Financial
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
- CARES Act– Click here for the full document from Congress.
Paycheck Protection Program Loans
https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/paycheck-protection-program
The Paycheck Protection Program is a loan designed to help small businesses stay open and 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.
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.
The WV SBDC and the WV SBA District office do not have insight into the application portal and applicants will need to call the SBA Disaster Hotline at 1-800-659-2955.
We urge you to sign up for email updates at sba.gov/updates.
Paycheck Protection Program Forgiveness Application
On May 15, 2020, the Small Business Administration released the “Paycheck Protection Program Forgiveness Application.” The instruction sheet also provides a summary of costs eligible for loan forgiveness. The instructions and application can be found here.
SBA EIDL Loans
(4/27/20) The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance program is not currently accepting new applications, but funding should be restored soon.
For questions regarding your existing application for these programs, please call the SBA Disaster Hotline at 1-800-659-2955 or email DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. Applicants who have already submitted their applications will continue to be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Previous EIDL & Advances Status: If you submitted an application, received correspondence from SBA, and have a loan number that begins with a “3”, you are in the queue and your patience is appreciated. If you would like to further inquire about the process and understand what to expect next you should contact the Office of Disaster Assistance 24/7 Customer Service line at 800-659-2955.
The WV SBDC and the WV SBA District office do not have insight into the application portal and applicants will need to call the SBA Disaster Hotline at 1-800-659-2955.
More CARES Act Information
- Additional Business Tax Benefits
- This is additional information about the retention tax credit, delay of payment for payroll taxes, and net operating losses.
- Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act Checks for West Virginians
- Provided by Senator Joe Manchin, this sheet gives an overview of what payments West Virginians
can expect as well as common questions and answers.
- Provided by Senator Joe Manchin, this sheet gives an overview of what payments West Virginians
- COVID-19 Emergency Loans: Small Business Guide
- Provided by the US Chamber of Commerce, this guide helps small businesses and the self-employed
prepare to file for a loan.
Small Business Administration Resources
The SBDC will help you identify financing options, assist with financial projections, cash flow statements, loan structuring, provide a credit analysis, and guide you through the loan packaging process. The SBDC does not provide direct funding or grants. For more information about the process of packaging loans, exploring funding options, refinancing or expanding your business, please request assistance from one of our experienced business coaches at wvsbdc.com.
- WV SBDC Business Survival/Cash Flow Tips worksheet
- SBA Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources
- SBA PPP and EIDL Rural Businesses Presentation
- Eligibility for Agricultural Related Industries Revised
Other Federal Resources
Other Resources
- West Virginia Department of Agriculture
- The WVDA Covid-19 Pandemic Resources for Farmers and Food Producers provides information for West Virginia farmers’ markets, links to state and federal resources for farmers and food producers, and more.
- Intuit QuickBooks Resources and Tips
- West Virginia Bankers Association
- Facebook Small Business Grants Program
- Export-Import Bank of the United States Credit Insurance Guide
- Safe Work Playbook – An interactive guide for COVID-19 Pandemic Preparedness and Response – Created by Lear
- “While it is not a one-size-fits-all approach, the Safe Work Playbook includes practical recommendations, based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization, that could be tailored by businesses to address various scenarios they may face when returning to work.”
Grants
- Freelancers Union created a relief fund that will offer financial assistance of up to $1,000 per freelance household. 100% of all donations will be distributed directly to freelancers in need.
- GoFundMe has partnered with Yelp to allow independent businesses to start fundraisers and accept donations through Yelp’s pages. The Yelp Foundation and GoFundMe also both pledged to donate up to $1 million to the GoFundMe.org Small Business Relief Fund. The Small Business Relief Fund will provide one-time matching grants to qualifying small businesses to help alleviate the financial burdens during these pressing times. More info is found here
- James Beard Foundation started a Food and Beverage Industry Relief Fund to provide microgrants to independent food and beverage small businesses in need.
- Save Small Business Fund – Developed by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Save Small Business Fund will make grants available to businesses employing 3 to 20 people. The individual grant amount is limited to $5,000.00. To qualify, the business must employ 3 to 20 people; be located in an economically vulnerable area (determined by business zip code); and have been financially harmed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The program goes live Monday 4/20. https://www.savesmallbusiness.com/
- Truist and LISC announced a $5 million grant program for small businesses and non-profits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications will be accepted starting the first week of June. Below is an overview and more information can be found by visiting the links.
Small business support
- Grants of up to $10,000 each to small business owners, especially in rural communities and to enterprises owned by women and minorities, to help meet their most immediate needs
- Technical assistance to help small businesses weather the current crisis and plan for a sustainable future.
Access to technology and broadband
- Cash grants of up to $250 each to households to purchase laptops/tablets, set up and pay for internet, or address other urgent technology needs.
- Teams of “digital navigators” to help families maximize internet access, including signing up for subsidies/benefits; basic troubleshooting; and enrolling in computer skills programs.
- Grants to nonprofit organizations to upgrade technology infrastructure to deliver services remotely.
