SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan 
Forgiveness: In Brief 
Updated September 3, 2020 
Congressional Research Service 
https://crsreports.congress.gov 
R46397 
 
  
 
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SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness: In Brief  
 
Contents 
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 
PPP Forgiveness Provisions and Process ............................................................................. 4 
Forgiveness Application Process .................................................................................. 4 
Payroll Costs ............................................................................................................ 5 
Nonpayroll Costs....................................................................................................... 5 
Reductions in Forgiveness .......................................................................................... 6 
Calculating Full-Time Equivalent Employees  ........................................................... 6 
Calculating Salaries and Wages .............................................................................. 7 
Pending Legislation of Interest .................................................................................... 7 
 
Contacts 
Author Information ......................................................................................................... 8 
 
 
  
SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness: In Brief  
 
Introduction 
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act; P.L. 116-136) created the 
Smal  Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to provide short-term, 
low-interest “covered loans” that could be forgiven in whole or in part under specified conditions 
to smal  businesses eligible  to participate in the SBA’s 7(a) loan guarantee program and any 
business, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, 501(c)(19) veteran’s organization, or tribal business 
not currently eligible  that has not more than 500 employees or, if applicable, the SBA’s size 
standard in number of employees for the industry in which they operate. Sole proprietors, 
independent contractors, and eligible self-employed individuals are also eligible  to receive a 
covered loan.1 For more information on Coronavirus Disease 2019-related (COVID-19-related) 
assistance to smal  businesses, including a summary of enacted legislation and select bil s, see 
CRS Report R46284, COVID-19 Relief Assistance to Small Businesses: Issues and Policy 
Options, by Robert Jay Dilger, Bruce R. Lindsay, and Sean Lowry. 
Congress initial y  authorized $349 bil ion  for SBA 7(a) loans—including PPP loans—which were 
available  through June 30, 2020, had a 100% SBA loan guarantee, no borrower fees, a 1% interest 
rate, and a two-year term. Loan payments were deferred for six months. Loan amounts were 
capped at the lesser of (1) 2.5 times the average total monthly payments by the applicant for 
payroll costs incurred during the one-year period before the date on which the loan is made, plus 
the outstanding balance of any Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) made on or after January 
31, 2020, that is refinanced as part of a covered loan or (2) $10 mil ion. Lending began on April 
3, 2020, and the initial  authorization was exhausted by April 16.  
On April  24, 2020, Congress authorized another $310 bil ion ($659 bil ion  total) for 7(a) loans—
including PPP loans—in the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act 
(P.L. 116-139). Lending resumed on April 27, 2020, and stopped, once again, on June 30, 2020, 
as required by the CARES Act.  
Lending resumed on July 6, 2020, following enactment of An Act to Extend the Authority for 
Commitments for the Paycheck Protection Program (P.L. 116-147). The act extended the 
authorization for issuing new PPP loans from June 30, 2020, to August 8, 2020; and it authorized 
$659 bil ion  for PPP loan commitments and $30 bil ion for 7(a) loan commitments. As required 
by the act, the SBA stopped accepting new PPP loan applications on August 8, 2020. As of that 
date, the SBA had approved over 5.2 mil ion PPP loans, totaling more than $525 bil ion. 
Initial y,  PPP loans used for payroll expenses and for specified nonpayroll operating costs paid or 
incurred during an eight-week “covered period” following the loan’s origination date could be 
fully forgiven if the borrower met certain payroll and employment retention criteria. Initial y, 
borrowers were required by SBA regulations to use at least 75% of the loan forgiveness amount 
on payroll costs and the remainder on eligible mortgage interest, rent, and utility payments in 
order to receive full loan forgiveness.2 
                                              
1 For purposes of determining not more than 500 employees, the term employee includes individuals  employed on a 
full-time, part -time, or other basis. Also, special eligibility  considerations are provided for certain businesses  and 
organizations. For example, businesses  operating in NAICS  Sector 72 ( Accommodation and Food Services  industry) 
that employ not more than 500 employees per physical location are also eligible  for a covere d loan. Affiliation rules are 
also waived  for (1) NAICS  Sector 72 businesses,  (2) franchises, and (3) SBIC-owned  businesses.  In other words, these 
businesses  would  not be denied  a covered loan solely because  they employ more than 500 employees across multi ple 
businesses  under  common ownership. 
2 Small  Business  Administration (SBA) and Department of the Treasury (T reasury), “Interim Final Rule - Business 
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SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness: In Brief  
 
