This article was updated in January 2021 to include newly forgivable nonpayroll expense categories.
Nonpayroll costs eligible for forgiveness consist of:
- a. covered mortgage obligations: payments of mortgage interest (not including any prepayment or payment of principal) on any business mortgage obligation on real or personal property incurred before February 15, 2020 (“business mortgage interest payments”);
- b. covered rent obligations: business rent or lease payments pursuant to lease agreements for real or personal property in force before February 15, 2020 (“business rent or lease payments”);
- c. covered utility payments: business payments for a service for the distribution of electricity, gas, water, telephone, transportation, or internet access for which service began before February 15, 2020 (“business utility payments”);
- d. covered operations expenditures: payments for any business software or cloud computing service that facilitates business operations, product or service delivery, the processing, payment, or tracking of payroll expenses, human resources, sales and billing functions, or accounting of tracking of supplies, inventory, records, and expenses;
- e. covered property damage costs: costs related to property damage and vandalism or looting due to public disturbances that occurred during 2020 that were not covered by insurance or other compensation;
- f. covered supplier costs: expenditures made to a supplier of goods for the supply of goods that are essential to the operations of the Borrower at the time at which the expenditure is made, and made pursuant to a contract, order, or purchase order in effect prior to the beginning of the Covered Period (for perishable goods, the contract, order, or purchase order may have been in effect before or at any time during the Covered Period); and
- More detail from SBA guidance : "A covered supplier cost means an expenditure made by a borrower to a supplier of goods for the supply of goods that—(A) are essential to the operations of the borrower at the time at which the expenditure is made; and (B) is made pursuant to a contract, order, or purchase order—(i) in effect at any time before the covered period with respect to the applicable covered loan; or (ii) with respect to perishable goods, in effect before or at any time during the covered period with respect to the applicable covered loan."
- g. covered worker protection expenditures: operating or capital expenditures that facilitate the adaptation of the business activities of an entity to comply with the requirements established or guidance issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or any equivalent requirements established or guidance issued by a State or local government, during the period starting March 1, 2020 and ending on the date on which the national emergency declared by the President with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) expires related to maintenance standards for sanitation, social distancing, or any other worker or customer safety requirement related to COVID-19, but does not include residential real property or intangible property.
- More detail from SBA guidance : "A covered worker protection expenditure:
- (A) means an operating or a capital expenditure to facilitate the adaptation of the business activities of an entity to comply with requirements established or guidance issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or any equivalent requirements established or guidance issued by a State or local government related to the maintenance of standards for sanitation, social distancing, or any other worker or customer safety requirement related to COVID–19, during the period beginning on March 1, 2020 and ending the date on which the national emergency declared by the President under the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) expires;
- (B) may include— (i) the purchase, maintenance, or renovation of assets that create or expand— (I) a drive-through window facility; (II) an indoor, outdoor, or combined air or air pressure ventilation or filtration system; (III) a physical barrier such as a sneeze guard; (IV) an expansion of additional indoor, outdoor, or combined business space; (V) an onsite or offsite health screening capability; or (VI) other assets relating to the compliance with the requirements or guidance described in subsection (A), as determined by the Administrator in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Labor; and (ii) the purchase of— (I) covered materials described in section 328.103(a) of title 44, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation; (II) particulate filtering facepiece respirators approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, including those approved only for emergency use authorization; or (III) other kinds of personal protective equipment, as determined by the Administrator in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Labor; and
- (C) does not include residential real property or intangible property."
Eligible nonpayroll costs cannot exceed 40% of the total forgiveness amount. An eligible nonpayroll cost must be either paid during the Covered Period or incurred during the Covered Period and paid on or before the next regular billing date, even if the billing date is after the Covered Period. Count nonpayroll costs that were both paid and incurred only once.
If you have self-employment income and file a Form 1040, Schedule C or F, your nonpayroll costs in each category are eligible for forgiveness to the extent that they are deductible on your Form 1040 Schedule C or F.