What ERC Today does

ERC Today is a Huntersville, NC-based professional services firm founded in 2021 by Stephen Swanick that helps small and mid-market businesses impacted by COVID-19 pursue Employee Retention Credit (ERC) refunds from the IRS. The firm operates nationwide, taking clients through an end-to-end workflow that includes eligibility analysis, credit calculation, and preparation and submission of amended IRS Form 941-X filings, handled by a 100% in-house team of accounting professionals.

The company's core product is a structured ERC filing service delivered through a proprietary client portal integrated with payroll provider APIs, which automates wage data ingestion and document collection. Following the IRS moratorium on new ERC claims in September 2023, the firm pivoted to a "Second Look" review offering — a $1,000 audit-style review and a $5,000 recalculation service for existing clients — and is not currently accepting new ERC applications. The company is also related to 1095EZ Online through common founder Stephen Swanick, providing a sister-company distribution channel.

The business model is fee-for-service: success-based fees on ERC claims prior to the moratorium, flat-rate fees for Second Look services, and ancillary client financing arranged through partners Quikstone Capital and Fundbox. Go-to-market is direct/inside sales augmented by referral channels and a CPA-facing partner network. Industry exposure is broad across transportation, retail, hospitality, and other SMB verticals, with case studies spread across multiple industries and no anchor enterprise customers. The firm has also launched a "Help Today" charitable program with the Greg Olsen Foundation and HEARTest Yard, which functions as brand differentiation rather than a revenue line.

Name

ERC Today

Legal name

ERC Today

Website

https://erctoday.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ERC Today is a Huntersville, NC-based professional services firm that helps small and mid-market U.S. businesses file Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims with the IRS, providing eligibility analysis, credit calculation, and amended 941-X filing through an in-house accounting team and a payroll API-integrated client portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntersville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. ERC Claim Contingency / Success-Based Fees: ERC Today earns fees contingent on the successful filing and receipt of ERC refunds for clients. The company's website emphasizes 'no up-front cost' and 'we only get paid after you do' positioning, indicating a success-based fee structure where compensation is tied to the client's ERC credit being approved and received. For their 'Second Look' service, fees are flat-rate: $1,000 for eligibility review and $5,000 for recalculation with audit defense.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ERC Today provides end-to-end Employee Retention Credit (ERC) filing services for U.S. small and mid-market businesses impacted by COVID-19. The offering covers eligibility analysis, credit calculation, secure data submission, amended IRS Form 941-X filing, and post-moratorium claim review/audit defense, delivered by a 100% in-house team of CPAs and accounting professionals based in Huntersville, NC.

