Pandemic Darlings The pandemic economy, in original documents
Home Source documents Paycheck Protection Program: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on PPP Loan Forgiveness (As of August 11, 2020)

Paycheck Protection Program: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on PPP Loan Forgiveness (As of August 11, 2020)

Full text

As of August 11, 2020


                            PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM
                Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on PPP Loan Forgiveness

The Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the Department of the Treasury,
is providing this guidance to address borrower and lender questions concerning forgiveness of
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, as provided for under section 1106 of the Coronavirus
Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), as amended by the Paycheck Protection
Program Flexibility Act (Flexibility Act).

Borrowers and lenders may rely on the guidance provided in this document as SBA’s
interpretation, in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, of the CARES Act, the
Flexibility Act, and the Paycheck Protection Program Interim Final Rules (“PPP Interim Final
Rules”) (link).

General Loan Forgiveness FAQs


   1. Question: Which loan forgiveness application should sole proprietors, independent
      contractors, or self-employed individuals with no employees complete?

       Answer: Sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals who
       had no employees at the time of the PPP loan application and did not include any
       employee salaries in the computation of average monthly payroll in the Borrower
       Application Form automatically qualify to use the Loan Forgiveness Application Form
       3508EZ or lender equivalent and should complete that application.

   2. Question: Can PPP lenders use scanned copies of documents, E-signatures, or E-
      consents for loan forgiveness applications and loan forgiveness documentation?

       Answer: Yes. All PPP lenders may accept scanned copies of signed loan forgiveness
       applications and documents containing the information and certifications required by
       SBA Form 3508, 3508EZ, or lender equivalent. Lenders may accept any form of E-
       consent or E-signature that complies with the requirements of the Electronic Signatures in
       Global and National Commerce Act (P.L. 106-229).

       If electronic signatures are not feasible, then when obtaining a wet ink signature without
       in-person contact, lenders should take appropriate steps to ensure the proper party has
       executed the document.

       This guidance does not supersede signature requirements imposed by other applicable
       law, including by the lender’s primary federal regulator.

   3. Question: If a borrower submits a timely loan forgiveness application, does the
      borrower have to make any payments on its loan prior to SBA remitting the forgiveness
      amount, if any?

       Answer: As long as a borrower submits its loan forgiveness application within ten
       months of the completion of the Covered Period (as defined below), the borrower is not

                                                1
As of August 11, 2020


        required to make any payments until the forgiveness amount is remitted to the lender by
        SBA. If the loan is fully forgiven, the borrower is not responsible for any payments. If
        only a portion of the loan is forgiven, or if the forgiveness application is denied, any
        remaining balance due on the loan must be repaid by the borrower on or before the
        maturity date of the loan. Interest accrues during the time between the disbursement of
        the loan and SBA remittance of the forgiveness amount. The borrower is responsible for
        paying the accrued interest on any amount of the loan that is not forgiven. The lender is
        responsible for notifying the borrower of remittance by SBA of the loan forgiveness
        amount (or that SBA determined that no amount of the loan is eligible for forgiveness)
        and the date on which the borrower’s first payment is due, if applicable.

Loan Forgiveness Payroll Costs FAQs
    1. Question: Are payroll costs that were incurred during the Covered Period 1 or the
       Alternative Payroll Covered Period 2 but paid after the Covered Period or the Alternative
       Payroll Covered Period eligible for loan forgiveness?

        Answer: Yes, if the payroll costs are paid on or before the next regular payroll date after
        the Covered Period or Alternative Payroll Covered Period.

        Example: A borrower received its loan before June 5, 2020 and elects to use a 24-week
        Covered Period. The borrower’s Covered Period runs from Monday, April 20 through
        Sunday, October 4. The borrower has a biweekly payroll cycle, with a pay period
        ending on Sunday, October 4. However, the borrower will not make the corresponding
        payroll payment until the next regular payroll date of Friday, October 9. Under these
        circumstances, the borrower incurred payroll costs during the Covered Period and may
        seek loan forgiveness for the payroll costs paid on October 9 because the cost was
        incurred during the Covered Period and payment was made on the first regular payroll
        date after the Covered Period.
    2. Question: Are payroll costs that were incurred before the Covered Period but paid
       during the Covered Period eligible for loan forgiveness?

