So your Texas Panhandle company has received Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) funds, hopefully, and now you are wondering how to use those funds to maximize your loan forgiveness.

Local banks moved very quickly to assure that more than $750 million of the stimulus funds will help small businesses in our area. We all have 8 weeks to spend these funds legally and wisely to hopefully avoid any repayment of these federal loans, effectively turning them into government grants.

In the end, all of us want to use the funds to keep our employees and our businesses going in these challenging times. But there is little guidance from the Small Business Administration on how to do that. As things stand today (things are changing rapidly, so check with your employment lawyer before you make any final decisions), here are the important tips for small Texas employers about spending your PPP money:

When do I spend this PPP money?

The actual CARES act says that you must spend your PPP funds in the 8-week “covered period” after “the origination date” of your loan. The SBA has decided that the 8 weeks starts running the day that your loan was funded. That means that the date that the loans hit your account is when the clock starts running. For example, if you received your funds on April 6, 2020, you have until June 1, 2020 to spend the money.

How do I spend this PPP money?

The SBA (not the actual statute) requires that 75% of your PPP funds be spent on “payroll costs.” The CARES act defines “payroll costs” this way:

• Salary, wage, commission, or similar compensation;
• Payment of cash tip or equivalent;
• Payment for vacation, parental, family, medical, or sick leave;
• Allowance for dismissal or separation;
• Payment required for the provisions of group health care benefits, including insurance premiums;
• Payment of any retirement benefits; or
• Payment of state or local tax assessed on the compensation of employees.

The CARES act goes on to point out that the following items will not be considered “payroll costs”, meaning that you cannot claim any forgiveness for these amounts, so they should not be paid out of designated PPP funds: