Coronavirus Resource Page
SBA Releases New PPP Loan Forgiveness Guidance
On July 28, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) released an update to the forgiveness process for the majority of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The goal of the new guidance is to streamline the process for PPP participants with loans of $150,000 or less. The interim final rule includes updates in three key areas:…
Key Changes to the Employee Retention Credit
On December 27, 2020, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA) into law. A recent article from JD Supra outlines two key provisions included in the act that make changes to the employee retention credit. Established by the CARES Act, the employee retention credit was designed to incentivize employers to maintain their staff…
New Paycheck Protection Program Guidance Released
On Wednesday, January 6, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Treasury issued joint guidance regarding the latest updates to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), as amended by the recent COVID-19 relief bill. A recent article from the Journal of Accountancy offers an overview of the guidance, which includes the following items: An interim…
Congress Enacts Additional Stimulus Legislation
On December 22, 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA2021), which includes $892 billion in coronavirus stimulus spending. This long-awaited and highly contested piece of legislation ties coronavirus relief funding into a $1.4 trillion resolution for funding the federal government through September of next year. The nearly $900 billion in stimulus funds comprises…
IRS Releases Anticipated Guidance Regarding PPP Loans and Expense Deductibility
On November 18, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Revenue Ruling 2020-27 and Revenue Procedure 2020-51. The two releases offer clarification regarding the non-deductibility of expenses that contribute to the forgiveness of loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Author Sally Schreiber breaks down the contents and significance of the two releases in an article…
IRS Issues Guidance Regarding Payroll Tax Deferral
On Friday, August 28, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2020-65, which offers guidance regarding the implementation of the Presidential Memorandum on the deferment of some payroll taxes. The memorandum, which was released by the President on August 8th, called for a deferral of the employee share of social security tax (or the railroad…
SBA and Treasury Release Additional PPP Guidance
On August 24, the Small Business Administration and Treasury made available a new set of guidance regarding Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgiveness issues. The new interim final rule covers two areas: owner-employee compensation and the eligibility of non-payroll costs. A recent article from the Journal of Accountancy offers a concise summation of the new regulations….
Presidential Memos Address Coronavirus Issues
Over the weekend, President Trump issued a series of executive actions. Three of the four memos aim at extending CARES Act provisions that have expired already or will expire soon. The fourth seeks to mimic the payroll tax holiday for which the President has been advocating. The four executive actions address the following areas: Unemployment…
SBA Issues 23 New PPP FAQs
On August 4th, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) released additional guidance regarding forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. In consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the SBA added 23 new questions to their PPP FAQ page. The SBA sorts the new loan forgiveness FAQs into the following four categories: …
IRS Publishes New Release Regarding Business Interest Expense Limitations
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced finalized guidance regarding business interest expense limitations. In a helpful article from the Journal of Accountancy, author Sally Schreiber offers an overview of the new rules. Background The business interest expense limitation was created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 and subsequently modified by…
PPP Gets Five-Week Extension
On Wednesday, July 1 the House agreed unanimously to an extension of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The five-week extension originated in the Senate on Tuesday, where it was approved late in the evening. President Trump signed the bill into law on Saturday, July 4. With around $129 billion of loan funds still available…
SBA Releases Guidance Regarding Early PPP Loan Forgiveness
On June 22, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) released additional guidance regarding Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness. A recent article from the Journal of Accountancy summarizes the information contained in the release. The new interim final rule primarily addresses changes made by the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020. This is the…
SBA Releases Guidance Regarding Early PPP Loan Forgiveness
On June 22, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) released additional guidance regarding Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness. A recent article from the Journal of Accountancy summarizes the information contained in the release. The new interim final rule primarily addresses changes made by the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020. This is the…
SBA Releases Updates On PPP Forgiveness
This week, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury released new information for recipients of loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). A recent article from the Journal of Accountancy offers helpful details on the revised loan forgiveness application, the new EZ application, and the new interim final rule on…
SBA Releases Application for PPP Loan Forgiveness
On Friday, May 15, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced an important release for borrowers who received loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The bureau made public a form and instructions for borrowers to use to apply for PPP loan forgiveness. The application must be completed and submitted to the lender that serviced the…
Is My PPP Loan Still Forgivable if My Employees Refuse to Come Back to Work?
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a loan initiative created by the CARES Act that targets aid to small businesses dealing with losses resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The big appeal of the program is that the portion of the PPP loan funds used for certain “allowable purchases” is fully forgivable. Firstly, what are the…
Guidance on Calculating Maximum PPP Loan Amounts
On Friday, April 24, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released additional guidance regarding how various types of businesses should calculate the maximum Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan amount for which they qualify. The new SBA guidance offers specific instructions for the following entities: Self-employed with no employees Self-employed with employees Self-employed and reports income on…
CARES Act FAQ: Mid-Sized Business Lending Program
On March 27 th , President Trump enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economics Security (CARES) Act. The historic $2.2 trillion stimulus bill includes $454 billion to support Federal Reserve emergency lending facilities to help mid-sized businesses dealing with losses resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The legislation instructs the US Department of the Treasury to…
CARES Act FAQ: Payroll Tax Deferral
On March 27 th , President Trump enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The historic $2.2 trillion stimulus bill contains a variety of provisions, including a deferment of payroll taxes for employers. Below, we address some of the common questions regarding these tax law modifications. If you cannot find the answer…
SBA Issues Supplemental PPP Guidance
On April 14, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released new guidance regarding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a $350 billion program that targets aid to small businesses dealing with losses resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The PPP was created as a part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was signed…
Where’s My Recovery Rebate?