        Answer: Yes.


1
  The Covered Period is either (1) the 24-week (168-day) period beginning on the PPP loan disbursement date, or
(2) if the borrower received its PPP loan before June 5, 2020, the borrower may elect to use an eight-week (56-day)
Covered Period. For example, if the borrower is using a 24-week Covered Period and received its PPP loan
proceeds on Monday, April 20, the first day of the Covered Period is April 20 and the last day of the Covered Period
is Sunday, October 4. In no event may the Covered Period extend beyond December 31, 2020.
2
  Borrowers with a biweekly (or more frequent) payroll schedule may elect to calculate eligible payroll costs using
the 24-week (168-day) period (or for loans received before June 5, 2020 at the election of the borrower, the eight-
week (56-day) period) that begins on the first day of their first pay period following their PPP loan disbursement
date (i.e., the “Alternative Covered Period”). For example, if the borrower is using a 24-week Alternative Payroll
Covered Period and received its PPP loan proceeds on Monday, April 20, and the first day of its first pay period
following its PPP loan disbursement is Sunday, April 26, the first day of the Alternative Payroll Covered Period is
April 26 and the last day of the Alternative Payroll Covered Period is Saturday, October 10. In no event may the
Alternative Payroll Covered Period extend beyond December 31, 2020.

                                                         2
As of August 11, 2020


      Example: A borrower received its loan before June 5, 2020 and elects to use a 24-week
      Covered Period. The borrower’s Covered Period runs from Monday, April 20 through
      Sunday, October 4. The borrower has a biweekly payroll cycle, with a payroll cycle
      ending on Saturday, April 18. The borrower will not make the corresponding payroll
      payment until Friday, April 24. While these payroll costs were not incurred during the
      Covered Period, they were paid during the Covered Period and are therefore eligible for
      loan forgiveness.

   3. Question: Are borrowers required to calculate payroll costs for partial pay periods?

      Answer: If the borrower uses a biweekly or more frequent (e.g., weekly) payroll cycle,
      the borrower may elect to calculate eligible payroll costs using the eight-week (for
      borrowers that received their loans before June 5, 2020 and elect this Covered Period
      length) or 24-week period that begins on the first day of the first payroll cycle following
      the PPP Loan Disbursement Date (referred to as the Alternative Payroll Covered Period).
      However, if a borrower pays twice a month or less frequently, it will need to calculate
      payroll costs for partial pay periods. The Covered Period or Alternative Covered Period
      for any borrower will end no later than December 31, 2020.

      Example: A borrower uses a biweekly payroll cycle. The borrower’s 24-week Covered
      Period begins on Monday, June 1 and ends on Sunday, November 15. The first day of
      the borrower’s first payroll cycle that starts in the Covered Period is June 7. The
      borrower may elect an Alternative Payroll Covered Period that starts on June 7 and ends
      on November 21 (167 days later). Payroll costs incurred (i.e., the pay was earned on that
      day) during this Alternative Payroll Covered Period are eligible for loan forgiveness if
      the last payment is made on or before the first regular payroll date after November 21.

   4. Question: For purposes of calculating cash compensation, should borrowers use the
      gross amount before deductions for taxes, employee benefits payments, and similar
      payments, or the net amount paid to employees?

      Answer: The gross amount should be used when calculating cash compensation.

   5. Question: Are only salaries or wages covered by loan forgiveness, or can a borrower
      pay lost tips, lost commissions, bonuses, or other forms of incentive pay and have such
      costs qualify for loan forgiveness?

      Answer: Payroll costs include all forms of cash compensation paid to employees,
      including tips, commissions, bonuses, and hazard pay. Note that forgivable cash
      compensation per employee is limited to $100,000 on an annualized basis.

   6. Question: What expenses for group health care benefits will be considered payroll costs
      that are eligible for loan forgiveness?

      Answer: Employer expenses for employee group health care benefits that are paid or
      incurred by the borrower during the Covered Period or the Alternative Payroll Covered
      Period are payroll costs eligible for loan forgiveness. However, payroll costs do not

                                               3
As of August 11, 2020


      include expenses for group health care benefits paid by employees (or beneficiaries of the
      plan) either pre-tax or after tax, such as the employee share of their health care premium.
      Forgiveness is not provided for expenses for group health benefits accelerated from
      periods outside the Covered Period or Alternative Payroll Covered Period.