On May 18, 2020, the SBA released the first version of the borrower’s application for PPP loan 
forgiveness.3 On May 22, 2020, the SBA issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) on PPP forgiveness.4 
In an effort to make it easier for borrowers to receive full loan forgiveness, especial y those with 
relatively high mortgage interest, rent, or utility costs, the at least 75% payroll requirement 
imposed by the SBA  through regulations was statutorily reduced to at least 60% by the Paycheck 
Protection Program Flexibility Act (P.L. 116-142). The act also  
  extended the PPP loan forgiveness covered period from eight weeks after the 
loan’s origination date to the earlier of 24 weeks after the loan’s origination date 
or December 31, 2020;  
  provides borrowers that received a PPP loan prior to the date of enactment (June 
5, 2020) the option to use the CARES Act’s loan forgiveness covered period of 
eight weeks after the loan’s origination date; 
  provides borrowers a “safe harbor” from the loan forgiveness rehiring 
requirement if the borrower is unable to rehire an individual  who was an 
employee of the recipient on or before February 15, 2020, or if the borrower can 
demonstrate an inability to hire similarly  qualified employees on or before 
December 31, 2020; 
  provides borrowers another “safe harbor” from the loan forgiveness rehiring 
requirement if the business can document that it was unable to operate between 
February 15, 2020, and the end of the covered period at the same level of 
business activity as before February 15, 2020, due to compliance with 
requirements established or guidance issued between March 1, 2020, and 
December 31, 2020, by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
(HHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or the 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), related to the 
maintenance of standards for sanitation, social distancing, or any other worker or 
customer safety requirement related to COVID-19 (the SBA indicates that this 
safe harbor includes state and local government directives based on these 
requirements or guidance);5 
  establishes a minimum PPP loan maturity of five years for loans made on or after 
the date of enactment;  
  extends the PPP loan deferral period from 6 months (under SBA regulations) to 
the date that the SBA remits the borrower’s loan forgiveness amount to the 
lender or, if the borrower does not apply for loan forgiveness, 10 months after the 
end of the borrower’s loan forgiveness covered period; and  
                                              
Loan Program T emporary,” 85 Federal Register 20811, April 15, 2020, at https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/
PPP—IFRN%20FINAL.pdf.  
3 SBA,  “Paycheck Protection Program – Loan Forgiveness Application,” at https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/
3245-0407-SBA-Form-3508-PPP-Forgiveness-Application.pdf.  
4 SBA  and T reasury, “Interim Final Rule - Business  Loan Program T emporary,” 85 Federal Register 33004, June 1, 
2020. 
5 SBA  and T reasury, “Business Loan Program T emporary Changes; Paycheck Protection Program – Revisions to Loan 
Forgiveness and Loan Review  Procedures Interim Final Rules,”  85 Federal Register 38309, June 26, 2020. 
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SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness: In Brief  
 
  eliminates the exception in the CARES Act preventing taxpayers who receive 
PPP loan forgiveness from delaying the payment of employer payroll taxes.6 
The act also specified that, as long as the borrower submits an application for loan forgiveness 
within 10 months of the covered period (typical y eight or 24 weeks), the borrower is not required 
to make any PPP loan payments until the forgiveness amount is remitted to the lender by the 
SBA.  SBA guidance indicates that 
If the loan is fully forgiven, the borrower is not responsible for any payments. If only a 
portion of the loan is forgiven, or if the forgiveness application is denied, any remaining 
balance due on the loan must be repaid by the borrower on or before the  maturity date of 
the loan. Interest accrues during the time between the disbursement of the loan and SBA 
remittance of the forgiveness amount. The borrower is responsible for paying the accrued 
interest on any amount of  the loan that is not forgiven. The lender is responsible for 
notifying the borrower of remittance by SBA of the loan forgiveness amount (or that SBA 
determined that no amount of the loan is eligible for forgiveness) and the date on which 
the borrower’s first payment is due, if applicable.7 
On June 16, 2020, the SBA   
1.  released a revised version of the borrower’s application for PPP loan forgiveness 
to account for changes made by the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility 
Act;8 
2.  released an EZ loan forgiveness application requiring fewer calculations and less 
documentation than the standard loan forgiveness application form for borrowers 
that meet specified criteria;9 and  
                                              
