Treasury and the Small Business Administration (SBA) have worked together to release the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application. According to Treasury’s May 15 press release, the application and correlating instructions inform borrowers how to apply for forgiveness of PPP loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act ( P.L. 116-136). The PPP was enacted under the CARES Act to provide eligible small businesses with loans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, SBA is expected to issue regulations and guidance to assist borrowers as they complete their applications, and to provide lenders with guidance on their responsibilities, according to Treasury.
Measures included in the application and instructions intended to reduce compliance burdens and simplify the process for borrowers include:
- options 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 eight-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; and
- the 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.