      If a borrower has an insured group health plan, insurance premiums paid or incurred
      during the Covered Period or Alternative Payroll Covered Period qualify as “payroll
      costs,” as long as the premiums are paid during the applicable period or by the next
      premium due date after the end of the applicable period. As noted, only the portion of the
      premiums paid by the borrower for coverage during the applicable Covered Period or
      Alternative Payroll Covered Period is included, not any portion paid by employees or
      beneficiaries or any portion paid for coverage for periods outside the applicable period.
      Loan Forgiveness Payroll Costs FAQ 8 outlines the rules that apply to owner health
      insurance.

   7. Question: What contributions for retirement benefits will be considered payroll costs
      that are eligible for loan forgiveness?

      Answer: Generally, employer contributions for employee retirement benefits that are
      paid or incurred by the borrower during the Covered Period or Alternative Payroll
      Covered Period qualify as “payroll costs” eligible for loan forgiveness. The employer
      contributions for retirement benefits included in the loan forgiveness amount as payroll
      costs cannot include any retirement contributions deducted from employees’ pay or
      otherwise paid by employees. Forgiveness is not provided for employer contributions for
      retirement benefits accelerated from periods outside the Covered Period or Alternative
      Covered Period. Loan Forgiveness Payroll Costs FAQ 8 outlines the treatment of
      retirement benefits for owners, which are different from this general approach.

   8. Question: How is the amount of owner compensation that is eligible for loan
      forgiveness determined?

      Answer: The amount of compensation of owners who work at their business that is
      eligible for forgiveness depends on the business type and whether the borrower is using
      an eight-week or 24-week Covered Period. In addition to the specific caps described
      below, the amount of loan forgiveness requested for owner-employees and self-employed
      individuals’ payroll compensation is capped at $20,833 per individual in total across all
      businesses in which he or she has an ownership stake. For borrowers that received a PPP
      loan before June 5, 2020 and elect to use an eight-week Covered Period, this cap is
      $15,385. If their total compensation across businesses that receive a PPP loan exceeds
      the cap, owners can choose how to allocate the capped amount across different
      businesses. The examples below are for a borrower using a 24-week Covered Period.

      C Corporations: The employee cash compensation of a C-corporation owner-employee,
      defined as an owner who is also an employee (including where the owner is the only
      employee), is eligible for loan forgiveness up to the amount of 2.5/12 of his or her 2019
      employee cash compensation, with cash compensation defined as it is for all other

                                               4
As of August 11, 2020


           employees. Borrowers are also eligible for loan forgiveness for payments for employer
           state and local taxes paid by the borrowers and assessed on their compensation, for the
           amount paid by the borrower for employer contributions for their employee health
           insurance, and for employer retirement contributions to their employee retirement plans
           capped at the amount of 2.5/12 of the 2019 employer retirement contribution. Payments
           other than for cash compensation should be included on lines 6-8 of PPP Schedule A of
           the loan forgiveness application (SBA Form 3508 or lender equivalent), for borrowers
           using that form, and do not count toward the $20,833 cap per individual.

           S Corporations: The employee cash compensation of an S-corporation owner-employee,
           defined as an owner who is also an employee, is eligible for loan forgiveness up to the
           amount of 2.5/12 of their 2019 employee cash compensation, with cash compensation
           defined as it is for all other employees. Borrowers are also eligible for loan forgiveness
           for payments for employer state and local taxes paid by the borrowers and assessed on
           their compensation, and for employer retirement contributions to their employee
           retirement plans capped at the amount of 2.5/12 of their 2019 employer retirement
           contribution. Employer contributions for health insurance are not eligible for additional
           forgiveness for S-corporation employees with at least a 2% stake in the business,
           including for employees who are family members of an at least 2% owner under the
           family attribution rules of 26 U.S.C. 318, because those contributions are included in
           cash compensation. The eligible non-cash compensation payments should be included on
           lines 7 and 8 of PPP Schedule A of the Loan Forgiveness Application (SBA Form 3508),
           for borrowers using that form, and do not count toward the $20,833 cap per individual.

