ERC Specialists
ERC Specialists is a Utah-based private LLC that exclusively files Employee Retention Credit claims for U.S. small businesses affected by COVID-19, using a self-serve web platform, contingency-based pricing, and a CPA referral channel. The company stopped accepting new applications in January 2024 following the IRS moratorium.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersOrem, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ERC Specialists does
ERC Specialists is a privately held LLC headquartered in Orem, Utah that exclusively files Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims on behalf of U.S. small businesses affected by COVID-19. The company operates a single-line tax services business built around the CARES Act ERC program, guiding customers from eligibility assessment through amended payroll return filing (Form 941-X) and IRS refund receipt, and supplementing filings with a post-submission audit defense offering. Its underlying technology is a self-serve web platform (app.ercspecialists.com) for intake, document upload, status tracking, and IRS notice handling, augmented by two proprietary tools: an IRS Tax Record Monitoring System that flags accounts selected for exam up to 120 days in advance, and a Government Shutdown Database Tool used to validate eligibility during filing and audits.
The company monetizes via a contingency-based percentage fee on the credit recovered, disclosed after a free eligibility analysis, with optional upfront payment at a discount or deduction from the refund. Pricing is paired with a 100% money-back guarantee if the IRS does not release the claimed credit. Go-to-market combines a self-serve digital application portal with an inside sales support team and a formal CPA/payroll company referral/affiliate program that the company identifies as a primary client acquisition channel. Customer mix is heavily skewed to SMBs across diverse verticals (home health care, construction, restaurants, auto repair, religious organizations), with leadership citing more than 50,000 businesses served, 600,000+ eligible employees identified, and over $500M in credits overseen by the CEO.
Effective January 17, 2024, ERC Specialists stopped accepting new ERC applications in response to the September 14, 2023 IRS moratorium and pending legislative changes to the program. The company remains operational to service existing claims, monitor filed returns, and provide audit defense, but the core addressable market for new ERC filings has effectively closed, leaving the business in a managed wind-down posture with no disclosed new product lines or adjacent service launches to replace ERC revenue.
ERC Specialists firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ERC Specialists
- Legal name
- ERC Specialists, LLC
- Website
- https://ercspecialists.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ERC Specialists is a Utah-based private LLC that exclusively files Employee Retention Credit claims for U.S. small businesses affected by COVID-19, using a self-serve web platform, contingency-based pricing, and a CPA referral channel. The company stopped accepting new applications in January 2024 following the IRS moratorium.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ERC Specialists industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tax Credit Filing Services
- NAICS
- Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- ERP Implementation & Systems Integration Services (BPAEAGAA)
Keywords
Where ERC Specialists is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Orem
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ERC Specialists business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- ERC Consulting Fee (Contingency-based): ERC Specialists charges a service fee based on a percentage of the ERC credit recovered. The fee is calculated and disclosed after a free analysis. Customers may pay upfront at a discount or have the full fee deducted from their refund once received. If the IRS does not release the claimed credit for any reason, any payments made are refunded. The company does not charge fees if the discovery process determines no credit can reasonably be qualified for.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Percentage of ERC credit recovered — fee disclosed after free analysis |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free discovery/eligibility analysis |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
ERC Specialists product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ERC Specialists is a specialty tax services company that prepares and files Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims on behalf of small businesses affected by COVID-19. The offering is an end-to-end service that handles eligibility determination, payroll document review, IRS Form 941-X preparation and submission via payroll tax returns, and post-filing support including audit defense. The company does not offer related programs such as PPP or EIDL, focusing exclusively on maximizing the ERC refund for each client.
Product overview
ERC Specialists is a single-focus tax services company offering one core product line centered exclusively on the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) under the CARES Act. Their primary offering is ERC Filing Services, a comprehensive end-to-end service that handles eligibility assessment, IRS claim filing, and refund processing. This is supported by a Customer Support Portal (sub-product) for document management and case tracking, an Application Status Checker (sub-product) for existing filers, and an ERC Audit Defense add-on for post-filing IRS audit support. The company does not operate a platform-plus-modules architecture; rather, it delivers specialized ERC services as an integrated suite of related capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ERC Filing Services End-to-end Employee Retention Credit filing service that guides eligible U.S. small businesses through eligibility determination, payroll document review, IRS Form 941-X preparation and submission via payroll tax returns, refund receipt processing, and post-filing support, leveraging decades of payroll and tax expertise to maximize credit amounts. Aimed at U.S. small businesses impacted by COVID-19, with contingency-based fees and a 100% Money Back Guarantee.
