Brinker Simpson

On March 11, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 created the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund to provide grants for restaurants sustaining financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 17, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued the necessary federal rules, regulations, and a sample application to distribute the grant funds.

The SBA was able to process approximately 72,000 priority applications, totaling $18 billion. Following the priority period, the SBA distributed funding for an additional 28,000 restaurants from both priority and nonpriority groups, leaving approximately $1.1 billion in funds left, and will continue processing grants for nonpriority groups until the funding runs dry.… Read More

Today, U.S. Small Business Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman issued the following statement on the closure of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to new loan guaranty applications, which has provided over $798 billion in economic relief to small businesses and nonprofits across the nation, keeping employees employed and helping businesses come back stronger than ever.

“The Paycheck Protection Program provided over 8.5 million small businesses and nonprofits the lifeline they needed to survive during a once-in-generation economic crisis. I’ve heard story after story from small business owners across the country about how PPP funds helped them keep the lights on, pay their employees — and gave them hope,” said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman.… Read More

The IRS is set to begin advanced payments of the enhanced child tax credit (CTC) on July 15, and 88% of families with children in the U.S. will get the benefit automatically, the agency recently announced.

The enhanced credit, a component of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP), increases the existing tax benefit eligible families can receive from $2,000 up to $3,000 for kids between the ages of 6 and 17 and up to $3,600 for kids under 6.

The Biden administration says these credits and other parts of the ARP will help lift more than 5 million children out of poverty this year, reducing child poverty by half.… Read More

In much-anticipated guidance, the Internal Revenue Service has offered its insight on the implementation of the COBRA temporary premium subsidy provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) in Notice 2021-31.

Spanning more than 40 pages, the IRS-answered frequently asked questions (FAQs) finally resolve many issues relating to temporary premium assistance for COBRA continuation coverage left unanswered in the Department of Labor’s publication of model notices, election forms, and FAQs.

The practical implications of the guidance for employers are many. Significantly, employers must take action prior to May 31, 2021, to ensure compliance with some of the requirements under ARPA and related agency guidance.… Read More