           Self-employed Schedule C (or Schedule F) filers: The compensation of self-employed
           Schedule C (or Schedule F) individuals, including sole proprietors, self-employed
           individuals, and independent contractors, that is eligible for loan forgiveness is limited to
           2.5/12 of 2019 net profit as reported on IRS Form 1040 Schedule C line 31 (or 2.5/12 of
           2019 net farm profit, as reported on IRS Form 1040 Schedule F line 34) (or for new
           businesses, the estimated 2020 Schedule C (or Schedule F) referenced in question 10 of
           “Paycheck Protection Program: How to Calculate Maximum Loan Amounts – By
           Business Type” 3). Separate payments for health insurance, retirement, or state or local
           taxes are not eligible for additional loan forgiveness; health insurance and retirement
           expenses are paid out of their net self-employment income. If the borrower did not
           submit its 2019 IRS Form 1040 Schedule C (or F) to the Lender when the borrower
           initially applied for the loan, it must be included with the borrower’s forgiveness
           application.

           General Partners: The compensation of general partners that is eligible for loan
           forgiveness is limited to 2.5/12 of their 2019 net earnings from self-employment that is
           subject to self-employment tax, which is computed from 2019 IRS Form 1065 Schedule
           K-1 box 14a (reduced by box 12 section 179 expense deduction, unreimbursed
           partnership expenses deducted on their IRS Form 1040 Schedule SE, and depletion


3
    https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/How-to-Calculate-Loan-Amounts-508_1.pdf.


                                                        5
As of August 11, 2020


        claimed on oil and gas properties) multiplied by 0.9235. 4 Compensation is only eligible
        for loan forgiveness if the payments to partners are made during the Covered Period or
        Alternative Payroll Covered Period. Separate payments for health insurance, retirement,
        or state or local taxes are not eligible for additional loan forgiveness. If the partnership
        did not submit its 2019 IRS Form 1065 K-1s when initially applying for the loan, it must
        be included with the partnership’s forgiveness application.

        LLC owners: LLC owners must follow the instructions that apply to how their business
        was organized for tax filing purposes for tax year 2019, or if a new business, the expected
        tax filing situation for 2020.

Loan Forgiveness Nonpayroll Costs FAQs
    1. Question: Are nonpayroll costs incurred prior to the Covered Period, but paid during
       the Covered Period, eligible for loan forgiveness?

        Answer: Yes, eligible business mortgage interest costs, eligible business rent or lease
        costs, and eligible business utility costs incurred prior to the Covered Period and paid
        during the Covered Period are eligible for loan forgiveness.

        Example: A borrower’s 24-week Covered Period runs from April 20 through October 4.
        On May 4, the borrower receives its electricity bill for April. The borrower pays its
        April electricity bill on May 8. Although a portion of the electricity costs were incurred
        before the Covered Period, these electricity costs are eligible for loan forgiveness
        because they were paid during the Covered Period.

    2. Question: Are nonpayroll costs incurred during the Covered Period, but paid after the
       Covered Period, eligible for loan forgiveness?

        Answer: Nonpayroll costs are eligible for loan forgiveness if they were incurred during
        the Covered Period and paid on or before the next regular billing date, even if the billing
        date is after the Covered Period.

        Example: A borrower’s 24-week Covered Period runs from April 20 through October 4.
        On October 6, the borrower receives its electricity bill for September. The borrower
        pays its September electricity bill on October 16. These electricity costs are eligible for
        loan forgiveness because they were incurred during the Covered Period and paid on or
        before the next regular billing date (November 6).

    3. Question: If a borrower elects to use the Alternative Payroll Covered Period for payroll
       costs, does the Alternative Payroll Covered Period apply to nonpayroll costs?



4
 This treatment follows the computation of self-employment tax from IRS Form 1040 Schedule SE Section A line 4
and removes the “employer” share of self-employment tax, consistent with how payroll costs for employees in the
partnership are determined.

                                                      6
As of August 11, 2020


        Answer: No. The Alternative Payroll Covered Period applies only to payroll costs, not
        to nonpayroll costs. The Covered Period always starts on the date the lender makes a
        disbursement of the PPP loan. Nonpayroll costs must be paid or incurred during the
        Covered Period to be eligible for loan forgiveness. For payroll costs only, the borrower
        may elect to use the Alternative Payroll Covered Period to align with its biweekly or
        more frequent payroll schedule.

