What You Should Be Doing Now to Prepare for Possible Additional SBA Relief Funding

The U.S. Senate passed legislation Tuesday to replenish funding for several coronavirus small-business relief programs championed by NAR and available to REALTORS®.

The House is expected to take up the measure later this week.

Under the Senate agreement, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) will receive $310 billion in new cash, while the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) fund will receive an additional $50 billion.

The bill sets aside $60 billion of PPP funding exclusively for small and medium-sized community banks.

“The PPP ran out of money in about two weeks and the EIDL was running on fumes,” says Shannon McGahn, NAR’s top federal advocate. “These are two of the most extensive rescue programs in our nation’s history. We are hearing from brokers around the country who were able to keep their employees on the payroll because of this help and from self-employed members who have been able to keep their businesses afloat.”

“Although the rollout was a bit rocky because of the programs' sheer size and demand, more and more banks are coming in line," McGahn says, "and we encourage all our members who qualify to check with their lender again and keep trying. It’s worth it."

The Senate bill also contains $25 billion for coronavirus testing and $75 billion for hospitals.

Quick Guidance for REALTORS® on the PPP and EIDL:

If you’ve already applied for an EIDL: The SBA is processing applications already in their system on a first-come, first-served basis. You do not need to reapply.

If you have not already applied for an EIDL: Check back at the SBA application page once the additional funding is signed into law. The SBA will re-open applications shortly afterwards.

If you’ve already applied for a PPP loan through an SBA lender but have not been approved yet: Check with your lender to see if they are maintaining a queue of applications during the lapse or if you will need to reapply when the renewed funding comes through.

If you have not applied yet for a PPP loan through an SBA lender: Have the application form filled out and your documentation ready to provide to your lender. (For businesses with employees, have payroll documentation; for independent contractors, have your 2019 Form 1040, Schedule C, and 1099-MISC.) If you have an existing relationship with an SBA lender, you should go to that lender first once the program reopens, but be prepared to try multiple lenders, which you can find on the SBA site.

Visit nar.realtor/coronavirusSBA to address frequent questions about what the PPP and EIDL programs are, who is eligible and how to apply.