This past weekend, Que Onda Magazine and many others worked together during a food and mask distribution to help our city.
Mayor Turner’s Statement on Council Member Plummer Testing Positive for Covid-19
| “Today, the City of Houston reported 229 positive COVID-19 cases. The number of people that have tested positive is a reminder that we are still facing a public health crisis. The virus does not discriminate, and people of all ages and ethnicities have been affected. “I am praying for Council Member Letitia Plummer’s speedy recovery as she isolates at home. Based on my observations, she has been careful to protect her health and the safety of those around her by practicing social distancing and wearing facial coverings. “In addition to her role with the City of Houston, Council Member Plummer has kept a busy schedule at her two dental practices and distributing masks and organizing food giveaways in the community. “I will continue to ask everyone, including city employees, members of the public, and elected officials to follow the CDC guidelines for this pandemic. Please wear your face coverings, practice social distancing, get tested, and stay home if you feel sick.”  |
Houston’s COVID-19 Response Focuses On Access And Equity, Contact Tracing
Access and equity are the focus of the Houston Health Department’s COVID-19 testing strategy moving forward, Mayor Sylvester Turner and COVID-19 Recovery Czar Marvin Odum announced Thursday. The health department will also significantly increase its contact tracing workforce to monitor and contain disease.
“COVID-19 is a real and present danger in all our lives and will be so for the foreseeable future,” Odum said. “As we continue navigating this new reality together, it’s important we become even more strategic in our efforts to lessen the spread through ubiquitous testing and robust contact tracing.”
Using test saturation information from CDC and vulnerability data from UTHealth, the health department identified 20 priority Houston communities to address our most vulnerable and at-risk neighborhoods. These areas have limited access to testing and higher rates of underlying health conditions, making them more vulnerable to severe health outcomes from COVID-19.
“We are still facing a public health crisis. The virus is still in our City and we are working strategically to manage its spread,” Mayor Turner said. “The newly announced plans for more testing and contact tracing will allow us to move forward in a way that will save lives and prevent a resurgence.”
The health department is working with partners on a testing strategy that includes fixed sites, mobile sites and strategic outreach teams.
- Fixed sites include Houston’s two large-scale testing sites at Butler and Delmar Stadiums, in addition to expanding testing capacity at Federally Qualified Health Centers.
- Mobile sites include the Houston Health Department mobile unit and sites established through partnerships with the Texas Division of Emergency Management United Memorial Medical Center.
- Strategic outreach teams are deployed within 48 hours to address immediate needs in congregant settings like nursing homes, long-term care facilities and detention centers. The teams will also respond to people who are homebound or experiencing homelessness.
The testing strategy currently includes up to 24 sites that will be announced as they are established throughout May.
The health department will also hire an additional 300 contact tracers to meet the growing demand to monitor and contain COVID-19 cases. Currently, the health department has about 125 people in this role, most of whom are temporarily deployed from other areas of the department.
“We are tapping into the talent of our local educational institutions and will conduct hiring fairs to meet this staffing need,” said Stephen L. Williams, director of the Houston Health Department. “Not only will this allow us to meet the current need of COVID-19, it allows us to train our future public health workforce.”
Testing and contact tracing accounts for approximately $56 million of the Houston Health Department’s $125 million COVID-19 response plan. The funding will be made available through $404 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act received by the City of Houston.
Houstonians should visit HoustonEmergency.org/covid19 to find out how to get tested.
New Employee Retention Credit helps employers keep employees on payroll
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) encourages businesses to keep employees on their payroll by providing them an Employee Retention Credit. It also helps to make sure workers aren’t forced to choose between their paychecks and the public health measures needed to combat the coronavirus.
Eligible employers can claim this credit for wages paid after March 12, 2020, and before Jan. 1, 2021.
