THREE SEPARATE PACKAGES approved by Congress over the past few weeks represent a more than $2-trillion dollar effort by the federal government to help Americans — and in some cases, small business owners specifically — deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As massive as that relief package is, it represents only a part of the assistance that’s available. Below are links to a wealth of resources from government, industry, corporate and community organizations that will help you deal with this unprecedented challenge. The list includes advice on how to apply for benefits and tax breaks, communication toolkits, FAQs about your obligations as an employer, databases, disease trackers and more. We’ll continue to update the list over the coming weeks. If you come across a great resource yourself or have an experience to share about applying for federal or other assistance, please let us know. We’re all in this together.
Places to Start
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has an excellent breakdown of all the federal programs and aid for small business coronavirus assistance here.
Jewelers of America has compiled a list of resources that includes business and security guidance as well as templates for letters to staff and customers.
Justworks.com, an HR solutions company, provides advice on applying for tax refunds, employee leave and other obligations, working-from-home tips along with a handy FAQ section.
Federal
Much of the assistance to small businesses is being channeled through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which has a coronavirus resource page listing special loans, relief programs and the other assistance that is available to small business owners. You can find guidance on the loans here.
Meanwhile, the actual loan application page is here.
Need help interpreting the forms? SCORE, the volunteer business advice group, is offering assistance in filling out the SBA loan applications as well as running workshops and provding remote mentoring.
Taxes
To ease the strain on businesses, the federal tax return filing deadline has been pushed back to July 15, with businesses allowed to defer up to $10 million in payments, interest free. The IRS has provided details here.
There are also many tax breaks and credits available for employers who keep staff on or provide paid leave to sick workers or those looking after sick family members. More information on those tax changes can be found here.
Several states have already aligned their tax filing and payment deadlines with the new federal deadline. You can find out whether your business has more time to file or more time to pay state and local taxes this year as a result of the coronavirus here.
A list of similar initiatives in various states is available from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Corporate
Facebook has pledged to give up to 30,000 small businesses a total of $100 million in cash grants and Facebook advertising credits.
If you have team-members working remotely, Microsoft Teams is now free for use. The program includes a chat feature, video calling, 10 GB of storage for the entire team, 2 GB storage in a personal file plus various Office apps.
Many newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and The New York Times have dropped their firewalls for coronavirus coverage. The Times’ dedicated section offers the latest news on the virus and features on topics such as layoffs and reduced hours as well as more general health FAQs.
An unemployment benefits finder is available here.
Specific Industry Resources
Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America (MJSA) has opened up its online article and video library as part of a coronavirus resource page that can be found at MJSA.org.
Tools
To help you manage your business through the coronavirus crisis, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has created a toolkit for businesses and a customizable flyer for businesses to communicate their coronavirus efforts to customers.
Assess the potential impact to your business and gauge your readiness to respond with thisCOVID-19 Navigator from PwC.
Facebook is also offering a Resilience Toolkit “to help you prepare for disaster” and a Quick Action Guide to help you plan your emergency response and minimize downtime.
General
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is one of the best sources for accurate coronavirus information, with material available on infections in a business setting (how to implement social distancing, for example), printable hygiene posters and more resources for businesses and employees. The main page is here.
Need information on state or territorial health department? Here is a link to health departments in all 50 states, eight U.S. territories and freely associated states, and the District of Columbia.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has a plethora of information available, including reliable and up-to-date news on the coronavirus, travel advice, and an interactive COVID-19 dashboard.
The Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued guidance on on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 that you can download here.