Product overview

ERC Today is a single-product service company offering ERC (Employee Retention Credit) filing assistance for businesses affected by COVID-19. The core offering is the ERC Filing Services, which provides end-to-end assistance from eligibility analysis through amended IRS filings. Additional add-on services include the ERC Second Look (for reviewing existing claims), ERC Recalculation (for correcting and defending claims), and IRS Audit Defense. The company also offers ERC Advance Funding through partnerships with Quikstone Capital and Fundbox. All services are delivered by a 100% in-house team based in Huntersville, NC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ERC Filing Services End-to-end assistance for U.S. businesses to claim the Employee Retention Credit, including eligibility analysis, data submission via secure portal, credit calculation, amended return filing (941-X), and IRS processing. Delivered nationwide by a 100% in-house team based in Huntersville, NC, on a success-based fee structure with no up-front cost.
• ERC Eligibility Review (Second Look) A flat-rate $1,000 service that reviews existing ERC claims filed by other consultants. Includes a multi-step eligibility questionnaire, review of original calculations, and a written recommendation on claim strength and corrective actions (e.g., improper pre-qualification, excluded businesses, missing PPP adjustments). Targeted at businesses concerned about potentially improper prior claims.
• ERC Recalculation A flat-rate $5,000 service that recalculates the correct ERC amount with claim adjustments (including partial/full repayment), delivers a complete IRS Audit Defense Package with to-the-penny accounting for every eligible/ineligible payroll dollar from 2020–2021, and supports the voluntary IRS Settlement program to limit or prevent penalties and interest.
• ERC Advance Funding (Quikstone Capital & Fundbox referrals) Referral to financial partners offering advance funding on ERC claims: Quikstone Capital provides merchant cash advances of $5,000 to $250,000 based on credit card sales volume with no collateral required; Fundbox provides access to up to $100,000 with credit decisions in minutes and next-day fund transfers, pay-as-you-go pricing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Businesses can receive up to $26,000 per W-2 employee in ERC refunds for COVID-19 retention periods
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 1095EZ OnlinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner1095EZ Online is a sister company and strategic partner founded by ERC Today's CEO Stephen Swanick. The company offers online tools for ACA (Affordable Care Act) compliance and 1095 form preparation. ERC Today is identified as a 'Proud Partner of 1095EZ Online,' indicating a shared founder and close operational alignment between the two companies.
• Receptions for Research: The Greg Olsen FoundationminorOthersReceptions for Research / The Greg Olsen Foundation is a charitable partner featured in ERC Today's 'Help Today' program, which donates 10% of all company revenue to select foundations and charities. The HEARTest Yard specifically supports families of children with congenital heart disease treated at Levine Children's Hospital.
• The HEARTest YardminorOthersThe HEARTest Yard is a charitable initiative supported through ERC Today's 'Help Today' program. It provides support services for families of children with congenital heart disease at Levine Children's Hospital. ERC Today donates 10% of all revenue to this and similar charitable causes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 1-800Accountant: Provides outsourced accounting, tax, and advisory services to SMBs - including identification of tax credits (ERC, R&D, etc.) and amended filings. Targets the same small business client base with similar long-tail support and CPA-led delivery model.
• Bench.co: SMB-focused bookkeeping and tax services platform combining proprietary software with dedicated accountants. Directly comparable on tech-enabled accounting delivery to SMBs and on the ability to layer one-off tax credit services onto recurring engagement.
• Pilot: Tech-enabled bookkeeping, tax, and CFO services for SMBs and startups. Overlaps with ERC Today on accounting-led compliance delivery to SMBs and on leveraging proprietary technology platforms to streamline recurring workflows.
• National ERC: Direct ERC filing services competitor targeting SMBs nationwide. Operates similar eligibility review and amended 941-X filing services for the same Employee Retention Credit program, making it the closest single-product peer in the market.
• Padgett Business Services: Franchise-based accounting, tax, and payroll services network serving SMBs. Comparable on customer base and on bundled tax/credit advisory offerings that integrate ongoing filings with one-time credit opportunities.

Broad incumbents

• Paychex: Major payroll, HR, and benefits services provider serving hundreds of thousands of SMBs. Adjacent/overlapping on payroll-tax compliance work and SMB financial services delivery at substantially larger scale than ERC Today.
• Block Advisors (H&R Block): National tax preparation and small business advisory arm of H&R Block. Covers comparable SMB tax compliance and advisory work at massive scale, with brand and customer-base reach far exceeding ERC Today.
• Intuit (QuickBooks / ProConnect): Dominant SMB financial software platform (QuickBooks) with a tax professional ecosystem (ProConnect). Indirectly competes for the same tax-prep workflow that drives SMB advisory relationships.
• ADP: Largest US payroll and HR services provider serving SMBs. Operates in adjacent payroll-tax infrastructure space where ERC claims originate - relevant as both a payroll-data partner and indirect competitor for SMB tax credit services.
• Jackson Hewitt: National retail tax preparation chain serving individuals and small businesses. Comparable as a customer-facing SMB tax brand, though positioned for individual filing rather than specialty ERC advisory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4AL50AuTL-Jm4CtyBuWLig
• Facebookfacebook.com/ERCtoday
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/erc-today/about
• Instagraminstagram.com/erc_today

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ERC Today