CITY OF MANVEL STAY SAFE AT HOME ORDER
To protect the community and reinforce regional efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, the City of Manvel has placed a Stay Home Order. This order limits activities within the city community to those that are essential. For the purposes of this order, essential businesses include essential healthcare operations, essential government functions, essential critical infrastructure, essential retail, providers of basic necessitates to economically disadvantaged populations, essential services necessary to maintain essential operations of residences or other essential businesses, news media, childcare services, and labor union functions.
Resources that can provide assistance during this disruption
Small Business Administration Programs
Federal Income Tax Filing Deadline
Federal Tax Credit for Required Leave
Texas Workforce Commission – Shared Work Program
City of Pearland Stay Safe at Home Order
CDC: Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (SBA)
There are two loan programs from the Small Business Administration to assist businesses impacted by COVID-19. A business may qualify for both the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) as they cover different items. EIDL is directly through the SBA and is now taking applications. The Paycheck Protection Program will be through your local lender and the rules and process are still be worked on at this time. See below for more details on both programs.
SBA INJURY DISASTER LOANS (EDIL)
Background
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as the result of COVID-19. The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing.
These working capital loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. The interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses without credit available elsewhere. Once approved, an initial disaster bridge loan of $25,000 could be available within 5 days.
Criteria reviewed includes credit history, ability to repay and losses related to the disaster. There is no cost to apply with funds coming directly from the US Treasury and not your bank. SBA will calculate the businesses’ ability to fund itself for the next six months and if it cannot, it is eligible for a loan. The maximum unsecured loan is $25,000, but a loan will not be declined for a lack of collateral, however will require borrowers to pledge what is available. Payments start the 12th month after the date of the note. There is no obligation to take the loan or draw down entire amount offered.
SBA offers loans with long-term repayments in order to keep payments affordable, up to a maximum of 30 years. Terms are determined on a case-by-case basis, based upon each borrower’s ability to repay.
The Process
We encourage you to first reach out to your local bank/lender to see what credit/assistance is available. Also, determine if you are a small business by taking the size standard test.
There is a three-step disaster loan process:
1. Download two forms, fill in and upload forms: 3 pages of application estimated to take only 30 minutes to complete, can be scanned or can be taken as a photo and uploaded. Forms are not being completed on the web, only via upload.
2. Loan processing decision: Information will be verified and credit checked and more information may be requested to determine the loan amount. A loan office will contact you to make a recommendation and discuss the next steps. A decision can take up to four weeks.
3. Loan closes and funds disbursed: Once you sign and submit loan documents, an initial disaster bridge loan of $25,000 will be available within 5 days.
What You Will Need to Apply
· Loan Application: Sole Proprietor (SBA Form 5C) or Business (SBA Form 5)
· Check EIDL box
· Do not fill out blocks 15 or 20, as there is no property loss
· Supporting Information: SBA Form P-019
· If business is less than a year old, can still apply.
Other Information You May Be Asked for Later
· Up to two years Tax Returns with all schedules: IRS Form 4506-T
· Complete copy, including all schedules, of the most recent Federal income tax return for principals (own 20% or more), all general partners or managing members and each owner who owns more than 50% of an affiliate business
· If the most recent Federal income tax return has not been filed, a year-end profit and loss statement and balance sheet for that tax year is acceptable.
· Fee Disclosure: SBA Form 159D
· Monthly Sales Figures: SBA Form 1368
· Personal Financial Statement: SBA Form 413D
· Schedule of Liabilities: SBA Form 2022
· A current year-to-date profit and loss statement
Additional information can be found on the COVID-19: Small Business Guidance and Loan Resources page on the SBA’s website and Application Instructions.
SBA PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM
Background
The Paycheck Protection Program will provide 8 weeks of cash-flow assistance through a 100 percent federally guaranteed loan to small businesses (less than 500 employees) who maintain their payroll during the COVID-19 crisis. If the employer maintains its payroll, the portion of the loans used for covered payroll cost, interest on mortgage obligations, rent, and utilities would be forgiven.
This SBA program will be offered by local banks, credit unions and other SBA certified lenders. To increase the approval time, lenders will have the authority to process, close and service a loan without SBA review. The program was part of the CARES Act approved by Congress and the rules of the program have not yet been finalized.
Loan
Small businesses, sole proprietors, independent contractors and self-employed individuals are eligible. The maximum loan amount will be the lesser of $10 million dollars or 2.5 times the average monthly payroll and employee benefits, excluding compensation above $100K, based on the prior year’s payroll. The requirement to have credit elsewhere, collateral requirements and all requirements for a personal guarantees are waived. All principal, interest and fees for six months will be waived.
