IRS Tax Credit — IRC §45B

Your Restaurant May Be Owed $20,000–$200,000 in Payroll Tax Refunds

The FICA Tip Credit is one of the most overlooked federal tax credits for restaurant owners. Most qualifying businesses have never filed for it.

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✓ No upfront cost    ✓ Success fee only    ✓ 10-minute review
⚡ Free Eligibility Check
🔒 IRS-Compliant Process
💼 CPA-Managed Filing
✅ Success Fee Only — No Upfront Cost
📅 2–3 Year Look-Back Period
The Credit

What Is the FICA Tip Credit?

Under IRC §45B, restaurant and hospitality employers can claim a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit on the employer's share of FICA taxes paid on employee tips above the federal minimum wage.

Most qualifying businesses recover $1,500–$4,000 per tipped employee per year — and most have never claimed it. The IRS allows filings to go back 2–3 years, meaning the credit can compound quickly.

🔑 Bottom line: If you employ tipped workers and have never claimed this credit, you are almost certainly leaving tens of thousands of dollars on the table every year.

Quick Estimate

See What Your Restaurant May Be Owed

This estimate is based on typical FICA tip credit calculations. Actual amounts are determined by your payroll data.

📊 FICA Refund Estimator

$0

Estimated FICA Tip Credit recovery
Based on 7.65% employer FICA on tips above $5.15/hr federal minimum

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The Process

How It Works

1

Free Eligibility Check

10-minute call to confirm you qualify and estimate your credit amount.

2

Payroll Review

Our CPA team analyzes 2–3 years of payroll data to calculate the exact credit.

3

IRS Filing

We file the amended returns on your behalf. 100% IRS-compliant process.

4

You Get Paid

Credits applied to your tax liability or refunded directly. Success fee only — no upfront cost.

Real Results

Restaurant Owners Who Claimed Their Credit

$48,200
Full-Service Restaurant — New Jersey
12 tipped employees. Never knew the credit existed. CPA had been filing returns for 6 years without mentioning it. Filed 3-year look-back.
$31,700
Sports Bar & Grill — Pennsylvania
22 servers and bartenders. Owner had been told by their accountant "tips aren't deductible." The FICA credit is not a deduction — it's a dollar-for-dollar credit.
$74,900
Upscale Restaurant Group — New York
3 locations, 45 tipped staff. Multi-year filing recovered nearly $75K across all locations. First credit applied immediately to upcoming payroll tax deposit.
Free Eligibility Check

Find Out If You Qualify In 10 Minutes

No upfront cost. No obligation. Just answer 5 quick questions and we will tell you exactly what your business may be owed.

Quick Qualification Form

Takes 2 minutes. Our team reviews same day.

🔒 Your information is never shared. We review every submission personally.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

My accountant never mentioned this. Why? +
Most general practice CPAs do not specialize in payroll tax credits. The FICA Tip Credit requires specific expertise to calculate and is often skipped — especially in practices that handle dozens of different business types. That doesn't mean you don't qualify. It means it wasn't flagged.
Is this legal? Is it an IRS audit risk? +
Yes — the FICA Tip Credit is a legitimate federal tax credit established under IRC §45B, specifically designed for food and beverage businesses. It is not a loophole or gray area. Filing for it reduces your audit risk compared to other strategies because it is explicitly sanctioned by the IRS.
What does it cost? +
There is no upfront cost. The eligibility check is completely free. If we identify a credit and file on your behalf, we charge a success fee based on the amount recovered — only when you actually get money back.
How far back can I file? +
The IRS generally allows amended returns up to 3 years back. This means if you have been paying tipped employees for years without claiming this credit, there may be a significant backlog of recoverable credits available to you right now.
What businesses qualify? +
Any business where tipping is customary qualifies — restaurants, bars, cafes, hotels, salons, spas, and more. The key requirement is that you have employees who receive tips and you pay employer-side FICA taxes on those tips.
How long does the process take? +
The eligibility check takes 10 minutes. If you qualify, the full filing process typically takes 3–6 weeks. IRS processing of the amended return generally takes 8–16 weeks, after which credits are applied to your tax account or refunded.

Stop Leaving Your Money With the IRS

The filing window is limited. Every month you wait reduces the look-back period available to you.

Book Free 10-Minute Review →
✓ No upfront cost   ✓ Success fee only   ✓ CPA-managed filing