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Business Update

Nicole Barnett • Apr 26, 2020

10% Wage Subsidy

Just a reminder for eligible businesses that the 10% wage subsidy for wages paid March 18 to March 30 should be deducted from your April 15 payroll remittance payment. If you missed making this deduction for April 15, the subsidy can be carried forward and deducted against the next remittance.

Check here for more information on determining your eligibility and calculating the benefit: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/campaigns/covid-19-update/frequently-asked-questions-wage-subsidy-small-businesses.html

We recommend that businesses eligible for both the 10% wage subsidy (TWS) and the 75% wages subsidy (CEWS) claim the 10% subsidy first to help with immediate cash flow issues by reducing payroll remittances and then apply for the 75% subsidy when it is available in the next couple of weeks.  

$40,000 CEBA Business Loan
We have some new information about how businesses can use the $40,000 loan funds.

A refresher on which businesses are eligible and the loan terms:

  • Canadian operating business that was in operation and had a CRA business number as of March 1, 2020
  • Had an active business bank account with a financial institution as of March 1, 2020 (personal accounts are not eligible)
  • Paid wages of $50,000 to $1,000,000 in 2019 (Box 14 on the 2019 T4 Summary)
  • Maximum loan of $40,000 is interest free
  • 25% of the loan is eligible for forgiveness if paid in full by December 31, 2022
  • You apply for the loan through your bank, which bank will forward the application to the federal government for review and approval (5-7 day approval process is expected)
  • You can only apply at one bank and that must be your primary financial institution
There will be limits on how these loan funds can be used:
Must be used for operating expenses that can't be deferred, such as payroll, rent, utilities, insurance, property taxes, regularly scheduled debt payments
Can't be used for prepayments or refinancing of existing debt, payment of dividends, shareholder distributions or increases in management compensation
By Nicole Barnett 26 Apr, 2020
The application portal for the CERB $2,000/month funding is available starting today through CRA My Account. Use the following schedule to apply: April 6th - Birth months of January, February and March April 7th - Birth months of April, May and June April 8th - Birth months of July, August and September April 9th - Birth months of October, November and December Open for anyone after those dates Where to apply: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application.html Two important points: CRA has clarified that business owners who are compensated through dividends rather than wages are eligible for the CERB if their 2019 income is $5,000 or more. CERB vs EI If you have applied for EI since March 15th, your application will automatically be transferred to the CERB process, so there is no need to apply for CERB . At the end of the 4 month CERB program, you could resume receiving EI if eligible and the CERB payments will not use up any of the EI-eligible weeks. For anyone who applied to EI prior to March 15th and received benefits, you will stay in the EI program and continue receiving the EI payments. A good summary here: https://globalnews.ca/news/6770564/coronavirus-ei-beneficiaries-federal-emergency-benefit/ More answers to common questions are available here: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application/questions.html
By Nicole Barnett 26 Apr, 2020
Details are here: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/campaigns/covid-19-update/frequently-asked-questions-wage-subsidy-small-businesses.html Highlights: A 10% wage subsidy is available for any wages paid between March 18th and June 20th, to a maximum of $1,375 per employee and $25,000 per employer To calculate: If you have 5 employees earning monthly salaries of $4,100 for a total monthly payroll of $20,500, the subsidy would be 10% of $20,500, or $2,050. To claim the subsidy: Reduce your payroll remittances by the amount of the calculated subsidy in the first remittance period that includes wages paid between March 18th and June 20th. So, for a regular remitter, the remittances due April 15 will be reduced by the amount of the subsidy. The subsidy does not need to be used to reduce remittances immediately. You can pay full remittances now and then request the calculated subsidy be paid out to you at the end of the year or applied to next year's remittances. To report the subsidy: CRA has not yet released info on how to report the subsidy calculation or amount. This is expected in the near future. The subsidy will be considered taxable income to your business in the year it is received. The team at Insight LLP is committed to helping our business clients access and understand the latest information on the ever-changing Covid-19 situation. Please contact us directly with any questions specific to your business needs at 403-524-4878 or via email.The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.
By Nicole Barnett 26 Apr, 2020
Private sector employers will have immediate financial relief by deferring WCB premiums until early 2021, effectively for one year. Employers who have already paid their WCB premium payment for 2020 are eligible for a rebate or credit. For small and medium businesses, the government will cover 50 per cent of the premium when it is due. Large employers will also receive a break by having their 2020 WCB premium payments deferred until 2021, at which time their premiums will be due. Info from: https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=699045A66118C-FA03-F4F5-959455E3316B8564
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