Eligible employers
The credit is available to all employers that have experienced an economic hardship due to COVID-19. This includes tax-exempt organizations. Only two exceptions apply:
1. Federal, state and local governments and their instrumentalities, and
2. Small businesses that receive small business loans under the Paycheck Protection Program.
For purposes of this credit, employers experiencing an economic hardship include those with suspended operations due to a government order related to COVID-19 or that have experienced a significant decline in gross receipts.
An employer may have to fully or partially suspend operations because a governmental order limits commerce, travel, or group meetings due to COVID-19 in a manner that prevents the employer from operating at normal capacity.
A significant decline in gross receipts begins in the first calendar quarter in 2020 in which an employer’s gross receipts are less than 50% of its gross receipts for the same quarter in 2019. The decline ends the first calendar quarter in 2020 after the quarter in which the employer’s gross receipts are greater than 80% of its gross receipts for the same quarter in 2019.
The employer calculates these measures each calendar quarter.
Amount of credit
The tax credit is 50% of up to $10,000 in qualified wages paid to an employee. The employer’s maximum credit for qualified wages paid to any employee is $5,000. Qualified wages include the cost of employer-provided health care.
Example. Eligible employer pays Employee B $8,000 in qualified wages in Q2 2020 and $8,000 in qualified wages in Q3 2020. The credit available to the employer for the qualified wages paid to Employee B is equal to $4,000 in Q2 and $1,000 in Q3 due to the overall limit of 50% of up to $10,000 of qualified wages per employee for all calendar quarters.
Qualified wages
The wages that qualify for the credit vary based on the average number of the employer’s full-time employees in 2019. If the employer had 100 or fewer employees on average in 2019, the credit is based on wages paid to all employees, regardless if they worked or not. If the employer had more than 100 employees on average in 2019, then the credit is allowed only for wages paid to employees for time they did not work. In each case, the wages that qualify are wages paid for a calendar quarter in which the employer experiences an economic hardship.
The amount of qualified wages for which an eligible employer may claim the Employee Retention Credit doesn’t include the amount of qualified sick and family leave wages for which the employer received tax credits under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). This means that the employer can’t use the same wages to determine the amount of the Employee Retention Credit.
How to claim the credit
Beginning with the second calendar quarter of 2020, to claim the credit, employers should report their total qualified wages and the related health insurance costs for each quarter on their quarterly employment tax returns, usually Form 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return. They can receive the benefit of the credit even before filing by reducing their federal employment tax deposits by the amount of the credit. Then they will account for the reduction in deposits due to the Employee Retention Credit on the Form 941. The IRS recently posted Frequently Asked Questions about the ability both to reduce deposits for the credit and to defer the deposit of all of the employer’s share of social security tax due before Jan. 1, 2021 under a separate provision in the CARES Act.
If employers do not have enough federal employment taxes to cover the amount of the credit, after they have deferred deposits of employer social security taxes under the CARES Act as discussed in the FAQs, they may request an advance payment of the credit from the IRS by submitting Form 7200, Advance Payment of Employer Credits Due to COVID-19. They may fax their completed forms to 855-248-0552.
Example. An eligible employer paid $10,000 in qualified wages, including qualified health plan expenses, and is therefore entitled to a $5,000 credit, and is otherwise required to deposit $8,000 in federal employment taxes, including the taxes withheld from all of its employees, for wage payments made during the same calendar quarter as the $10,000 in qualified wages. The employer has no paid sick or family leave credits under the FFCRA. The employer may first defer the employer’s share of social security tax imposed on the wages, then may retain up to $5,000 of the other employment taxes it was going to deposit, and it will not owe a penalty for keeping the $5,000. The employer will claim the credit and reflect the reduced liability for the $5,000 when it files Form 941.
Keep records to substantiate claims
Employers claiming the credit must keep records supporting the credit. An employer should keep all employment tax records for at least four years.
More information:
Employee Retention Credit FAQs
IR 2020-62, Employee Retention Credit available for many businesses financially impacted by COVID-19
IRS: Tres créditos nuevos disponibles para muchas empresas afectadas por COVID-19
El Servicio de Impuestos Internos les recordó hoy a los empleadores afectados por COVID-19 acerca de tres nuevos importantes créditos disponibles para ellos.
