The  U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is launching a streamlined application portal to allow borrowers with Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of $150,000 or less through participating lenders to apply for forgiveness directly through the SBA.     

This new change will help rush relief to over 6.5 million of the smallest of small businesses, which has been the SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman’s priority since day one. The new forgiveness platform will begin accepting applications from borrowers on August 4, 2021.

Lenders are required to opt-in to this program through directforgiveness.sba.gov.

In addition to the technology platform, the SBA is standing up a PPP customer service team to answer questions and directly assist borrowers with their forgiveness applications.  Borrowers who need assistance or have questions should call (877) 552-2692, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. EST.

Paycheck Protection Program Summary

• Overall, the SBA and lenders have worked to originate over 11.7 million loans totaling nearly $800 billion in relief to over 8.5 million small businesses.

In 2021

• SBA approved over 6.5M loans totaling over $275B
• The average loan size was ~$42 thousand (compared to $101 thousand in 2020)
• 96% of loans went to businesses with fewer than 20 employees (compared to just 87% in 2020.)
• 32% of loans went to businesses in LMI communities (compared to just 24% in 2020)

Direct Forgiveness Summary

• Over 600 banks have opted in to direct forgiveness, enabling over 2.17mm borrowers to apply through the portal (This represents 30% of loans $150,000 or less that have not yet submitted for forgiveness)

Established by the CARES Act in 2020, the PPP was among the first COVID-19 small business economic aid programs and provided more than $798 billion in economic relief to small businesses and nonprofits across the nation, keeping employees working, and helping businesses come back stronger than ever.  View the Interim Final Rule on PPP Forgiveness.

Other SBA pandemic economic assistance programs include Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), EIDL Advance, Targeted EIDL Advance, Supplemental EIDL Advance, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, and SBA Debt Relief program. To learn more about these programs, please visit www.sba.gov/relief.