Am I eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan if I have income from self-employment and file a Form 1040, Schedule C?
You are eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan if:
- You were in operation on February 15, 2020;
- You are an individual with self-employment income (such as an independent contractor or a sole proprietor);
- Your principal place of residence is in the United States; and
- You filed or will file a Form 1040 Schedule C for 2019.
However, if you are a partner in a partnership, you may not submit a separate PPP loan application for yourself as a self-employed individual. Instead, the self-employment income of general active partners may be reported as a payroll cost, up to $100,000 annualized, on a PPP loan application filed by or on behalf of the partnership.
Partnerships are eligible for PPP loans under the Act, and the Administrator has determined, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary), that limiting a partnership and its partners (and an LLC filing taxes as a partnership) to one PPP loan is necessary to help ensure that as many eligible borrowers as possible obtain PPP loans before the statutory deadline of June 30, 2020.
This limitation will allow lenders to more quickly process applications and lower the burdens of applying for partnerships/partners. The Administrator has further determined that permitting partners to apply as self-employed individuals would create unnecessary confusion regarding which entity, the partner or the partnership, applies for partner and LLC member income, and would generate loan proceeds use coordination and allocation issues.
Rent, mortgage interest, utilities, and other debt service are generally incurred at the partnership level, not partner level, so it is most natural to provide the funds for these expenses to the partnership, not individual partners.
In addition, you should be aware that participation in the PPP may affect your eligibility for state administered unemployment compensation or unemployment assistance programs, including the programs authorized by Title II, Subtitle A of the CARES Act, or CARES Act Employee Retention Credits.
The SBA will issue additional guidance for those individuals with self-employment income who:
- Were not in operation in 2019 but who were in operation on February 15, 2020, and
- Will file a Form 1040 Schedule C for 2020.
