On October 26, 2020, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a notice that it intends to release two new forms relating to borrowers’ good faith certifications that current economic conditions made the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan necessary to ongoing business operations.  The new documents are Form 3509 – Loan Necessity Questionnaire (For-Profit Borrowers) and […]

The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued a warning about email scams related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and its borrowers. Borrowers are reporting receiving emails from “sba-attorneys.com” that inform the recipient PPP funds were issued to them erroneously and action must be taken to avoid “potential criminal liability.” This email is […]

On July 23, 2020, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a procedural notice to lenders participating in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) concerning the loan forgiveness application process. The notice informs lenders that beginning August 10, 2020, they may begin submitting forgiveness applications through an online platform. The notice states that the SBA intends to […]

On July 16, 2020, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced the availability of $50 million in grant funding to assist employers in providing hazard pay to employees performing life-sustaining jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The intent of the COVID-19 Hazard Pay Grant Program (Program) is to ensure that front-line employees in vital industries are able to […]

Rising COVID cases in counties across Pennsylvania led Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine to implement targeted mitigation efforts.  These efforts, which went into effect the morning of Thursday, July 16, 2020, reimpose limits on gatherings and reemphasize the importance of telecommuting.  Here is how the order breaks down: The food […]

On July 4, 2020, President Trump signed a new law extending the deadline for applying for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan to August 8, 2020. As the program was initially set to expire on June 30th, this extension provides potential borrowers additional time to access the program under its existing terms. Currently, it is […]

On June 26, 2020, twelve more counties in Pennsylvania (some of which were hit the hardest by COVID-19) will be moving into the “Green Phase” of Governor Tom Wolf’s process to reopen Pennsylvania. This means all counties, with the exception of Lebanon County, will be “Green.” The Green Phase is the third of three phases […]

As many business owners are well aware, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) rules and guidelines regarding loan forgiveness are complex and carry a high compliance burden. In order to obtain PPP loan forgiveness, borrowers are required to complete a rather complicated forgiveness application that is then reviewed by the borrower’s lender. In response to  comments […]

In a case regarding  business privilege tax, the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas found in favor of Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba (FLB) client Phoebe Services, Inc. and established on appeal that Phoebe Services, Inc. is not liable to the City of Allentown (the City) for the tax. In late 2019, FLB Shareholder and Chair […]

More than two months have passed since Governor Tom Wolf declared the closing of non-life-sustaining businesses. During these months of closure and stay-at-home, Governor Wolf introduced a phased reopening plan for Pennsylvania in which a three-phase approach (Red, Yellow and Green Phases) is used to determine when counties and/or regions are ready to begin opening […]