The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Treasury have agreed to publish the names and amount ranges for all recipients of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of $150,000 or more.
In a news release issued Friday night, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza said they had reached an agreement with the bipartisan leaders of the Senate Small Business Committee to make public additional data regarding the PPP.
Specifically, the SBA will disclose the business names, addresses, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, ZIP codes, business type, demographic data, not-for-profit information, jobs supported, and loan amount ranges as follows:
- $150,000 to $350,000
- $350,000 to $1 million
- $1 million to $2 million
- $2 million to $5 million
- $5 million to $10 million
These categories account for nearly 75% of the loan dollars approved, according to the SBA and Treasury. For loans below $150,000, the SBA will release totals aggregated by ZIP code, by industry, by business type, and by various demographic categories.
“We are striking the appropriate balance of providing public transparency, while protecting the payroll and personal income information of small businesses, sole proprietors, and independent contractors,” Mnuchin said in the release.
PPP loans totaling more $510 billion have been approved so far. The final date to apply to the $659 billion program is June 30.
The PPP in brief
Congress created the PPP as part of the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, P.L. 116-136. The legislation authorized Treasury to use the SBA’s 7(a) small business lending program to fund forgivable loans of up to $10 million per borrower that qualifying businesses could spend to cover payroll, mortgage interest, rent, and utilities.
The loans are available to small businesses that were in operation on Feb. 15 with 500 or fewer employees, including not-for-profits, veterans’ organizations, Tribal concerns, self-employed individuals, sole proprietorships, and independent contractors. Businesses with more than 500 employees in certain industries also can apply for loans.
Congress designed the loans to support organizations facing economic hardships created by the coronavirus pandemic and assist them in continuing to pay employee salaries. PPP loan recipients can have their loans forgiven in full if the funds were used for eligible expenses and other criteria are met. The amount of the loan forgiveness may be reduced based on the percentage of eligible costs attributed to nonpayroll costs, any decrease in employee headcount, and decreases in salaries or wages per employee.
AICPA experts discuss the latest on the PPP and other small business aid programs during a weekly virtual town hall. The webcasts, which provide CPE credit, are free to AICPA members. Go to the AICPA Town Hall Series webpage for more information and to register.
The AICPA’s SBA Paycheck Protection Program Resources page houses resources and tools produced by the AICPA to help address the economic impact of the coronavirus.
For more news and reporting on the coronavirus and how CPAs can handle challenges related to the outbreak, visit the JofA’s coronavirus resources page or subscribe to our email alerts for breaking PPP news.
— Jeff Drew (Jeff.Drew@aicpa-cima.com) is a JofA senior editor.