Crédito de retención de empleados:
El crédito de retención de empleados está diseñado para alentar a las empresas a mantener a los empleados en su nómina. El crédito tributario reembolsable es el 50 por ciento de hasta $10,000 en salarios pagados por un empleador elegible cuya empresa ha sido afectada financieramente por COVID-19.
El crédito está disponible para todos los empleadores, independientemente de su tamaño, e incluye a las organizaciones exentas de impuestos. Sólo hay dos excepciones: gobiernos estatales y locales y sus herramientas que les permiten trabajar, y pequeñas empresas que solicitan préstamos.
Los empleadores que califican deben caer en una de estas dos categorías:
- El negocio del empleador se suspende parcial o totalmente por orden del gobierno debido a COVID-19 durante el trimestre calendario.
- Los ingresos brutos del empleador son inferiores al 50 por ciento del trimestre equivalente con 2019. Una vez que los ingresos brutos del empleador superan el 80 por ciento de un trimestre equivalente con 2019, ya no califican después del final de ese trimestre.
Los empleadores calcularán estas medidas cada trimestre calendario.
Crédito por licencia por enfermedad pagada y crédito de cuidado infantil:
El crédito de licencia por enfermedad pagada está diseñado para permitir que las empresas obtengan un crédito para un empleado que no puede trabajar (incluye el sitio alternativo (telework)) debido a la cuarentena del coronavirus o a cuarentena impuesta, o tiene síntomas de coronavirus y busca un diagnóstico médico. Estos empleados tienen derecho a licencia por enfermedad pagada por hasta 10 días (hasta 80 horas) a la tarifa de pago regular del empleado hasta $511 por día y $5,110 en total.
El empleador también puede recibir el crédito para los empleados que no pueden trabajar debido a que cuidan de alguien con Coronavirus o cuidan de un niño porque la escuela o el lugar de atención del niño está cerrado, o el proveedor de cuidado infantil pagado no está disponible debido al Coronavirus. Estos empleados tienen derecho a licencia por enfermedad pagada por hasta dos semanas (hasta 80 horas) a 2/3 de la tarifa de pago regular del empleado o, hasta $200 por día y $2,000 en total.
Los empleados también tienen derecho a vacaciones médicas y familiares pagadas iguales a 2/3 del salario regular del empleado, hasta $200 por día y $10,000 en total. Se pueden contar hasta 10 semanas de licencia calificada para el crédito de licencia familiar.
A los empleadores se les puede reembolsar inmediatamente por el crédito al reducir sus depósitos de impuestos sobre la nómina que se han retenido de los salarios de los empleados por el monto del crédito.
Los empleadores elegibles tienen derecho a recibir inmediatamente un crédito en el monto total de la licencia por enfermedad y licencia familiar requerida, más los gastos relacionados del plan de salud y la parte del empleador del impuesto de Medicare sobre la licencia médica, durante el período del 1ro de abril del 2020, hasta el 31 de diciembre del 2020. El crédito reembolsable se reduce a ciertos impuestos sobre el empleo en los salarios pagados a todos los empleados.
¿Cómo recibirán los empleadores el crédito?
A los empleadores se les puede reembolsar inmediatamente por el crédito al reducir sus depósitos de impuestos sobre la nómina que se han retenido de los salarios de los empleados por el monto del crédito.
Los empleadores elegibles reportarán el total se sus salarios calificados y los costos relacionados con el seguro de salud de cada trimestre en sus declaraciones trimestrales de impuestos sobre la nómina o el Formulario 941 a partir del segundo trimestre. Si los depósitos de impuestos sobre la nómina del empleador no son suficientes para cubrir el crédito, el empleador puede recibir un pago anticipado del IRS si presenta el Formulario 7200, Pago Anticipado de Créditos del Empleador Debido a COVID-19.
Los empleadores elegibles también pueden solicitar un adelanto del crédito de retención de empleados al enviar el Formulario 7200.
