Dear Small Business Owner,

We at Transworld Business Advisors hope you are staying safe and healthy and taking the necessary precautions to remain that way. We understand the hardship this will place on your businesses and want to provide information and support in any way possible. Please share this information with anyone you think it will help as you take action to protect yourself, your employees, and your business.

We are drawing on our over 40 years of experience navigating tough times. Below is our response today, of the ever-changing situation.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has released the following information regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19):

Existing SBA Loans

If your business has an SBA loan, your bank has unilateral authority to provide temporary relief in the form of a payment deferment from three to six months. Reach out to the bank’s SBA Servicing Department to initiate the deferment process.

Tips on seeking deferment:

Be prepared: Have your recent tax returns, your interim financials (Income Statement and Balance Sheet), bank statements and a written statement defining the impact to your business (This is important to have written out and talking points ready).
Ask for the SBA servicing department: When you contact your SBA lender, your best contact person is the SBA servicing department (always via email and then via phone).
Be persistent: Your willingness to persist in the face of hurdles is important.

SBA Implements Automatic Deferment on Existing SBA Disaster Loans Through End of 2020
There is no need to contact SBA to request Deferment, it is automatic for all previous Disaster Loans.

Leases

If you are leasing space, and in your first year growing the business, your Landlord may be willing to defer rental payments to the end of your lease term. Whether you are in an SBA eligible area or not it does not hurt for you to ask.

Tips on seeking rent deferment:

Make the request in writing to your leasing agent and to the contacts in your lease under legal notices.
Ask for 3-6 months of rent deferment and be prepared that the LL may want you to sign an amendment to the lease.
Again, be persistent.

Disaster Loans/New Loans

Small businesses in states and territories that have been designated federal disaster areas, may apply for loans up to $2 million dollars. These loans can be used for payroll, accounts payable and other obligations that businesses are having trouble meeting due to the disaster impact. Please note: the interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses that do not have credit elsewhere; businesses with credit elsewhere are not eligible. This link will give you the states that are currently eligible for the disaster relief loan. Additional states will be added once the state governor declares a disaster. Apply online via link https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/Declarations/Index

Download SBA Disaster Loan Application Paper Forms

SBA Loan Application Forms