TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly on Thursday encouraged Kansas small businesses to continue to apply for the 2021 Federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ahead of the program’s extended deadline of May 31. Kansans can continue to submit applications for forgivable loans for pandemic-battered small businesses.
“Kansas small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” Governor Kelly said. “Additional PPP funding will help fuel our continued economic recovery, and I encourage all eligible small businesses to apply for PPP funds before the May 31st deadline. I will continue to push for additional stimulus funding to support our small businesses as we get our state back to normal.”
Led by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Treasury Department, the PPP is a federally administered program providing loans to small businesses to cover payroll expenses. The SBA began accepting applications through Community Financial Institutions on Jan. 11 and through all other financial institutions on Jan. 19. The deadline to apply has been extended to May 31.
During the 2020 distribution of PPP money, 54,000 small businesses in Kansas received $5 billion in funding.
“PPP has impacted our business in the most positive way possible,” said Andrew Gough, owner of Reverie Coffee Roasters in Wichita. “Quite frankly stated, without the support of the program, we could not have continued to be in business today. Balancing the safety needs of our staff and community with bottom line business survival required support from another source. We now have real hope of surviving this terrible pandemic, both as individuals and as a business.”
The 2021 PPP aims to make the program more attractive for small businesses and target the worst impacted industries through the following changes:
• Forgiveness has been simplified for borrowers of $150 thousand or less, with self-certification option to attest funds are spent appropriately
• Hospitality businesses, including hotels and restaurants, are eligible for an increased loan total (3.5x monthly payroll)
• Eligible expenses paid for with forgiven PPP loans may now be deducted on taxes for 2020 and 2021 and employers are now eligible for the Employee Retention Tax Credit even after taking PPP funds (reverses earlier guidance from IRS)
• Employers no longer must deduct Economic Injury Disaster Loans from their PPP loan total (EIDL program was refunded with an additional $40B also)
• Additional categories are now eligible as non-payroll expenses (up to 40% of total loan amount), with operational expenses (including software, cloud services, accounting services, etc.), supplier costs, damage from social unrest, and worker protection expenses
• Additional groups are eligible for loans, including 501(c)(6)s, housing cooperatives, and direct marketing organizations
Under the newly extended program, $234 billion are available with $12 billion earmarked for businesses in low-income and minority communities, as well as $15 billion in grants dedicated to live entertainment venues. Through Community Financial Institutions, the SBA hopes to encourage greater access to PPP funds. Businesses that have not received PPP funds previously are eligible for loans up to $10 million if they have 500 or fewer employees. Businesses that received PPP funds during the first round are eligible for up to $2 million in funding if they have 300 or fewer employees.
Information on where and how to apply can be found at https://www.sba.gov/PaycheckProtection/find
Additional Resources:
• Information on Community Financial Institutions can be found at https://www.sba.gov/article/2021/jan/11/sba-re-opens-ppp-community-financial-institutions-first
• Further general information on loans can be found at https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/covid-19-relief-options/paycheck-protection-program.
• Further questions can be directed to the Kansas Department of Commerce at https://www.kansascommerce.gov/.
