Revised 1/20/2020: Important updates to this FIRST ROUND of PPP in the Economic Aid Act, passed December 2020.
- NEW Forgiveness Application for loans of $150,000 or less can be found here
- SBA EIDL Advance amount will no longer reduce the amount that can be forgiven. Previously, if you had received an SBA EIDL advance/grant (which was $1,000 per employee up to $10,000 maximum), this amount was deducted from your forgiven amount. This meant that you would be left with a loan amount equal to the EIDL Advance amount. The new legislation repeals this practice for both rounds of PPP.
- Expenses covered by PPP loan funds ARE deductible. Previously, the IRS had advised that expenses paid for by non-taxed income could not be deducted. This clarifies this issue. This means that any expenses in which you used PPP loan money to pay can also count as a deductible expense in calculating your net profit.
The application period for the first round of the PPP program has closed.
For info on the second round of PPP, click here.
What is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)?
The PPP provides small businesses with funds to pay payroll costs including benefits. Funds can also be used to pay interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities.
How can I use the money? The PPP provides small businesses with forgivable loans of up to $10 million per company (8 weeks of payroll) for:
- Payroll costs including benefits
- Salary, wages, commissions, or tips (capped at $100,000 per employee)
- Employee benefits including costs for vacation, parental, family, medical, or sick leave; allowance for separation or dismissal; payments required for the provisions of group health care benefits including insurance premiums; and payment of any retirement benefit
- State and local taxes assessed on compensation
- For a sole proprietor with no other employees: Schedule C, Line 31 will reflect owner’s salary (capped at $100,000)
- Interest on a mortgage (not prepayment of or payment on principal) or on rent
- Utility payments
How soon do you have to use funds? You must use the funds between 8 and 24 weeks after the loan is issued.
How much of the loan is forgiven? Forgiveness is based on:
- Payroll: At least 60% needs to be spent on payroll in order for the loan to be forgiven
- Number of Staff: Businesses must restore staff or salary levels that were previously reduced by December 31, 2020. Companies that document their inability to rehire workers and their inability to find similarly qualified workers maintain forgiveness amounts. Companies would be covered separately if they show that they couldn’t resume business levels from before Feb. 15 because they were following federal requirements for sanitization or social distancing.
- Level of Payroll: Your loan forgiveness will also be reduced if you decrease salaries and wages by more than 25% for any employee.
How do I apply for forgiveness? (Updated 1/20/2021)
Check with your lender to verify what you will need to apply for forgiveness – they may have their own forms they need you to complete. The SBA has three forgiveness applications depending on your situation.
- For those with loans of $150,000 or less, use the 3508S form.
- For those with loans over $150,000
- 3508EZ: For those who did not reduce salary and wages by more than 25% during the Covered Period compared to the most recent full quarter before the Covered Period – AND – either:
- Were unable to operate during the Covered Period at the same level of business activity as before Feb 15, 2020, due to compliance with requirements or guidance issued between March 1 – Dec. 31, 2020, by the Secretary of Health & Human Services, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, or the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, related to the maintenance of standards of sanitation, social distancing, or other work or customer safety related to COVID 19.
- The Borrower did not reduce the number of employees or the average paid hours of employees between January 1, 2020 and the end of the Covered Period. (Ignore reductions that arose from an inability to rehire individuals who were employees on February 15, 2020 if the Borrower was unable to hire similarly qualified employees for unfilled positions on or before December 31, 2020 -and- also ignore reductions in an employee’s hours that the Borrower offered to restore and the employee refused.)
- 3508: For all others who do not meet the above guidelines, you must fill out the Long Form. This form requires more calculations and documentation. View our helpful video on how to fill out this form.
- 3508EZ: For those who did not reduce salary and wages by more than 25% during the Covered Period compared to the most recent full quarter before the Covered Period – AND – either:
What are the loan terms? The interest rate is 1% fixed rate. All payments are deferred for at least 10 months, though interest will accrue during this period. The loan is to be repaid in a minimum of 5 years, with no prepayment penalties. You will not need to pledge any collateral to receive this loan.
How to Apply The application period for this program has closed.
Who is eligible? To be eligible, you must be in operation as of February 15, 2020 and one of the following:
- A small business, as defined by the SBA, with 500 or fewer employees
- Sole proprietors, the self-employed, and independent contractors
- Certain nonprofits also qualify
Calculating Payroll on Your Application: Calculate your maximum borrow level. Remember to include yourself in the payroll and employee count! Once the loan is distributed, you cannot revise the calculation.
For Businesses with Employees:
- Step 1: Aggregate payroll costs from the last twelve months for employees whose principal place of residence is the United States. Don’t forget to include your own pay if you take an owner’s draw.
- Step 2: Subtract any compensation paid to an employee in excess of an annual salary of $100,000
- Step 3: Calculate average monthly payroll costs (divide the amount from Step 2 by 12).
- Step 4: Multiply the average monthly payroll costs from Step 3 by 2.5.
- Step 5: Add the outstanding amount of an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) made less the amount of any “advance” under an EIDL COVID-19 loan (because it does not have to be repaid).
For Businesses with No Employees:
- Step 1: Find your 2019 IRS Form 1040 Schedule C Line 31 net profit amount (if
you have not yet filed a 2019 return, fill it out, and compute the value). If this
amount is over $100,000, reduce it to $100,000. If this amount is zero or less,
you are not eligible for a PPP loan. - Step 2: Calculate the average monthly net profit amount (divide the amount from
Step 1 by 12). - Step 3: Multiply the average monthly net profit amount from Step 2 by 2.5.
- Step 4: Add the outstanding amount of any Economic Injury Disaster Loan
(EIDL) made between January 31, 2020 and April 3, 2020 that you seek to
refinance, less the amount of any advance under an EIDL COVID-19 loan
(because it does not have to be repaid).
More information on SBA’s other COVID Disaster Loan (Economic Injury Disaster Loan)
These grants provide an emergency advance of up to $10,000 to small businesses and private non-profits harmed by COVID-19. The EIDL program also provides low-interest, long-term loans. More information here.