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Covid-19 Resources

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Leon CARES: Small Business Assistance Grant Promotion

The Office of Economic Vitality is working closely with Leon County Government to promote and the Leon CARES Small Business Assistance Grant program.

• If your business has been impacted by COVID-19, you may be eligible to apply for assistance through Leon County’s Leon CARES program. To learn more and apply today, visit www.LeonCountyCARES.com. #LeonCARES

• The Leon CARES Small Business Assistance Program provides financial support to qualifying small businesses located in Leon County (including businesses within the City of Tallahassee) to cover business expenses directly related to COVID-19, including business relaunch costs and COVID-19 safety costs. To learn more and apply today, visit www.LeonCountyCARES.com. #LeonCARES

• Don’t miss your chance to apply for the Leon CARES Small Business Assistance Grant! Eligible small businesses can receive a baseline funding award between $2k – $6k. You can also receive FREE assistance with your application through Big Bend Minority Chamber, Capital City Chamber, FAMU Small Business Development Center, and the Tallahassee Chamber. To learn more go to LeonCountyCARES.com. #LeonCARES

Apply for the Local Emergency Assistance for Non-profits (LEAN) Grant Program

Complete the COVID-19 Business Impact Survey

Additional Funding Available for COVID-19 Small Business Loan Resources

With the signing of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, additional funding has been made available through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). If your business has been adversely impacted by COVID-19, you may be eligible and qualify for a short-term, potentially forgivable loan through the Paycheck Protection Program and/or a long-term, low-interest working capital disaster loan through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL). Businesses may apply for a PPP loan at any lending institution that is approved to participate in the SBA 7(a) lending program. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will also resume processing EIDL loans and advances that are already in the queue on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Learn more >>

IRS COVID-19

Economic Impact Payment: What you need to know.

Tax Deadline Changed

The deadlines to FILE and PAY federal income taxes are extended to July 15, 2020.

The IRS has established a special section focused on steps to help taxpayers, businesses and others affected by the coronavirus. This page will be updated as new information is available. For other information about the COVID-19 virus, people should visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (https://www.coronavirus.gov) for health information. Other information about actions being taken by the U.S. government is available at https://www.usa.gov/coronavirus and in Spanish at https://gobierno.usa.gov/coronavirus. The Department of Treasury also has information available at Coronavirus: Resources, Updates, and What You Should Know.

Economic Impact Payments: What you need to know

The distribution of economic impact payments will begin in the next three weeks and will be distributed automatically, with no action required for most people. Social Security beneficiaries who are not typically required to file tax returns will not need to file to receive a payment. Instead, payments will be automatically deposited into their bank accounts. However, some people who typically do not file returns will need to submit a simple tax return to receive the economic impact payment. When more specific details become available, we will update this page.

News Releases

IR-2020-65, Follow IRS on social media, sign up for e-news subscriptions for urgent updates on COVID-19, scams and economic impact payment information
IR-2020-64, IRS issues warning about Coronavirus-related scams; watch out for schemes tied to economic impact payments
Treasury News Release: Social Security Recipients Will Automatically Receive Economic Impact Payments
IR-2020-62, IRS: Employee Retention Credit available for many businesses financially impacted by COVID-19
IR 2020-61, Economic impact payments: What you need to know (Updated April 1, 2020)
IR-2020-59, IRS unveils new People First Initiative; COVID-19 effort temporarily adjusts, suspends key compliance program
IR-2020-58, Tax Day now July 15: Treasury, IRS extend filing deadline and federal tax payments regardless of amount
IR-2020-57, Treasury, IRS and Labor announce plan to implement Coronavirus-related paid leave for workers and tax credits for small and midsize businesses to swiftly recover the cost of providing Coronavirus-related leave
Treasury News Release: Treasury and IRS Issue Guidance on Deferring Tax Payments Due to COVID-19 Outbreak
IR-2020-54, IRS: High-deductible health plans can cover coronavirus costs

Statements

Frequently Asked Questions

Partner materials/Public Service Announcement

Economic Impact Payments – e-Poster (PDF)

Guidance

Notice 2020-22 (PDF), Relief from Penalty for Failure to Deposit Employment Taxes
Notice 2020-21 (PDF), Effective Date for Employment Tax Credits Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
Notice 2020-20 (PDF), Update to Notice 2020-18, Relief for Taxpayers Affected by Ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic, Related to Gift and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Filing and Payment Deadlines
Notice 2020-18 (PDF), Relief for Taxpayers Affected by Ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic
Notice 2020-15 (PDF), High deductible health plans and expenses related to COVID-19

Tax Help

IRS has several online resources to help taxpayers.

Free File – prepare and file your federal income tax return for free using tax preparation and filing software.
Where’s My Refund? – is an online tool that will track your tax refund. You will need your Social security number or ITIN, your filing status and your exact refund amount to use the tool.
Online Payment Agreements – you can apply for a payment plan online to pay off your balance over time.
IRS2Go mobile app – Check your refund status, make a payment, find free tax preparation assistance, sign up for helpful tax tips, and more!
Online Account – use this tool to view: Your payoff amount, updated for the current calendar day, the balance for each tax year for which you owe, up to 24 months of your payment history and key information from your current tax year return as originally filed.

Paycheck Protection Program

An SBA loan that helps businesses keep their workforce employed during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

Content

Apply for the Paycheck Protection Program

FIND A LENDER

Loan Information

The Paycheck Protection Program is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll.

