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On Friday, May 22, 2020, the Small Business Administration issued a pair of documents containing much-needed guidance for borrowers and lenders participating in the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Topics: Accounting Tips, Tax, coronavirus, COVID-19, CARES Act, Paycheck Protection Program

UPDATE: The SBA has extended the grace period to May 14, 2020.  All other aspects remain unchanged.

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is one of the most influential aspects of the CARES Act legislation enacted by the U.S. Congress to combat the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In two massive tranches of funding, the PPP pumped nearly $660 billion into the economy and, through the Small Business Administration (SBA), down into the hands of small businesses that are and remain in desperate need.

Topics: Accounting Tips, coronavirus, COVID-19, CARES Act, Paycheck Protection Program, loans

This article was co-authored by Collin Kanelakos, Partner, Assurance Services.

 

So, you’ve submitted your SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) application and you might have even received your loan proceeds, but important work still remains. It is critical for you to closely manage and account for your PPP loan proceeds, not just for cash flow purposes but for accounting purposes in order to apply for your PPP loan forgiveness. The amount of documentation you will ultimately need for the forgiveness component of this loan will be substantial, so get your process in place now to shorten the lag of this ultimate forgiveness.

Topics: Accounting Tips, Tax, coronavirus, COVID-19, CARES Act, Paycheck Protection Program

To help individuals stay afloat during this time of economic uncertainty, the government will send up to $1,200 payments to eligible taxpayers and $2,400 for married couples filing joints returns. An additional $500 additional payment will be sent to taxpayers for each qualifying child dependent under age 17 (using the qualification rules under the Child Tax Credit).

Topics: Accounting Tips, Tax, coronavirus, COVID-19, CARES Act

Employee retention credit for employers

Eligible employers can qualify for a refundable credit against, generally, the employer’s 6.2% portion of the Social Security (OASDI) payroll tax (or against the Railroad Retirement tax) for 50% of certain wages (below) paid to employees during the COVID-19 crisis.

Topics: Accounting Tips, Tax, coronavirus, COVID-19, CARES Act

Generally, individuals are required by law to take an annual withdrawal from their IRA, Simple IRA, SEP IRA, or other retirement plan vehicles such as a 401K plan once they reach age 72 (or 70 1/2 before 2020).  They have until April 1st of the following year after reaching the required RMD age to take their first RMD payment.  Every year thereafter, they must take the RMD by December 31st.

Topics: coronavirus, COVID-19, CARES Act, RMD

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act contains immediate payroll tax relief to certain employers. The employee retention credit cannot be utilized by an employer who receives a section 7(a) SBA loan or CARES loan.

Topics: Accounting Tips, Tax, coronavirus, COVID-19, CARES Act

In response to the coronavirus pandemic and following the lead of the IRS, Glenn Hegar, Comptroller for the State of Texas, announced that state franchise tax filings that are ordinarily due on May 15^th are extended until July 15^th.

Topics: Accounting Tips, Tax, SALT, coronavirus, COVID-19, CARES Act

While a lot of recent attention focused on the stimulus package contained in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law late last week, remember that a significant deadline related to the new Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Families First) is rapidly approaching.  

Topics: Tax, coronavirus, COVID-19, CARES Act, Families First Coronavirus Response Act, FFCRA

Information continues to come from the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. Small Business Administration about much-needed relief for American small businesses. For a refresher on the key loan options available for small businesses, please see LGT’s analysis of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) here, the Emergency Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program here, and a comparison of the two types of loans here. Applications for EIDLs are already available online for download, and now so is the PPP Application Form! Before diving in to complete the application, however, take a few minutes to get familiar with some key provisions of the PPP application and process below, and don’t forget to download and review the full PPP Information Sheet from the U.S. Treasury.

Topics: Tax, coronavirus, COVID-19, CARES Act, Paycheck Protection Program