Loan Forgiveness
To encourage employers to maintain payroll from February 15, 2020 through June 30, 2020, the employer can be receive loan forgiveness for an 8-week period after the origination date used on payroll cost, interest on mortgage obligation, rent and utilities. Employers that rehire workers previously laid off will not be penalized for having a reduced payroll at the beginning of the period.
Additional information with links will be posted when available. In the meantime, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has issued a guide to help small businesses and self-employed individuals prepare to file for a loan.
FEDERAL INCOME TAX FILING DATE DEFERRED TO JULY 15
Federal income tax returns, along with Federal income tax payments, that were due April 15, 2020, have been automatically postponed to July 15, 2020 without any interest or penalties. Originally, the IRS was allowing tax payments to be deferred until July 15, but returns would still be have been required to have been filed by April 15, but this was later revised to also extend the filing of tax returns to July 15. Learn more.
FEDERAL TAX CREDIT FOR REQUIRED PAID LEAVE
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Act), signed into law on March 18, 2020, allows small and midsize employers two new refundable payroll tax credits, designed to immediately and fully reimburse them, dollar-for-dollar, for the cost of providing the act’s required Coronavirus-related leave to their employees. All businesses with fewer than 500 employees are eligible to receive funds to provide employees with paid leave, either for the employee’s own health needs or to care for family members. The legislation is designed to enable employers to keep their workers on their payrolls, while at the same time ensuring that workers are not forced to choose between their paychecks and the public health measures needed to combat the virus.
Eligible employers who pay qualifying sick or child care leave will be able to retain an amount of the payroll taxes equal to the amount of qualifying sick and child care leave that they paid, rather than deposit them with the IRS. The payroll taxes that are available for retention include withheld federal income taxes, the employee share of Social Security and Medicare taxes, and the employer share of Social Security and Medicare taxes with respect to all employees. Learn more (including examples) on the tax credits.
TAX PROVISIONS FOR BUSINESSES
The CARES Act has multiple provisions to assist business with cash flow and liquidity to encourage businesses to keep employees on the payroll during the COVID-19 crisis. We encourage you to reach out to your accountant/tax preparer to see which provisions can benefit your business. A few of the provisions include:
· Eligible employers receive a credit against applicable employment taxes for each calendar quarter in an amount equal to 50% of the qualified wages for each employee. Credit is not available if taking advantage of the small business interruption loan.
· Payroll taxes deferred for most employees from March 27 to December 31, 2020. Half deferred until December 31, 2021 and the other half to December 31, 2022.
· Net Operating Loss provision allows businesses to apply losses from 2018, 2019 or 2020 to past years’ profits and claim refunds.
· Business interest provision temporarily allows increase in the interest deduction from 30 to 50 percent for 2019 and 2020.
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
Employees working reduced hours or that have been laid off/furloughed because of COVID-19 will be eligible for unemployment. The CARES Act passed by Congress increases the amount customarily available for unemployment by $600 per week until July 31, 2020. Total benefits may not exceed 39 weeks.
Congress recently expanded benefits to self-employed, independent contractors and “gig workers” who normally don’t qualify for unemployment benefits, but may qualify under Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). You should first apply for regular unemployment so the state can determine you are ineligible for benefits before applying for DUA. The expanded benefits for independent contractors or self-employed individuals are being funded through the CARES Act.
Additional information for employers from the Texas Workforce Commission for employers and filing for unemployment.
More documents on the CARES Act -
US Chamber Summary of CARES Act
CARES Act Summary & Provisions
CARES Act for Small Businesses
CARES Act Small Business Loans
CARES Act Way and Means Phase III
CARES Act Paycheck Protection and Loan Forgiveness
TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION – SHARED WORK PROGRAM
The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) encourages employers to enroll in Shared Work program as an alternative to layoffs. The voluntary Shared Work program was developed to help Texas employers and employees withstand a slowdown in business such as the impact of COVID-19. For more information on the Shared Work Program or to apply for the program, click here.
TWC resources for employers can be found here.
CDC: INTERIM GUIDANCE FOR BUSINESSES AND EMPLOYERS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released an interim guide to assist businesses and employers plan, prepare and respond to Coronavirus Disease. The CDC will update this interim guidance as needed and as additional information becomes available.
LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH RESOURCES
The city continues to work with local, regional and state partners to monitor and prepare for Coronavirus. We encourage you to visit the local County Public Health information pages for the most recent local information.