- Technical assistance to connect areas of density (housing developments, senior centers, etc.) to existing broadband infrastructure and to use satellite service to provide Wi-Fi in rural communities without connectivity
More information can be found here https://www.lisc.org/covid-19/small-business-assistance/small-business-relief-grants/truist/
Direct link to application
https://lisc.tfaforms.net/38?fbclid=IwAR0D_6rxRrgQTnYU9x6ZSavns3lrmi3c8oSPd0MQOPkDdmPr5S2VlvaBizw - Grants of up to $10,000 each to small business owners, especially in rural communities and to enterprises owned by women and minorities, to help meet their most immediate needs
Questions & Answers
PANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE (PUA) FAQ’S
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act creates a new temporary federal program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).
In general, PUA provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or extended benefits, including those who have exhausted all rights to such benefits.
Individuals covered under PUA include the self-employed (e.g. independent contractors, gig economy workers, and workers for certain religious entities), those seeking part-time employment, individuals lacking sufficient work history, and those who otherwise do not qualify for regular unemployment compensation or extended benefits.
Additional FAQ’s for Unemployment Provisions in the CARES Act
Click each question for details and information
To file for unemployment, go to workforcewv.org.
If you have a question concerning individual unemployment claims please call WorkForceWV at 1-800-252-5627.
The expanded benefits will wrap in far more workers than are usually eligible for unemployment benefits, including self-employed and part-time workers. Those who are unemployed, partially unemployed or who cannot work for a wide variety of coronavirus-related reasons should file a claim.
Under expanded benefits,
eligible workers will get an extra $600 per week of Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (PUC) on top of the state benefit. In West Virginia, the maximum weekly benefit amount is $424 per week. Your weekly benefit is calculated using wages paid to you in a defined base period.
For example, if your weekly benefit is computed at $250 per week, the $600 pandemic compensation will be added to that for a total of $850.
The Federal PUC payments will be provided on a weekly basis.
Yes, self-employed people are eligible for unemployment benefits.
Benefit amounts are calculated based on previous income, using a formula from the Disaster Unemployment Assistance program.
Yes.
If you’ve been diagnosed, are experiencing symptoms or are seeking a diagnosis — and you’re unemployed, partially unemployed or cannot work as a result — you will be covered. The same goes if you must care for a member of your family or household who has received a diagnosis.
If you rely on a school, daycare or another facility to care for a child, elderly parent or another household member so that you can work — and that facility has been shut down because of coronavirus — you may be eligible.
People who self-quarantine will be covered. The legislation also says that individuals who are unable to get to work because of a quarantine imposed as a result of the outbreak would also be eligible.
You may be eligible for benefits. You may also be covered if you were immediately laid off from a new job and did not have a sufficient work history to qualify for benefits under normal circumstances.
It depends. Let’s say your employer didn’t lay you off but you had to quit because of a quarantine recommended by a healthcare provider, or because your child’s daycare closed and you’re the primary caregiver. Situations like that are covered.
This provision is not intended to cover people who quit (or want to quit) because they fear that continuing to work puts them at risk of contracting coronavirus.
Yes. If you are unemployed, partially unemployed or unable to work because your employer closed, you will be covered.
Yes.
Workers who are able to work from home, and those receiving paid sick leave or paid family leave would not be covered. New entrants to the workforce who cannot find jobs would also be ineligible.
West Virginia provides 26 weeks of benefits. If eligible, the expanded benefits provides for an additional 13 weeks for a total of 39.
The extra $600 payment will last for up to four months, (covering 16 weeks of unemployment) and is scheduled to end July 31.
The expanded coverage will be available to workers who are newly eligible for unemployment benefits for weeks beginning Jan. 27, 2020 and through Dec. 31, 2020.
Yes. If you’ve exhausted your benefits, eligible workers may reapply. A new weekly benefit amount will be calculated based on wages earned during a designated base period. The bill is still being interpreted and policy developed, check back for any updates. What we do know is that everyone will get at least another 13 weeks, along with the extra $600 payment.
Maybe. The additional $600 benefit may count as income and should be reported when applying for income-test programs.
Training & Webinars
SBA WV District Office Q&A Session
Want to know what resources are available to small business owners? Have a question about the SBA loan programs? Join Kim Donahue, SBA Charleston Branch Manager, Melissa Loder, Senior Area Business Opportunity Specialist, and Nikki Bowmar, SBA WV Public Affairs Specialist for an interactive Q&A session.
Please note this session will not go over the new PPP Loan Forgiveness Application
Link: Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
Phone: 202-765-1264
Conference ID: 402791363#
Online Marketplace Webinars
Many consumers and business owners are turning to the online marketplace to do their shopping because of the pandemic. These webinars by marketing specialist Kim Butler help you transform your business and find an online solution that works best for you. Free to attend and no registration required.
Topics include:
How to make money at home
Websites 101
WordPress vs. Wix
Information can be found here:
https://www.theurldr.com/webinars-and-workshops/