    4. Question: Is interest on unsecured credit eligible for loan forgiveness?
        Answer: No. Payments of interest on business mortgages on real or personal property
        (such as an auto loan) are eligible for loan forgiveness. Interest on unsecured credit is not
        eligible for loan forgiveness because the loan is not secured by real or personal property.
        Although interest on unsecured credit incurred before February 15, 2020 is a permissible
        use of PPP loan proceeds, this expense is not eligible for forgiveness.
    5. Question: Are payments made on recently renewed leases or interest payments on
       refinanced mortgage loans eligible for loan forgiveness if the original lease or mortgage
       existed prior to February 15, 2020?

        Answer: Yes. If a lease that existed prior to February 15, 2020 expires on or after
        February 15, 2020 and is renewed, the lease payments made pursuant to the renewed
        lease during the Covered Period are eligible for loan forgiveness. Similarly, if a
        mortgage loan on real or personal property that existed prior to February 15, 2020 is
        refinanced on or after February 15, 2020, the interest payments on the refinanced
        mortgage loan during the Covered Period are eligible for loan forgiveness.

        Example: A borrower entered into a five-year lease for its retail space in March 2015.
        The lease was renewed in March 2020. For purposes of determining forgiveness of the
        borrower’s PPP loan, the March 2020 renewed lease is deemed to be an extension of the
        original lease, which was in force before February 15, 2020. As a result, the lease
        payments made under the renewed lease during the Covered Period are eligible for loan
        forgiveness.

    6. Question: Covered utility payments, which are eligible for forgiveness, include a
       “payment for a service for the distribution of . . . transportation” under the CARES Act.
       What expenses does this category include?
        Answer: A service for the distribution of transportation refers to transportation utility
        fees assessed by state and local governments. Payment of these fees by the borrower is
        eligible for loan forgiveness. 5

    7. Question: Are electricity supply charges eligible for loan forgiveness if they are charged
       separately from electricity distribution charges?



5
 For more information on transportation utility fees, see
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/value_capture/defined/transportation_utility_fees.aspx.

                                                        7
As of August 11, 2020


      Answer: Yes. The entire electricity bill payment is eligible for loan forgiveness (even if
      charges are invoiced separately), including supply charges, distribution charges, and
      other charges such as gross receipts taxes.

Loan Forgiveness Reductions FAQs
   1. Question: Will a borrower be subject to a reduction to its forgiveness amount due to a
      reduction in FTE employees during the Covered Period if the borrower offered to rehire
      one or more laid off employees but the employees declined?

      Answer: In calculating its loan forgiveness amount, a borrower may exclude any
      reduction in FTE employees if the borrower is able to document in good faith the
      following: (1) an inability to rehire individuals who were employees of the borrower on
      February 15, 2020 and (2) an inability to hire similarly qualified individuals for unfilled
      positions on or before December 31, 2020. Borrowers are required to inform the
      applicable state unemployment insurance office of any employee’s rejected rehire offer
      within 30 days of the employee’s rejection of the offer. The documents that borrowers
      should maintain to show compliance with this exemption include the written offer to
      rehire an individual, a written record of the offer’s rejection, and a written record of
      efforts to hire a similarly qualified individual.

   2. Question: If a seasonal employer elects to use a 12-week period between May 1, 2019
      and September 15, 2019 to calculate its maximum PPP loan amount, what period in 2019
      should be used as the reference period for calculating any reductions in the loan
      forgiveness amount?

      Answer: A seasonal employer that elects to use a 12-week period between May 1, 2019
      and September 15, 2019 to calculate its maximum PPP loan amount must use the same
      12-week period as the reference period for calculation of any reduction in the amount of
      loan forgiveness.

   3. Question: When calculating the FTE Reduction Exceptions in Table 1 of the PPP
      Schedule A Worksheet on the Loan Forgiveness Application (SBA Form 3508 or lender
      equivalent), do borrowers include employees who made more than $100,000 in 2019
      (those listed in Table 2 of the PPP Schedule A Worksheet)?