6 Section 2302 of the CARES  Act allows  employers and self-employed individuals  to defer, or postpone, the employer 
share of the Social Security  payroll tax through the end of 2020. Deferred tax liability can be paid  in two installments: 
one due  by December 31, 2021, and the second by December 31, 2022. T he Social Security  trust funds are not affected. 
See  CRS  Report R46279, The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Econom ic Security (CARES) Act—Tax Relief for 
Individuals and Businesses, coordinated by Molly F. Sherlock. Section 2302 prohibit ed taxpayers who obtain PPP loan 
forgiveness from also benefiting from deferral. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)  guidance   had indicated that employers 
who obtain a PPP loan are able to defer their payroll taxes. However, “ Once an employer receives a decision from its 
lender that its PPP loan is forgiven, the employer is no longer eligible  to defer deposit and payment of the employer ’s 
share of Social  Security tax due  after that date.” See IRS,  “ Deferral of employment tax deposits and payments through 
December 31, 2020,” at https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/deferral-of-employment -tax-deposits-and-payments-through-
december-31-2020.  
7 SBA,  “Paycheck Protection Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on PPP Loan Forgiveness, as of August  11, 
2020,” at https://www.sba.gov/document/support-frequently-asked-questions-ppp-loan-forgiveness (hereinafter SBA, 
“Paycheck Protection Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)  on PPP Loan Forgiveness, as of August  11, 
2020”). 
8 SBA,  “Paycheck Protection Program – Loan Forgiveness Application Form (revised 6/16/2020),” at 
https://www.sba.gov/document/sba-form-paycheck-prot ection-program-loan-forgiveness-application. 
9 SBA,  “Paycheck Protection Program, PPP Loan Forgiveness Application Form 3508EZ,” at https://www.sba.gov/
document/sba-form-paycheck-protection-program-ez-loan-forgiveness-application.  
Borrowers can use  the EZ loan forgiveness application if they meet any one of the following three criteria: (1) the 
borrower is a self-employed individual,  independent contractor, or sole proprietor who had no employees at the time of 
the PPP loan application and did not include any employee salaries in the computation of average monthly payroll in 
the Borrower Application Form; (2) the borrower did  not reduce annual salary or hourly wages  of any employee by 
more than 25% during  the covered period or the alternative payroll covered period (as defined below)  compared to the 
period between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020 , and did  not reduce the number of employees or the average paid 
hours of employees between January 1, 2020 and the end of the covered period; or (3) the borrower did  not reduce 
annual salary or hourly wages  of any employee by more than 25 % during the covered period or the alternative payroll 
covered period compared to the period between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020 , and was  unable  to operate during 
the covered period at the same level of business  activity as before February 15, 2020, due to compliance with 
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SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness: In Brief  
 
3.  issued an Interim Final  Rule summarizing revisions to the first Interim Final Rule 
resulting from the enactment of the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility 
Act.10 
On June 26, 2020, the SBA  and Treasury jointly issued an Interim Final Rule detailing  revisions 
to the initial  Interim Final Rule on PPP loan forgiveness.11 
This In Brief report discusses statutes, regulations, and agency guidance relevant to the PPP loan 
forgiveness process and determination. A summary of the Paycheck Protection Program 
Flexibility  Act is also provided.  
PPP Forgiveness Provisions and Process 
The PPP loan forgiveness process is summarized and key terms are defined below, followed by an 
explanation of situations in which loan forgiveness amounts may be reduced.12 
Forgiveness Application Process 
Borrowers must complete the SBA loan forgiveness application (SBA Form 3508 or SBA Form 
3508EZ) or a lender equivalent for PPP loan forgiveness and submit it to their lender, who is to 
then make a decision on the application within 60 days after submission.13 If the lender 
determines that the borrower is entitled to some or al  of the applied forgiveness amount, then the 
lender must request payment from the SBA. SBA is to review al  loans in excess of $2 mil ion 
following the lender’s submission of the borrower’s loan forgiveness application.14 Less than 1% 
of al   PPP loans are larger than $2 mil ion  (28,982 of 5.2 mil ion), representing slightly more than 
20% of loan amounts ($105.3 bil ion of $525 bil ion).15 
                                              