El IRS también publicó Preguntas frecuentes acerca del crédito de retención de empleados y preguntas frecuentes de licencia familiar y licencia por enfermedad pagadas (en inglés) que ayudarán a responder preguntas.
Las actualizaciones acerca de la implementación del Crédito de Retención de Empleados (en inglés) las Preguntas frecuentes sobre créditos tributarios por licencia médica pagada (en inglés) y otra información se pueden encontrar en la página Coronavirus de IRS.gov.
Artículos relacionados:
- FS-2020-05SP, Nuevo crédito de retención de empleados ayuda a empleadores a mantener empleados en nómina
5 Ways to Celebrate Mom at Home This Mother’s Day
COVID-19 has certainly changed our traditional plans this Mother’s Day. While Texas is beginning to open their doors, many families are choosing ways to celebrate Mom at home, rather than a large brunch of social gathering.
Below, we’ve compiled 5 ways you can still make Mom feel special this Mother’s Day.
Order Her Flowers from H-E-B
Nothing says “I love you” more than a beautiful bouquet of flowers from your local H-E-B! The local grocery chain is offering online ordering, letting your order to be delivered to her at her doorstep.
For more information on online flower ordering, click here: https://www.heb.com/static-page/article-template/H-E-B-Floral-Delivery-Areas
Make Brunch at Home
While going to a restaurant to celebrate with the whole family may have been your plans in years past, but this year plans have to change. Treat Mom to a delicious Mother’s Day brunch at home, complete with pancakes, eggs and mimosas!
Go for a Walk
Sometimes all a mother wants on Mother’s Day is to spend quality time with her children. Find a local trail or park near you and go for a walk. Bonus points if you find a nature trail full of beautiful flowers! Reminisce on old memories and talk about exciting plans for the future. Mom will love it!
Let Her Relax
After all she does for the family, Mom deserves some special time to relax this Sunday! Offer to do her household chores for her, babysit the younger kids and give her some time to relax, watch her favorite shows, read, or even nap. She will feel recharged and energized!
Celebrate Virtually
If you’re not able to see your Mom in person this year, help her set up Facetime or Zoom so that she can talk to all of her loved ones from the comfort of her own home. Let her know how much she is loved and appreciated.
Initial Lifelines for Harris County Small Businesses Have Arrived
Today, May 5, 2020, Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia, along with program administrators from Houston-Galveston Area Council are proud to announce that the first set of cash disbursements have been made to successful applicants to the Harris County Loan Program.
The Program was developed by Commissioner Garcia’s office and approved by Commissioners Court on April 7th. Less than 4 weeks later, money in the form of forgivable loans has begun flowing to qualifying applicants.
The first batch of businesses have already received or will receive their loans shortly. These loans can be forgivable if certain conditions are met. In total, around more than 600 local small businesses are expected to receive loans.
“I am extraordinarily pleased with how fast we’ve gotten these lifelines into the hands of our local small businesses,” Commissioner Garcia said. “For a program to be designed from scratch to money in bank accounts in less than a month exemplifies the strong leadership local government has taken during this pandemic. We’ve proved that we are often the best option to move most quickly to respond to residents’ needs. I also want to thank the fine folks at Houston-Galveston Area Council for stepping up and acting fast for the people of Harris County.”
“We’re moving as quickly as possible to navigate the applicants through the underwriting and review process, and to get funds distributed to these businesses that are in dire need,” said Omar Fortune, program manager of the Houston-Galveston Area Local Development Corporation.
Opportunities to speak with speak with recipients of the loans will be available for press covering the program. Please contact Scott Spiegel to make arrangements. Commissioner Garcia is also available to speak with media.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON LOAN PROGRAM
The $10 million Harris County Small Business Loan Program administered by H-GAC was approved by Commissioners Court by a 3-2 vote on April 7, 2020. The money was split evenly among the 4 Harris County Precincts ($2.5 million each). On April 9, 2020, the website HarrisCountyLoan.com was launched for loan applications. In less than 30 hours, more than 7,000 requests were made for a total of more than $150 million sought by local businesses. At that time, the application process was paused. Plans for another loan program for either applicants that still have need or those that remain on the waiting list are being discussed.
