Employco Blog

BULLETIN
May 18, 2020 (UPDATE)

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has released the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application and Instructions. The new 11-page document includes references to “several measures to reduce compliance burdens and simplify the process for borrowers, including:”

• Incurred or Paid – Borrowers have increased flexibility to include eligible payroll and non-payroll expenses paid or incurred during the 8-week period.
  • Payroll costs incurred but not paid during the borrower’s last pay period of the 8-week period are eligible if paid on or before the next regular pay date.
  • Non-payroll costs (e.g., utilities) can be paid on or before the next regular billing date, even if the billing date is after the 8-week period.

• 8-week Period – Borrowers have an 8-week (56 day) period to use as the covered period.
  • The 8-week period for borrowers with semi-monthly (or less frequent) payroll will start on the same day as the PPP funds were received. Example: if funds were received on Monday, April 20, the first day of the period is April 20 and the last day is Sunday, June 14.
  • The 8-week period for borrowers with bi-weekly (or more frequent) payroll includes an alternative option. These borrowers can elect to start their 8-week period on the first day of the first pay period following the receipt of the PPP funds. Example: if funds were received on Monday, April 20 and the first day of the next pay period is Sunday, April 26, the alternative period start date would be April 26 and the last day is Saturday, June 20.

• Full-Time / Full-time Equivalent (FTE) – Full-time employee counts are established based on a 40-hour work week. To calculate the average FTE, divide the average number of hours paid per week by 40, and round the total to the nearest tenth. The maximum for each employee is capped at 1.0. A simplified method that assigns a 1.0 for employees who work 40 hours or more per week and 0.5 for employees who work fewer hours may be used at the election of the Borrower.

• Owner Compensation Limit – Amounts are capped at the lesser of the 8-week equivalent of their 2019 compensation for any owner-employee or self-employed individual/general partner, or $15,385 (the 8-week equivalent of $100,000) per individual. This prevents an owner from increasing his/her compensation during the 8-week period.

Over the next several days, we will release an updated list of the most frequently asked questions along with an invitation to an UPCOMING WEBINAR designed to address the new PPP application and instructions.

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Employment expert explains what changes companies should implement ASAP

While millions of employees are now furloughed or working from home, for essential employees, it’s important to ensure that workplaces are modified to address COVID-19 concerns.

Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and human resources expert, says that your break room and common spaces should feature verbiage that reflect the new changes to workers’ rights.

“The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued regulations to implement the paid leave mandates of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA),” says Wilson. “The regulations provide direction for administration of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA). These new regulations will change your company’s sick leave policy, and you need to make sure that these changes are posted in an easily accessible area for all of your workers to see.

Under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act, employers must provide up to 80 hours of paid sick leave to employees who need to take leave from work for certain specified reasons related to COVID-19. And, under the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, certain employers must provide up to 10 weeks of paid, and two weeks of unpaid, emergency family and medical leave to eligible employees if the employee is caring for his or her son or daughter whose school or place of care is closed or whose child care provider is unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.”

Wilson also encourages companies to contact employees with e-flyers about these changes.

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BULLETIN
April 09, 2020 (UPDATE)

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued regulations to implement the paid leave mandates of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The regulations provide direction for administration of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA).

• Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act: Requires that certain employers provide up to 80 hours of paid sick leave to employees who need to take leave from work for certain specified reasons related to COVID-19.

• Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act: Requires that certain employers provide up to 10 weeks of paid, and two weeks unpaid, emergency family and medical leave to eligible employees if the employee is caring for his or her son or daughter whose school or place of care is closed or whose child care provider is unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.

Employee Leave Request Flyer (NEW): We have created a new flyer that employers can provide to their employees who request leave under the FFCRA. The optional flyer summarizes the documentation that an employee will need to provide to their employer in order to substantiate the leave request. Click the following link to access the Employee Leave Request Flyer.

Required Notice: Each covered employer must post a notice of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requirements in a conspicuous place on its premises. An employer may satisfy this requirement by emailing or direct mailing this notice to employees, or posting this notice on an employee information internal or external website. Click the following link to access the Required Notice.

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