requirements established or guidance  issued  between March 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 by the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services,  the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the Occupational Safety and 
Health Administration, related to the maintenance of standards of sanitation, social distancing, or any other work or 
customer safety requirement related to COVID-19. T he covered period is  either: (1) the 24 -week (168-day) period 
beginning  on the PPP loan disbursement date, or (2) if the borrower received its PPP  loan before June 5, 2020, the 
borrower may elect  to use  an eight -week (56-day) covered period. T he alternative payroll covered period is available 
for borrowers with a biweekly  (or more frequent) payroll schedule.  T hey may elect to calculate eligible  payroll costs 
using  the 24-week (168-day) period or for loans received before June  5, 2020 at the election of the borrower, the eight -
week  (56-day) period that begins on the first day of their first pay period following  their PPP loan disbursement date. 
10 SBA,  “Business  Loan Program T emporary Changes; Paycheck Protection Program – Revisions to First Interim Final 
Rule,”  85 Federal Register  36308-36312, June 16, 2020. 
11 SBA  and T reasury, “Business Loan Program T emporary Changes; Paycheck Protection Program – Revisions to Loan 
Forgiveness and Loan Review  Procedures Interim Final Rules,”  85 Federal Register 38304-38312, June 26, 2020.  
12 T he CARES  Act gives  private lenders “delegated authority” to issue PPP loans. T hese lenders (e.g., banks, credit 
unions, communit y financial institutions) have enrolled with SBA  to issue  PPP loans (or SBA loans, generally). SBA  is 
not issuing  the loans directly to borrowers. 
13 Borrowers must retain documentation for six years after the loan is forgiven or paid in full and make it av ailable  to 
the SBA  or its Office of Inspector General upon request.  
14 SBA  may also review other smaller loans as  it deems appropriate, following the lender’s submission  for loan 
forgiveness. During  a review process, SBA  could  choose to review the initial PPP loan application, forgiveness 
application, or both. (In addition, borrowers may request  that SBA review  the lender’s forgiveness decision.) See  FAQ 
#39 in SBA,  “Paycheck Protection Program Frequently Asked Questions,” at https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/
136/Paycheck-Protection-Program-Frequently-Asked-Questions.pdf.  
15 SBA,  “Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Report (Approvals through 8/8/2020),” at https://home.treasury.gov/
system/files/136/SBA-Paycheck-Protection-Program-Loan-Report-Round2.pdf.  
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SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness: In Brief  
 
SBA  is then to remit the appropriate forgiveness amount to the lender, plus any interest accrued 
through the payment date, no later than 90 days after the lender issues its decision to SBA. The 
borrower must repay any amount not forgiven within the PPP loan’s two-year or, if the 
application received an SBA loan number on or after June 5, 2020, five-year maturity period. 
Payroll Costs 
General y, only payroll costs paid or incurred during the 8-week (56 consecutive days) or 24-
week (168-day) “covered period” are eligible for forgiveness. Borrowers can consistently apply 
one of two start dates: (1) the date that their lender disbursed their PPP loan or (2) the first day of 
their first payroll cycle in the covered period (termed the “alternative payroll covered period”).16 
There is an exception for payroll costs incurred during the borrower’s last pay period of the 
covered period, which are eligible for forgiveness only if paid on or before the next regular 
payroll date. This is intended for the borrower’s administrative convenience. Also, any payroll 
costs that were incurred before the covered period but paid during the covered period are eligible 
for loan forgiveness. 
Compensation to furloughed employees, even if they are not performing their day-to-day 
functions, is considered a “payroll cost” eligible for forgiveness.  
No more than $15,385 in cash compensation per individual during the 8-week covered period and 
$20,833 in cash compensation per individual during the 24-week covered period is eligible for 
forgiveness.17 Noncash compensation for employee health insurance, employer contributions to 
employee retirement plans, and payment of state and local taxes assessed on employee 
compensation are not subject to this limitation. 
Self-employed individuals  (e.g., sole proprietors, independent contractors) are limited to 
forgiveness based on their positive net profit or earnings amounts from their 2019 federal income 
tax filings.18 The SBA has labeled this as “owner compensation replacement.” 
Nonpayroll Costs 
Nonpayroll costs eligible for forgiveness include payments for the following expenses:  
1.  interest on any business mortgage obligation on real or personal property,  
2.  business rent obligations on real or personal property under a lease agreement, 
and  
3.  business utility payments for the distribution of electricity, gas, water, 
transportation, telephone, or internet access.19 
Eligible  expenses must have been incurred, in force, or in service as of February 15, 2020. No 
more than 40% of the loan forgiveness amount can be attributed to nonpayroll costs. 
                                              
