Also see: An In-Depth Look: The Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act.

CPA Sample Client Letter: Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act.

(Parker Tax Publishing June 6, 2020)

Dear [client name],

I have some good news regarding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) initially passed by Congress in March as part of the CARES Act and subsequently infused with additional funding in April.

As you may know, the initial rollout of the program was rocky and some provisions of the program were criticized by businesses as not doing enough to help. In an effort to address these issues and increase the program's impact, Congress has passed, and the President is expected to sign into law, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (PPP Flexibility Act).

The changes will make it easier for many borrowers to obtain forgiveness of PPP loans. Two of the biggest improvements are the extension of the time for using loan proceeds, and an increase in the percentage of loan proceeds that can be used for expenses other than payroll.

The PPP Flexibility Act extends the timeframe (i.e., the covered period) in which PPP funds must be used in order to have the loan forgiven. The covered period, which was originally eight weeks, has been expanded to 24 weeks (but ending no later than December 31, 2020).

The PPP Flexibility Act also allows borrowers to spend up to 40 percent of loan proceeds on nonpayroll costs such as rent, utilities, and interest on mortgages, rather than the 25 percent that was initially specified. The improvement, however, comes with a catch: borrowers who use more than 40 percent of the loan proceeds for nonpayroll costs are now ineligible for loan forgiveness altogether.

Another favorable change was made to the time in which borrowers have to begin repaying a loan that doesn't qualify for forgiveness. That time period is now five years rather than two years.

With respect to the reduction in the amount of a loan that may be forgiven where an employer reduces employee headcounts or wages, a new exemption has been created for businesses that are unable to rehire employees (or hire replacements) or to return to their same level of business activity as before the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of compliance with federal health and safety guidelines.

Other changes in the PPP Flexibility Act include:

· A revision to the six-month deferral period that allows borrowers to defer payments until they receive compensation for forgiven amounts, and for those that don't apply for forgiveness, extending the time to begin making payments to 10 months from the program's expiration;

· The elimination of a provision that made a paycheck protection loan recipient who had PPP debt forgiven ineligible to defer payroll tax payments.

If you have received a PPP loan and would like more information on these changes or need help with assembling the numbers for a PPP loan forgiveness application, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

Be well and stay safe,

[Your Name, Your Firm]

Also see: SBA Releases Complicated PPP Loan Forgiveness Application and Expanded FAQ.

Also see: A Tax Practitioner's Guide to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Also see: In-Depth: A Tax Practitioner's Guide to the CARES Act.

PARKER TAX PRO LIBRARY - Try Our Easy, Powerful Search Engine

A Professional Tax Research Solution that gives you instant access to 22 volumes of expert analysis and 185,000 authoritative source documents. But having access won’t help if you can’t quickly and easily find the materials that answer your questions. That’s where Parker’s search engine – and it’s uncanny knack for finding the right documents – comes into play

Things that take half a dozen steps in other products take two steps in ours. Search results come up instantly and browsing them is a cinch. So is linking from Parker’s analysis to practice aids and cited primary source documents. Parker’s powerful, user-friendly search engine ensures that you quickly find what you need every time you visit Our Tax Research Library.

Parker Tax Pro Library - An Affordable Professional Tax Research Solution. www.parkertaxpublishing.com