The first Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans were made over eight weeks ago, which means they may be forgivable if the guidelines set forth by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the United States Treasury Department are met.

In order to have a loan forgiven, borrowers need to complete the 11-page application made available by the Treasury Department. Applicants can complete the forms either in hard copy or via an online platform if provided by their lender. Large borrowers, or those who took out more than $2 million from the PPP program, are required to file even more paperwork.

Along with the application, borrowers need to submit a Forgiveness Amount Calculation. This calculation discloses the total eligible payroll costs paid during the program. Applicants will also need documentation, such as tax filing statements, utilities, PPP loan contracts, EIDL contracts, and any supporting documents that were used when applying for the PPP loan. 

Certification of the loan forgiveness amount requested is necessary to prove it was truly used to pay eligible costs, such as payroll, business mortgage interest, rent or lease payments, and utilities. Further, borrowers must report any declines in the number of full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) and/or wage reductions more than 25 percent. Failing to retain pre-program FTE headcount or wage reductions over this threshold will reduce the eligible amount of loan forgiveness.

The amount of paperwork necessary to substantiate the application can be daunting, especially for many “main street” businesses. In order to help you complete the application, the SBA has issued formal guidance that can be found here. And a more user-friendly guide giving detailed instructions on how to fill out your PPP forgiveness application form can be found here, provided by Bench. We can assist you with the application process itself and the required documentation. Give us a call to see how we can help instead of struggling through the process on your own.