Yes. Under sections 7001(c) and 7003(c) of the FFCRA, qualified leave wages are wages as defined in section 3121(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) and compensation as defined in section 3231(e) of the Code, so the employee must pay social security and Medicare taxes (and for railroad employees, Tier II of the Railroad Retirement Tax Act tax). In addition, wages are generally compensation for services subject to income tax under section 61 of the Code and federal income tax withholding under section 3402 of the Code unless an exception applies. The FFCRA did not include an exception for qualified leave wages from income.