Preguntas Acerca De Pagos De Impacto Económico
El IRS envía pagos de impacto económico. Estos pagos se envían automáticamente para la mayoría de las personas. Sin embargo, algunas personas que normalmente no presentan una declaración de impuestos tendrán que enviar información básica al IRS para recibir su pago.
¿Preguntas? El IRS actualiza regularmente las páginas de preguntas frecuentes en IRS.gov acerca de pagos de impacto económico y la herramienta Obtener mi pago a medida que haya más información disponible. Aquí hay algunas respuestas a las preguntas más comunes.
¿Cómo se calculan los pagos y a dónde se enviarán?
Si los contribuyentes ya presentaron su declaración de impuestos de 2019 y solicitaron el depósito directo para su reembolso, el IRS usará esta información para calcular y enviar su pago. Aquellos que no proporcionaron información de depósito directo de 2019 o adeudan impuestos, pueden usar la herramienta Obtener mi pago para ingresar información de su cuenta bancaria o se le enviará el pago por correo. Para aquellos que no han presentado su declaración de 2019, el IRS usará su declaración de impuestos de 2018 para calcular el pago.
Los pagos también serán automáticos para aquellos que reciben beneficios de jubilación del Seguro Social, beneficios por incapacidad (SSDI) o ingreso de seguridad suplementario (SSI), beneficios de veteranos y jubilación ferroviaria que normalmente no presentan una declaración de impuestos.
Sin embargo, para agregar el monto de $500 por niño elegible a estos pagos, el IRS necesita la información de dependiente antes de que se emitan los pagos. De lo contrario, su pago en este momento será de $1,200 y, por ley, los montos de $500 adicionales por niño elegible se pagarían en asociación con una presentación de declaración para el año tributario 2020.
¿Qué pasa si el IRS no tiene la información de depósito directo del contribuyente?
Si el IRS no ha procesado el pago del contribuyente, el contribuyente puede usar la herramienta Obtener mi pago para proporcionar su información bancaria a la agencia para que sus pagos puedan depositarse directamente. Si no se proporciona información bancaria, el IRS enviará un cheque a la dirección que tiene registrada para el contribuyente. La información de la cuenta de débito directo usada para hacer pagos al IRS no se puede usar como la información de la cuenta para el depósito directo de su pago.
¿Pueden los contribuyentes que no están obligados a presentar una declaración de impuestos recibir un pago?
Sí. Las personas que normalmente no presentan pueden usar la herramienta Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here para proveer información básica al IRS para recibir sus pagos de impacto económico. Esto incluye a los contribuyentes de bajos ingresos o sin ingresos.
¿Pueden los contribuyentes que no han presentado una declaración de impuestos de 2018 o 2019 recibir un pago?
Sí. Cualquiera que esté obligado a presentar una declaración de impuestos y no haya presentado una declaración de 2018 o 2019 debe presentar su declaración de 2019 tan pronto como sea posible para recibir un pago. Deben incluir información bancaria de depósito directo en su declaración.
Recibí un pago adicional de $500 en 2020 por mi hijo calificado. Sin embargo, recién cumplió 17 años. ¿Tendré que devolver los $500 el próximo año cuando presente mi declaración de impuestos de 2020?
No, no hay ninguna disposición en la ley que exija que el pago de impacto económico se tenga que devolver. Cuando presente el próximo año, puede reclamar créditos adicionales en su declaración de impuestos de 2020 si es elegible para ellos, por ejemplo, si su hijo nace en 2020. Sin embargo, no se le pedirá que pague ningún pago al presentar su declaración de impuestos de 2020, incluso si su hijo calificado cumple 17 años en 2020 o su ingreso bruto ajustado aumenta en 2020 a más de los umbrales mencionados anteriormente.