PPP Resources
>> US Treasury Press Release
>> SBA Website
The CNN article highlights the following changes:
Businesses may now get a second PPP loan. Businesses that got a PPP loan when the program first went into effect now may apply for a “second draw,” so long as they’re not a public company, don’t employ more than 300 people, have used or will fully use their first PPP loan for authorized uses, and can show at least a 25% drop in gross receipts in the first, second or third quarters of this year compared to the same quarter in 2019.
Targeted funds are being made available for the most vulnerable businesses. Specific amounts — ranging from $15 billion to $25 billion — are earmarked for community development financial institutions — which typically lend to minority-owned businesses in underserved communities — and for businesses with fewer than 10 employees, as well as those in low-income areas.
There is greater flexibility in how the loan may be used and still be fully forgiven. For any PPP loan to be fully forgiven, at least 60% of the money must be used for payroll expenses. But the remaining 40% or less may be used to cover an even broader swath of business expenses than was the case during the initial rounds of PPP lending.
Beyond mortgage interest, rent and utility payments, the loan now may be used to cover the costs of personal protective equipment and other expenses incurred to meet Covid restrictions, as well as certain operations, property damage and supplier costs.
The forgiveness process is simpler. In order to have a PPP loan forgiven, businesses that borrowed $150,000 or less will simply need to submit a one-page certification that includes the number of employees the business retained as a result of the loan, an estimate of how much of the loan was spent on payroll and the total loan amount. Borrowers must also attest that the information is accurate and that they complied with loan requirements.
This should help many small businesses that got PPP loans during earlier lending rounds. A full 87% of the loans were below $150,000, according to the Small Business Administration.
The tax break for PPP loan recipients just got bigger. While the loans will be tax-free for recipients if they’re used for authorized purposes, the latest Covid relief package sweetened the pot further. Businesses normally deduct their payroll and operating expenses from their gross income. Now, even if those expenses were largely paid for by the tax-free loan, they will still be deductible.