The ERC is a federal payroll tax credit for payroll tax periods in 2020 & 2021. In most cases tax credits reduce the total amount of taxes owed. In the case of ERC not only does it reduce your taxes owed, but if your taxes owed are reduced to zero you are entitled to compensation above and beyond your original tax liability. If your business has previously filed 2020 and 2021 payroll taxes, you can retroactively claim the ERC to reduce your tax debt and where applicable receive a surplus credit, which can result in a cash refund.