revised 941 form should usually take on average anywhere from 2-4 months. However, we are seeing wait times of 6-8 months. For some larger checks over $200,000 we’ve seen wait times taking longer than a year. 

Related Content: How to Apply for Employee Retention Credit

How do I contact the IRS about my ERC refund?

Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to help move things forward or push things along when it comes to getting your Employee Retention Credit funds. While the IRS does have a phone number (800) 829-1040, calling them or emailing your accountant is not going to move the needle or get you your money sooner.

However, we are all aware that inflation is rising and interest rates are still going up. Therefore, receiving your ERC checks sooner and having money in your pocket for your business could be a game changer. 

How can I get my ERC faster?

I’ve done all of the research for you, and one possible solution your business may want to consider is something known as ERC advance funding. 

I’ve found two different financial products to help you get your Employee Retention Credit earlier. In general, this is usually referred to as an ERC advance.

ERC Bridge Loan: The first financial product available to get your ERC faster is essentially a business loan. There are companies that will give you a percentage of your ERC credit for an upfront origination fee. Then you have to pay interest each and every month until your ERC funds arrive from the IRS.

ERC Credit Buyout: The other type of product that will get you your ERC money quickly is when a company buys out a percentage of your ERC amount. These companies will purchase up to 70% of your ERC credit amount, at a discount. This is NOT a loan, and there are no interest payments. Then, when your ERC finally comes in, the company gets the percentage they purchased and you keep the remainder. 

Related Content: Hiring an Accountant for a Small Business

How does an ERC advance work?

Getting an ERC advance is a little bit of a process, so let me walk you through it step-by-step: 

1. Gather the details of your ERC credit: For businesses who have already filed retroactively, you’re going to need some sort of ERC reconciliation. This includes the amount of the ERC credit you are expecting in quarter-by-quarter breakdowns. They will also look into your business similar to how a bank looks at your business before giving you a line of credit. You’ll be expected to provide all the same information that you would if you were opening up a business checking account, including the name of your business, EIN numbers, and majority owners, etc.
   
   
2. Fill out and complete the online questionnaire: This is where you submit your business information and upload those required documents. The company will then get an understanding of what you are looking for and the amount of your expected ERC credit.
   
   
3. Talk with a funding specialist: Once you’re in the system, you’ll be contacted by a funding specialist through email, text message, or a phone call. They’re going to ask you some questions about how much money you are interested in and help qualify you so that you can get your money in a few days.

Once you’ve gone through those first few steps, what I’ve seen is that they typically have to do a little bit of underwriting. So even though the slogans might say, “ERC Money Today” or “Get Money Right Away,” it can take anywhere from 3-5 business days. 

Of course. these businesses aren’t going to give you these funds faster and upfront out of the goodness of their heart. They make money because a portion of your ERC credit will then go to them. You’re going to be out that money, but in return, you’re going to be getting a large portion of your money much faster.  

In my opinion, this is a double-edged sword because getting your ERC money sooner could help you with immediate business expenses like closing on a new building or buying material. Or maybe it’s something for your business that you need to take care of before the end of a specific quarter. In these cases, you might want to pull the trigger and get an ERC advance.

But, then again, if you paid any sort of processing fee, filing fee, or success fee to get your ERC filed by a third party, then you already owe a company a portion of your entire ERC credit. On top of that, if you’re going to pay one of these ERC advance companies to buy a portion of your ERC credits at a discount, then you have to look at the big picture and take the monetary pros and cons into consideration.  

Can you receive your ERC funds money now upfront? 

The answer is potentially yes. There are ERC advance companies that offer financial products where you can get the amount of your ERC money more quickly for a fee. Using one of these ERC advance products means you won’t have to wait anywhere from 6, 8, or even 12 months for the IRS to process everything that’s owed to you.

Are ERC advance products safe?

Anytime you make a financial decision you need to do your due diligence before signing on the dotted line. These stimulus programs have brought out a lot of scammers, and I want to warn you of dealing with the wrong people. If there is any sort of due diligence that you feel you need to do, questions you need to have answered, and people you need to speak to, then I beg you to please take care of that.

There has already been a wave of ERC scams with third parties promising you money that you’re not really entitled to get. Therefore, you should be able to ask all the questions you want to these ERC advance companies and get answers that make you feel like you can trust and do business with them. 

Key Takeaways

I’ve been writing about the Employee Retention Credit ERC and other stimulus packages since they started in 2020. I know there has been a lot of change, and it can sometimes be difficult to navigate all of this. Therefore, more information you have, the better equipped you will be to make business decisions.

I’ve written many stimulus blog posts and created YouTube videos on the Employee Retention Credit. My goal is to help you learn about these business and finance related topics, so please check out my YouTube videos, podcasts, and blog articles.

I’m also available for one-on-one coaching calls or consultations. I would love to help you with your financial and business goals.

Listen to a related Teaching Millionaires Podcast

As always, I’m Rich and until next time.

“TeachingMillionaires.com has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. TeachingMillionaires.com and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered. I am not a financial advisor. The information I share is for educational purposes only and shouldn’t be considered as certified financial or legal advice. It is imperative you conduct your own research. I am sharing my opinion only.”