      Answer: Yes. The FTE Reduction Exceptions apply to all employees, not just those
      who would be listed in Table 1 of the Loan Forgiveness Application (SBA Form 3508 or
      lender equivalent). Borrowers should therefore include employees who made more than
      $100,000 in the FTE Reduction Exception line in Table 1 of the PPP Schedule A
      Worksheet.

   4. Question: How do borrowers calculate the reduction in their loan forgiveness amount
      arising from reductions in employee salary or hourly wage?




                                                8
As of August 11, 2020


         Answer: Certain pay reductions during the Covered Period or the Alternative Payroll
         Covered Period may reduce the amount of loan forgiveness a borrower will receive. If
         the salary or hourly wage of a covered employee 6 is reduced by more than 25% during
         the Covered Period or the Alternative Payroll Covered Period, the portion in excess of
         25% reduces the eligible forgiveness amount unless the borrower satisfies the
         Salary/Hourly Wage Reduction Safe Harbor (as described in the Loan Forgiveness
         Application (SBA Form 3508 or lender equivalent)). The examples below assume that
         each employee is a “covered employee.”

         Example 1: A borrower received its PPP loan before June 5, 2020 and elected to use an
         eight-week covered period. Its full-time salaried employee’s pay was reduced during
         the Covered Period from $52,000 per year to $36,400 per year on April 23, 2020 and
         not restored by December 31, 2020. The employee continued to work on a full-time
         basis with a full-time equivalency (FTE) of 1.0. The borrower should refer to the
         “Salary/Hourly Wage Reduction” section under the “Instructions for PPP Schedule A
         Worksheet” in the PPP Loan Forgiveness Application Instructions. In Step 1, the
         borrower enters the figures in 1.a, 1.b, and 1.c, and because annual salary was reduced
         by more than 25%, the borrower proceeds to Step 2. Under Step 2, because the salary
         reduction was not remedied by December 31, 2020, the Salary/Hourly Wage Reduction
         Safe Harbor is not met, and the borrower is required to proceed to Step 3. Under Step
         3.a., $39,000 (75% of $52,000) is the minimum salary that must be maintained to avoid
         a penalty. Salary was reduced to $36,400, and the excess reduction of $2,600 is entered
         in Step 3.b. Because this employee is salaried, in Step 3.e., the borrower would
         multiply the excess reduction of $2,600 by 8 (if it had instead selected a 24-week
         Covered Period, it would multiply by 24) and divide by 52 to arrive at a loan
         forgiveness reduction amount of $400. The borrower would enter on the PPP Schedule
         A Worksheet, Table 1, $400 as the salary/hourly wage reduction in the column above
         box 3 for that employee.

         Example 2: A borrower received its PPP loan before June 5, 2020 and elected to use a
         24-week Covered Period. An hourly employee’s hourly wage was reduced from $20
         per hour to $15 per hour during the Covered Period. The employee worked 10 hours
         per week between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020. The borrower should refer to
         the “Salary/Hourly Wage Reduction” section under the “Instructions for PPP Schedule
         A Worksheet” in the PPP Loan Forgiveness Application Instructions. Because the
         employee’s hourly wage was reduced by exactly 25% (from $20 per hour to $15 per
         hour), the wage reduction does not reduce the eligible forgiveness amount. The amount
         on line 1.c would be 0.75 or more, so the borrower would enter $0 in the Salary/Hourly
         Wage Reduction column for that employee on the PPP Schedule A Worksheet, Table 1.

         If the same employee’s hourly wage had been reduced to $14 per hour, the reduction
         would be more than 25%, and the borrower would proceed to Step 2. If that reduction

6
  A “covered employee” is an individual who: (1) was employed by the borrower at any point during the Covered
Period or Alternative Payroll Covered Period and whose principal place of residence is in the United States; and (2)
received compensation from the borrower at an annualized rate less than or equal to $100,000 for all pay periods in
2019 or was not employed by the borrower at any point in 2019.