16 Payroll costs are considered  paid on the day that paychecks are distributed or the borrower originates an automated 
clearing house (ACH) credit transaction. 
17 SBA,  “Paycheck Protection Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on PPP Loan Forgiveness, as of August 
11, 2020,” p. 4. 
18 CRS  Insight IN11341, SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans and Self-Employed Individuals, by Sean 
Lowry. 
19 Advance interest payments (prepayment) on a covered mortgage or loan principal payments are not eligible for 
forgiveness. 
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SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness: In Brief  
 
Nonpayroll costs are eligible for forgiveness if they were paid during the covered period (even if 
they were incurred prior to the covered period) or incurred during the covered period and paid on 
the next regular bil ing  date. If a bil ing  cycle covers a period within and outside of the covered 
period, only the portion of the payment attributed to costs incurred during the covered period is 
eligible  for forgiveness.  
Reductions in Forgiveness 
Under Section 1106 of the CARES Act, forgiveness for borrowers’ PPP-eligible expenses during 
the covered period is to be reduced according to specified formulas (discussed below) if a 
borrower (1) reduces its full-time equivalent (FTE) employees (including employees who made 
more than $100,000), as compared to a reference period selected by the borrower, or (2) reduces 
the amount of salaries or wages paid to certain FTE employees by more than 25% below levels in 
a reference period selected by the borrower.20 Reducing loan forgiveness means borrowers would 
have to repay some or al  of their original PPP loan amount.  
The CARES Act specified that these reductions would not take place if the borrower eliminated 
the reductions in FTEs or salaries and wages by no later than June 30, 2020. As mentioned 
previously, in recognition of the difficulties some smal  businesses were experiencing in rehiring 
employees, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-142) al ows 
borrowers to exclude any reduction in FTE employees if they are able to document in good faith 
(1) an inability  to rehire individuals who were employees of the borrower on February 15, 2020, 
and (2) an inability  to hire similarly  qualified individuals  for unfil ed positions on or before 
December 31, 2020. This is commonly referred to as the “rehiring provision.” 
The act also al ows borrowers to exclude any reduction in FTE employees if they can document 
an inability  to return to the same level of business activity the business was operating at before 
February 15, 2020, due to compliance with requirements established or guidance issued by the 
Secretary of HHS, the Director of the CDC, or OSHA, related to the maintenance of standards for 
sanitation, social distancing, or any other worker or customer safety requirement related to 
COVID-19. 
Calculating Full-Time Equivalent Employees 
If the average number of FTE employees during the covered period is less than during the 
reference period selected by the borrower, then the forgiveness amount is reduced 
proportionately. For example, if an employer had an average of 100 FTE employees in its 
reference period and 80 FTE employees during the covered period, then it would be eligible  for 
loan forgiveness on up to 80% (8/10) of its total eligible  expenses (payroll and nonpayroll) during 
the covered period. 
                                              
