The Paycheck Protection Program resumed accepting applications July 6, 2020, at 9:00 AM EDT in response to President signing the program’s extension legislation. The new deadline to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program loan is August 8, 2020. At the time of the original deadline, June 30, the Small Business Administration (SBA) determined there was still $130 billion in federal funds still available through the PPP program.

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive and lifeline for small businesses to keep their employees on the payroll.

The SBA will forgive loans if all employee retention criteria are met, and the funds are used for eligible expenses. Click here to read more about PPP loan forgiveness.

How To Apply

You can apply through any existing SBA 7(a) lender or through any federally insured depository institution, federally insured credit union, and Farm Credit System institution that is participating. Other regulated lenders will be available to make these loans once they are approved and enrolled in the program. You should consult with your local lender as to whether it is participating in the program. View a list of lenders participating in the Paycheck Protection Program by state.

Supplemental Materials

• Frequently Asked Questions for Lenders and Borrowers (06/25/2020)
• How to Calculate Loan Amounts (06-26-20)
• Frequently Asked Questions for Faith-Based Organizations Participating in the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program

The following entities affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19) may be eligible:

• • Any small business concern that meets SBA’s size standards (either the industry based sized standard or the alternative size standard)
  • Sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed persons
  • Any business with a NAICS Code that begins with 72 (Accommodations and Food Services) that has more than one physical location and employs less than 500 per location
  • Any business, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, 501(c)(19) veterans organization, or Tribal business concern (sec. 31(b)(2)(C) of the Small Business Act) with the greater of:
    • 500 employees, or
    • That meets the SBA industry size standard if more than 500

The PPP loan will be fully forgiven if the funds are used for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities (due to likely high subscription, at least 60% of the forgiven amount must have been used for payroll).

• PPP loans have an interest rate of 1%.
• Loans issued prior to June 5 have a maturity of 2 years. Loans issued after June 5 have a maturity of 5 years.
• Loan payments will be deferred for six months.
• No collateral or personal guarantees are required.
• Neither the government nor lenders will charge small businesses any fees.

Loan Forgiveness

Forgiveness is based on the employer maintaining or quickly rehiring employees and maintaining salary levels. Forgiveness will be reduced if full-time headcount declines, or if salaries and wages decrease. The loan forgiveness form and instructions include several measures to reduce compliance burdens and simplify the process for borrowers, including:

•    Options for borrowers to calculate payroll costs using an “alternative payroll covered period” that aligns with borrowers’ regular payroll cycles
•    Flexibility to include eligible payroll and non-payroll expenses paid or incurred during the 24-week period after receiving their PPP loan
•    Step-by-step instructions on how to perform the calculations required by the CARES Act to confirm eligibility for loan forgiveness
•    Borrower-friendly implementation of statutory exemptions from loan forgiveness reduction based on rehiring by June 30
•    Addition of a new exemption from the loan forgiveness reduction for borrowers who have made a good-faith, written offer to rehire workers that was declined

For more information the PPP loan guideliness and loan forgiveness, visit the SBA’s website.

*Information for this article was taken from the Paycheck Protection Program web page from the SBA’s website.