On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the CARES Act, which provided additional assistance for small business owners and non-profits, including the opportunity to get up to a $10,000 Advance on an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). This advance may be available even if your EIDL application was declined or is still pending, and will be forgiven.
If you wish to apply for the Advance on your EIDL, please visit www.SBA.gov/Disaster as soon as possible to fill out a new, streamlined application. In order to qualify for the Advance, you need to submit this new application even if you previously submitted an EIDL application. Applying for the Advance will not impact the status or slow your existing application.
It also provides an opportunity for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. SBA will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities. The Paycheck Protection Program will be available through June 30, 2020.
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.
For a great guideline and checklist, please view this graphic provided by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship also provided a Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act that can found here.
Also, we encourage you to subscribe to the SBA email updates via www.SBA.gov/Updates and follow them on Twitter at @SBAgov for the latest news on available SBA resources and services.
If you need additional assistance, please visit the Richmond SBA office at https://www.sba.gov/offices/district/va/richmond