SBA will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities.

You can apply through any existing SBA 7(a) lender or through any federally insured depository institution, federally insured credit union, and Farm Credit System institution that is participating. Other regulated lenders will be available to make these loans once they are approved and enrolled in the program. You should consult with your local lender as to whether it is participating in the program.

Lenders may begin processing loan applications as soon as April 3, 2020. The Paycheck Protection Program will be available through June 30, 2020.

For affiliation rules applicable for the Paycheck Protection Program, click here.

The Interim Final Rule for Applicable Affiliation Rules for the Paycheck Protection Program information is being posted in advance of publication in the Federal Register. The official version will appear in the Federal Register.

Frequently Asked Questions for Faith-Based Organizations Participating in the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program

Temporary Layoff

An employee that is temporarily laid off from work may be eligible for Reemployment Assistance benefits.

What is a Temporary Layoff?

A temporary layoff occurs when the employee is separated from their job due to lack of work, and the employee has a return-to-work date within eight weeks of the separation.

Eligibility Requirements

An employee that is on a temporary layoff must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Monetarily eligible;
- Able and available for work; and
- Have a fixed or approximate return-to-work date within eight weeks

An employee on a temporary layoff is not required to complete the work registration requirement nor the work search requirement.

Example

Susie worked for ABC Restaurant as a cook. Due to the mitigation response of the COVID-19 event, ABC Restaurant temporarily had to close and had no work available for Susie. Susie would not be receiving any pay during the closure. Prior to closing, ABC Restaurant told Susie they would be re-opening in five weeks and would need her to return to work at that time. This may be considered a temporary layoff, and Susie may be eligible for Reemployment Assistance benefits.

For more information: http://www.floridajobs.org/Reemployment-Assistance-Service-Center/reemployment-assistance/employers/temporary-layoff

Emergency Bridge Loan Program for Small Businesses Impacted by COVID-19

The bridge loan program, managed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), will provide short-term, interest-free loans to small businesses that experienced economic injury from COVID-19. The application period runs through May 8, 2020.

The DEO will administer the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program in partnership with the Florida SBDC Network and Florida First Capital Finance Corporation to provide cash flow to businesses economically impacted by COVID-19. The short-term, interest-free loans help bridge the gap between the time the economic impact occurred and when a business secures other financial resources, including payment of insurance claims or longer-term Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. Up to $50 million has been allocated for the program.

Small business owners with two to 100 employees located in Florida affected by COVID-19 can apply for short-term loans up to $50,000. These loans are interest-free for up to one year and are designed to bridge the gap to either federal SBA loans or commercially available loans. The DEO will work with every borrower to ensure that repayment of the loan isn’t an overwhelming burden. To be eligible, a business must have been established prior to March 9, 2020 and demonstrate economic impacts as a result of COVID-19.

Covid-19 Resources

Leon CARES: Small Business Assistance Grant Promotion

Apply for the Local Emergency Assistance for Non-profits (LEAN) Grant Program

Complete the COVID-19 Business Impact Survey

Additional Funding Available for COVID-19 Small Business Loan Resources

IRS COVID-19

Paycheck Protection Program

Temporary Layoff

Emergency Bridge Loan Program for Small Businesses Impacted by COVID-19

Tallahassee-Leon County COVID-19 Business Survey

Emergency Aid to Nonprofits Admist COVID19

Open For Takeout Initiative

Short Time Compensation Program for Employers

Tallahassee-Leon County COVID-19 Business Survey

Disaster Unemployment Assistance

Certification

Advanced Manufacturing Training Center

Education and Training

Tallahassee Chamber Annual Community Conference

Tallahassee Chamber’s Professional Women’s Forum

Tallahassee Chamber Lunch and Learn Series

Expert Speaker Series

Power Hour Series

BBMC Women’s Business Council Workshop Series

Leadership Tallahassee

Resource Library and Research Center

Workshops and Training

Leon County Minority, Women & Small Business Program

Advanced Manufacturing Training Center

Financial Resources

Innovation Park TechGrant Program

Training Grants

Mentoring

Tallahassee Chamber Annual Community Conference

CEO Peer2Peer Groups

Business Growth Acceleration Services

Customized Consulting Services

Leadership Tallahassee

Networking

TechTopics Series

Access Tallahassee

Tallahassee Chamber Membership Briefings

Tallahassee Chamber’s Professional Women’s Forum

Tallahassee Chamber Lunch and Learn Series

Tallahassee Chamber Leads Groups

Education & Outreach

Expert Speaker Series

Power Hour Series

Leadership Tallahassee

Workshops and Training

Operations

Job Posting and Pre-Screening Services

FSU Strategic Plans

Access Tallahassee

Tallahassee Chamber Annual Community Conference

Tallahassee Chamber’s Professional Women’s Forum

Tallahassee Chamber Lunch and Learn Series

Education & Outreach

Business Growth Acceleration Services

Customized Consulting Services

Power Hour Series

BBMC Women’s Business Council Workshop Series

Resource Library and Research Center

Leon County Minority, Women & Small Business Program

Other Resources

Tallahassee Business Resources

Center for Innovation

Tallahassee Community College’s Center for Innovation

Programs

Small Business Executive Program

Innovation Park Entrepreneurial Excellence Program