                                                         9
As of August 11, 2020


      were not remedied as of December 31, 2020, the borrower would proceed to Step 3.
      This reduction in hourly wage in excess of 25% is $1 per hour. In Step 3, the borrower
      would multiply $1 per hour by 10 hours per week to determine the weekly salary
      reduction. The borrower would then multiply the weekly salary reduction by 24
      (because the borrower is using a 24-week Covered Period). The borrower would enter
      $240 in the Salary/Hourly Wage Reduction column for that employee on the PPP
      Schedule A Worksheet, Table 1. If the borrower applies for forgiveness before the end
      of the 24-week Covered Period, it must account for the salary reduction (the excess
      reduction over 25%, or $240) for the full 24-week Covered Period.

      Example 3: An employee earned a wage of $20 per hour between January 1, 2020 and
      March 31, 2020 and worked 40 hours per week. During the Covered Period, the
      employee’s wage was not changed, but his or her hours were reduced to 25 hours per
      week. In this case, the salary/hourly wage reduction for that employee is zero, because
      the hourly wage was unchanged. As a result, the borrower would enter $0 in the
      Salary/Hourly Wage Reduction column for that employee on the PPP Schedule A
      Worksheet, Table 1. The employee’s reduction in hours would be taken into account in
      the borrower’s calculation of its FTE during the Covered Period, which is calculated
      separately and may result in a reduction of the borrower’s loan forgiveness amount.

   5. Question: For purposes of calculating the loan forgiveness reduction required for
      salary/hourly wage reductions in excess of 25% for certain employees, are all forms of
      compensation included or only salaries and wages?

      Answer: For purposes of calculating reductions in the loan forgiveness amount, the
      borrower should only take into account decreases in salaries or wages.

Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) FAQs

   1. Question: SBA will deduct the amount of any Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)
      advance received by a PPP borrower from the forgiveness amount remitted to the
      lender. How will a lender know the amount of the EIDL advance that will be
      automatically deducted by SBA?

      Answer: If a borrower received an EIDL advance, SBA is required to reduce the
      borrower’s loan forgiveness amount by the amount of the EIDL advance. SBA will
      deduct the amount of the EIDL advance from the forgiveness amount remitted by SBA to
      the lender. The lender will be able to confirm the amount of the EIDL advance that will
      be automatically deducted by SBA from the forgiveness payment by reviewing the
      borrower’s EIDL advance information in the PPP Forgiveness Platform.

   2. Question: How should a lender handle any remaining balance due on a PPP loan after
      SBA remits the forgiveness amount to the lender?

      Answer: If a PPP loan is not forgiven in full (including if there has been a reduction in
      the forgiveness amount for an EIDL advance), any remaining balance due on the PPP


                                              10
As of August 11, 2020


        loan must be repaid by the borrower. The lender is responsible for notifying the borrower
        of the loan forgiveness amount remitted by SBA and the date on which the borrower’s
        first loan payment is due. The lender must continue to service the loan. The borrower
        must repay the remaining loan balance by the maturity date of the PPP loan (either two or
        five years). If a borrower is determined to have been ineligible for a PPP loan for any
        reason, SBA may seek repayment of the outstanding PPP loan balance or pursue other
        available remedies.
    3. Question: What should a lender do if a borrower received an EIDL advance in excess of
       the amount of its PPP loan?

        Answer: A borrower that received an EIDL advance in excess of the amount of its PPP
        loan will not receive any forgiveness on the PPP loan, because the amount of an EIDL
        advance is deducted from the PPP loan forgiveness amount. The lender is responsible for
        notifying the borrower of the date on which the borrower’s first loan payment is
        due. The lender must continue to service the loan. The borrower must repay the
        remaining loan balance by the maturity date of the PPP loan (either two or five years). If
        a borrower is determined to have been ineligible for a PPP loan for any reason, SBA may
        seek repayment of the outstanding PPP loan balance or pursue other available remedies. 7




7
 All questions and answers published August 4, 2020 unless specified otherwise. EIDL FAQs 1 – 3 published
August 11, 2020.

                                                     11


File and source

File
2020-08_PPP-Loan-Forgiveness-FAQs-August-11-2020.pdf
Size
124,027 bytes
SHA-256
267666b965796d47106ccfe96126f11d0a2b521296b9d5c6cf38cff206ff3ca0
Our copy
2020-08_PPP-Loan-Forgiveness-FAQs-August-11-2020.pdf
Original
www.sba.gov
Back to top