There are five sections in this post that address various issues people inquire about with us on an almost daily basis.
- Our Post-Closing EIDL Blueprint
- COVID-19 EIDLs are not Forgivable
- Fake Forgiveness Freaks
- IRS Form 982
- Our consulting services to assist COVID-19 EIDL Borrowers
Our Post-Closing EIDL Blueprint is our comprehensive, expert guide that outlines all SBA EIDL obligations, restrictions and questions that may come up with the COVID-19 EIDL.
One of the FAQs we get on an almost daily basis is when a Borrower is having difficulties making payments. We address this in our Blueprint.
All the topics covered, in our Blueprint, can be found in the table of contents including “Make A Payment Toward Your EIDL.” You can then click through to “Hardship Accommodation.”
The navigation link takes you directly to the section on how to request lower payments.
COVID-19 EIDLs are not Forgivable
If you call SBA’s customer service number, as Trevor did this morning, the initial menu prompt states the loans are NOT Forgivable.
You can request a reduced payment by as much as 90% (see the section in our guide about “Hardship Accommodation”) for six months. It may be possible to request additional extensions (subject to SBA approval.)
A business owner cannot pause payments.
SBA’s position on difficulties repaying the COVID-19 EIDLs is this: They expect Borrowers to pay, no matter the circumstances. This includes the ever-so-drastic event of a business partner embezzling the disbursed funds, which happened to one of our clients.
You can learn more here about how we found out that our client’s “partner” was indicted today.
Fake Forgiveness Freaks
We know there is lots and lots of chatter on the internet and elsewhere about these loans being Forgivable, and apparently all kinds of misinformation from alleged “experts” on how to manipulate the SBA system to make the loan Forgivable.
These “fake experts” have folks chasing fantasies to get their loans Forgiven, including a new class of scammers offering to negotiate an “Offer In Compromise” with SBA–for a FEE of course.
SBA’s internal procedures are still evolving. That’s why we provide FREE UPDATES to our Post-Closing Blueprint through December 2024 so you have the latest and most accurate information about the program.
IRS Form 982
This form does not pertain to Forgiveness of an SBA COVID-19 EIDL. This form is used to reduce the tax liability when a person or business receives a “discharge” of indebtedness (such as settling a collection account for less than the full balance because the amount of settled reduction is considered taxable income disclosed on IRS Form 1099-C).
From the IRS website: “Form 982 is used to determine, under certain circumstances described in section 108, the amount of discharged indebtedness that can be excluded from gross income.“
Our latest information, directly from reputable sources at SBA, is this: If a COVID-19 EIDL defaults, SBA will attempt to recover the debt, but they will ultimately transfer the defaulted debt to the IRS for collection. IRS then can collect through liens, wage and benefits garnishments, and tax refund seizures.
Our Consulting Services
We offer consulting services to assist businesses in navigating a variety of questions and challenges with their COVID-19 EIDLs. We have been assisting with these services since September of last year.
If a U.S.-based business is in need of our services to assist with their COVID-19 EIDL, we will prepare and send a consulting proposal that outlines the objectives, scope of work, estimated time to complete, and cost.
NOTE: We also offer consulting services for Natural Disaster loans and general business activities. Click HERE for natural disaster consulting.
Aside from our specific expertise with the program and familiarity with required procedures and forms, we’ve come to learn that many CPAs and attorneys are providing incorrect information to their clients about this program. They may mean well, but their ignorance of actual SBA protocols can be very harmful, in our opinion, to the business due to the misinformation they provide.
A CPA or an attorney may have general knowledge of the COVID-19 EIDL program. With good intentions to help their clients, we’ve seen how their answers are attempting to be helpful, but often miss the mark with specifics about some of the complicated challenges and SBA communications of this program.
- How many COVID-19 EIDLs did your CPA/Attorney process?
- How many SBA Agents have they spoken to?
- Did they read the SBA’s EIDL SOP (all versions)?