20 Borrowers have the following options for their reference period: (1) February 15, 2019, through June 30, 2019; (2) 
January 1, 2020, through February 29, 2020; or (3) in the case of a seasonal employer, either of the two preceding 
methods or a consecutive 12-week period between May 1, 2019, and September 15, 2019. A “ covered employee” is an 
individual  who  (1) was  employed by the borrower at any point during the covered period or alternative payroll covered 
period and whose principal place of residence is in the United States and (2) received compensation from the borrower 
at an annualized  rate less t han or equal  to $100,000 for all pay periods in 2019 or was  not employed by the borrower at 
any point in 2019. See SBA,  “ Paycheck Protection Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on PPP Loan 
Forgiveness, as of August  11, 2020,” pp. 8, 9. 
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An FTE is defined as an employee who works 40 hours per week.21 FTE employee counts are 
determined on an aggregate basis, based on the hours of al  employees on the borrower’s payroll 
divided by the number of employees. An employee working more than 40 hours per week is 
capped as counting as one FTE employee. For example, an employee who was paid 48 hours per 
week during the covered period would be considered to be 1.0 FTE employee. As an 
administrative convenience, employees who were paid for less than 40 hours per week may be 
counted in one of two ways: (1) based on the average hours worked per week, or (2) counting 
each part-time employee as 0.5 FTE employees. Borrowers must consistently apply their 
calculation methods across al  employees. 
Calculating Salaries and Wages 
The amount of loan forgiveness is reduced by the amount of any reduction over 25% of an 
employee’s total salary or wages during the covered period compared with the employee’s total 
salary or wages during the most recent full quarter prior to the covered period. Employees who 
earned more than $100,000 in 2019 are not taken into account for the compensation reduction 
part of the reduction formula. In other words, such employees may have their pay reduced by 
more than 25% without affecting the borrower’s forgiveness amounts. 
The salary and wages reduction formula only applies to the decline in total salary or wages that is 
not attributed to FTE employee reductions. This is to prevent borrowers from being “doubly 
penalized” for FTE employee reductions. For example, an employee worked 40 hours per week 
during the reference period and was reduced to 20 hours per week during the covered period with 
no hourly wage reduction. Although the employee earned half the compensation during the 
covered period, the employer’s forgiveness amount wil  only be reduced with respect to a 
reduction in FTE employees (from 1.0 to 0.5 FTE employees). 
Three other groups of employees do not affect a borrower’s forgiveness: 
1.  employees who were laid off or forced to reduce their hours, but then declined 
their employer’s subsequent offer to return to work or restore their previous 
schedules;22 
2.  employees who were fired for cause; and 
3.  employees who requested a schedule reduction.  
The borrower must make a good faith certification attesting to the above conditions and maintain 
various documentation (e.g., employee-employer communications). 
Pending Legislation of Interest 
The Continuing Smal  Business Recovery and Paycheck Protection Program Act (S. 4321) would, 
among other provisions, 
  extend the PPP loan covered period from August 8, 2020, to December 31, 2020, 
and reduce the maximum PPP loan amount for new loans from $10 mil ion to $2 
mil ion; 
                                              
21 Note that this is different than the 30 hour-per-week FT E employee definition and determination under the 
Affordable Care Act’s Employer Shared  Responsibility Provision. See CRS  Report R45455, The Affordable Care Act’s 
(ACA’s) Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions (ESRP), by Ryan J. Rosso. 
22 T he offer must be for the same salary or wages  and same number of hours as earned by such  employee in the last pay 
period prior to the separation or reduction in hours. For example, an employer cannot offer an employee compensation 
at half the employee’s previous pay rate or hours and qualify for the safe harbor. 
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SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness: In Brief  
 
  expand PPP forgivable expenses to include covered operations expenditures (e.g., 
software, cloud computing, and other human resources and accounting needs), 
property damages due to public disturbances that occurred during 2020 (not 
covered by insurance or other compensation), covered supplier costs essential to 
the recipient’s current operations, and covered worker protection expenditures to 
comply with federal health and safety guidelines related to COVID-19; 
  create simplified loan forgiveness application processes for loans under $150,000 
and for loans between $150,000 and $2 mil ion. The SBA  would retain the right 
to review and audit these loans for fraud. Reporting of demographic information 
would be optional; 
  expand eligibility  to include certain 501(c)(6) organizations, including Chambers 
of Commerce and Destination Marketing Organizations, that have 300 or fewer 
employees, do not receive more than 10% of their receipts from lobbying, and 
whose lobbying activities do not comprise more than 10% of their total activities. 
Recipients cannot use any loan proceeds for lobbying activities;  
  al ow second PPP “draw” loans through December 31, 2020, for PPP borrowers 
that meet the SBA’s revenue standard, if applicable, have not more than 300 
employees, and can demonstrate at least a 50% reduction in gross receipts in the 
first or second quarter of 2020 relative to the same 2019 quarter. Several types of 
PPP eligible  entities, such as publicly traded companies, would be ineligible  for a 
second loan. The maximum loan size would equal 2.5 times average monthly 
payroll costs, up to $2 mil ion (not more than $10 mil ion  in the aggregate). Full 
loan forgiveness would be based on a 60/40 cost al ocation between payroll and 
eligible  nonpayroll costs; and 
  increase the PPP authorization amount from $659 bil ion to $749 bil ion,  rescind 
$100 bil ion  from the SBA’s business loan program account, and appropriate an 
additional $190 bil ion  for the cost of PPP and PPP second draw loans. $25 
bil ion  of this funding would be set aside for entities employing 10 or fewer 
employees, and $10 bil ion  would be set aside for community lenders. 
 
Author Information 
 
Robert Jay Dilger 
  Sean Lowry 
Senior Specialist in American National Government  Analyst in Public Finance 
    
    
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Congressional Research Service  
R46397 · VERSION 4 · UPDATED 
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