May an Eligible Employer deduct as a business expense an amount paid to an employee for qualified leave wages (and allocable qualified health plan expenses and the Eligible Employer’s share of Medicare tax on the qualified leave wages) for which it expects to claim the tax credits?

Generally, an Eligible Employer’s payments of qualified leave wages (and any allocable qualified health plan expenses and the Eligible Employer’s share of the Medicare tax on the qualified wages) are deductible by the Eligible Employer as ordinary and necessary business expenses in the taxable year that these wages are paid or incurred. An Eligible Employer may deduct as a business expense the amounts paid to an employee for qualified leave wages (and any allocable qualified health plan expenses and the Eligible Employer’s share of Medicare tax on the qualified leave wages) for which the Eligible Employer expects to claim the tax credits under sections 7001 or 7003 of the FFCRA, if the Eligible Employer is otherwise eligible to take the deduction.