As part of the recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, direct economic recovery payments are being distributed to eligible American taxpayers. Distribution of recovery rebates began this week. If you are expecting a federal recovery rebate, but have not yet received it, visit the IRS website for more information. The IRS…
CARES Act FAQ: Retirement Plan Withdrawals
On March 27th, President Trump enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The historic $2.2 trillion stimulus bill includes an allowance for penalty-free early withdrawals from retirement accounts. Below, we address some of the common questions regarding this particular initiative. If you cannot find the answer to your question, please do not…
CARES Act FAQ: Employee Retention Credit
On March 27th, President Trump enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The historic $2.2 trillion stimulus bill includes a wide range of business tax provisions, including a new credit for employers that retain their employees. Below, we address some of the common questions regarding this particular initiative. If you cannot find…
Watch Out for Coronavirus-Related Scams
On Thursday, April 2, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued a warning concerning the development of new scams related to the coronavirus, particularly the recovery rebates legislated by the CARES Act. It is not surprising that criminals are taking advantage of the chaos resulting from the coronavirus outbreak to perpetrate fraud. The IRS has observed…
CARES Act FAQ: Net Operating Loss & Other Tax Modifications
On March 27th, President Trump enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The historic $2.2 trillion stimulus bill contains a variety of modifications to key business tax provisions, such as regulations regarding Net Operating Losses. Below, we address some of the common questions regarding these tax law modifications. If you cannot find…
CARES Act FAQ: Recovery Rebate
On March 27th, President Trump enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The historic $2.2 trillion stimulus bill includes an estimated $300 billion in direct payments to eligible American taxpayers. Below, we address some of the common questions regarding this particular initiative. If you cannot find the answer to your question, please…
CARES Act FAQ: Emergency Economic Injury Grants
On March 27th, President Trump enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The historic $2.2 trillion stimulus bill includes $10 billion in funding to provide emergency grants to small businesses and nonprofits that apply for economic injury disaster loans. Below, we address some of the common questions regarding this particular initiative. If…
CARES Act FAQ: Paycheck Protection Program
On March 27th, President Trump enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economics Security (CARES) Act. The historic $2.2 trillion stimulus bill includes a $349 billion paycheck protection program (PPP) that targets aid to small businesses dealing with losses resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The PPP uses the already-existing small-business loan framework of the Small Business…
CARES Act Summary Coronavirus Relief: Phase Three
As of March 27, 2020, both the United States House and Senate have voted to pass a sweeping $2.2 trillion stimulus package designed to abate the economic damages caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is the third piece of legislation crafted to address the economic havoc…
Maintaining Your Mental Health During the Coronavirus Pandemic
There is a lot of scary stuff happening right now. Many are struggling to maintain good mental health in light of the Coronavirus pandemic. For some, the mental strain is exacerbated by the fact that so many are practicing social distancing. So how can you maintain or strengthen your mental health in the midst of…
Do I Qualify for Paid Sick Leave Under the New Coronavirus Act?
On Wednesday, March 18, President Trump enacted a coronavirus emergency relief package, known as Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The legislation includes relief for American workers required to take time off work because of the coronavirus, the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act of 2020. The act includes both paid leave benefits for American workers and…
Federal Tax Filing Deadline Extended to July 15
On Friday, March 20, 2020, Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin released a statement that the federal tax filing deadline has moved in response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The new deadline of July 15, 2020, corresponds with the tax payment deadline previously rescheduled earlier in the week. The details of this release can…
What Does Paid Sick Leave Mean for My Organization?
On Wednesday, March 18, President Trump enacted a coronavirus emergency relief package, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The legislation includes relief for American workers required to take time off work because of the coronavirus, the Emergency Paid Leave Act of 2020. In order to help employers manage the cost of paid sick leave, the…
Update to Lewis & Knopf’s COVID-19 Strategy
On March 11, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. Because of this, many businesses, including schools, entertainment venues, and restaurants, are closing their doors temporarily. While we technically remain open during this busy time of year, we are severely limiting the number of team members within our physical offices at this time….
How Lewis & Knopf, CPAs, P.C. is Addressing the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
To our clients and friends, At Lewis & Knopf, the health and safety of our employees and our clients is of paramount importance. For this reason, we are taking specific precautions to protect our staff and visitors during the current outbreak of Coronavirus. With more confirmed cases being reported, we are considering the potential impact…
Additional Links and Resources
Resources for Michigan Businesses During COVID-19 »
Unemployement Insurance Fact Sheet »
Unemployment Benefits for MI »
AICPA Coronavirus Resource Center »
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) »
Coronavirus Emergency Loans Small Business Guide and Checklist »
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Overvieww »
Paycheck Protection Program Application »
Non-Filer IRS Economic Impact Payment »