- ERC Audit Defense Post-filing audit defense service for ERC claims, including proprietary tax record monitoring software that provides up to 120 days advance notice of IRS exams, production of ERC calculation documents and supporting government shutdown lists, and connections to specialized tax attorneys for audit representation. Offered to small businesses that have had ERC claims filed on their behalf.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to $26,000 per employee in ERC refunds available for eligible businesses (2020: up to $5,000/employee; 2021: up to $7,000/employee per quarter)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use ERC Specialists
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
ERC Specialists technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
ERC Specialists partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
ERC Specialists competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ADP: Largest U.S. payroll services incumbent, which provided ERC-related guidance and filing support through its RUN Powered by ADP and other SMB product lines. Comparable customer base and payroll-system filing expertise, but ERC is just one of thousands of offerings within a much broader HCM portfolio.
- Gusto: SMB-focused payroll, benefits, and HR platform that offered ERC credits-related content and filing assistance to its customer base. Directly comparable target customer (U.S. SMBs on payroll systems) but the ERC offering sits within a full-stack HCM product rather than a standalone specialized service.
- Justworks: PEO providing payroll, benefits, and compliance to SMBs, with documented support for ERC claims during the program window. Comparable in serving SMB customers via a payroll-system-integrated model, though ERC is a feature within a much broader service catalog.
- Trinet: PEO providing HR, payroll, and benefits administration to SMBs, which supported ERC credit work for its customer base during the active program window. Comparable SMB target market and payroll-driven ERC filing capability, though positioned as a broad HR services partner rather than an ERC specialist.
- Insperity: HR services and PEO company that provided ERC credit services to its SMB client base. Overlaps with ERC Specialists on payroll-driven ERC filing for SMBs but operates as a full-service PEO rather than as an ERC-only specialist.
- Paychex: Large established payroll and HR services provider that offered ERC filing assistance to its SMB customer base during the COVID-era program. Comparable to ERC Specialists at the customer-intersection (U.S. SMBs needing ERC help) but operates a far broader payroll/benefits portfolio rather than specializing in a single credit.
Direct peers
- Filtec: ERC-focused tax credit services firm serving small U.S. businesses. Directly comparable to ERC Specialists in single-purpose focus on Employee Retention Credit claims and contingency-based fee structure.
- ERC Today: Specialized Employee Retention Credit filing service targeting small and mid-sized U.S. businesses. Closely comparable to ERC Specialists in product scope, target customer (COVID-affected SMBs), contingency-based fee model, and reliance on CPA/payroll referral channels.
- Tax Rebate Specialists: Specialist ERC/ERTC consulting firm explicitly named alongside ERC Specialists in the Greenway Equipment Sales litigation. Operates in the same niche — contingency-fee ERC filing for SMBs — with overlapping customer profile and referral channels.
- ERTC Express: ERC-focused consulting and filing firm serving U.S. small businesses. Comparable to ERC Specialists in dedicated single-product focus on the Employee Retention Credit, contingency pricing, and digital self-serve intake flow.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ERC Specialists social profiles
Digital presenceERC Specialists financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ERC Specialists leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
ERC Specialists funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ERC Specialists M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ERC Specialists
What does ERC Specialists do?
ERC Specialists is a specialty tax services company that prepares and files Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims on behalf of small businesses affected by COVID-19. The offering is an end-to-end service that handles eligibility determination, payroll document review, IRS Form 941-X preparation and submission via payroll tax returns, and post-filing support including audit defense. The company does not offer related programs such as PPP or EIDL, focusing exclusively on maximizing the ERC refund for each client.
Is ERC Specialists a public or private company?
ERC Specialists is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ERC Specialists founded?
ERC Specialists was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ERC Specialists based?
ERC Specialists is headquartered in Orem, United States, in the North America region.
How does ERC Specialists make money?
One revenue line is on record: ERC Consulting Fee (Contingency-based).
Who are ERC Specialists's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ADP, Gusto, Justworks, Trinet, Insperity and Paychex. Direct peers are Filtec, ERC Today, Tax Rebate Specialists and ERTC Express.
Does ERC Specialists have an API?
No public API is recorded for ERC Specialists.
What industry is ERC Specialists in?
ERC Specialists's product category is Tax Credit Filing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAGAA, ERP Implementation & Systems Integration Services. Its NAICS code is 54121 and its SIC code is 6199.