COVID 19 - BUSINESS THREAD INFO/DISCUSSION

Of course it's taxable.

I was talking to my accountant about that issue. He figures they may increase random audits. But only to ensure that businesses weren’t taking the money and investing or spending it on personal items etc. All businesses will be affected by this shitstorm. Whether it’s immediately or due to the coming recession. I get audited every couple of years. Whether it’s payroll, worksafe or the Cra. They all seem to want to take an extra look.
Weird. You think they would screen people that didn't need it. I guess they are hoping to catch people in audit situations. I guarantee any of us that get these loans will get audited in future.
 
Every business is effected and pretty simple to state that you needed to loan to cover expenses related to covid. Such has hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, extended wait times do to supplies, employees taking extended sick leave, delays in inspections, delays in approvals, inflation in certain supplies ect...

really the list is endless
 
Every business is effected and pretty simple to state that you needed to loan to cover expenses related to covid. Such has hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, extended wait times do to supplies, employees taking extended sick leave, delays in inspections, delays in approvals, inflation in certain supplies ect...

really the list is endless
Exactly. Covid hasn’t impacted my volume of work.....yet. But just as it all went down, 90% of my staff was sick and had to take two weeks off. It certainly affected my ability to complete my projects on time. Which affects cash flow.
 
This closed the loop hole now for a lot. Good move from government today.

CERB Eligibility Rules Expanded For Self-Employed Canadians Amid Pandemic
Owners who pay themselves through dividends will have access, and those with business expenses will be able to earn more money.


OTTAWA — The federal government has quietly broadened the eligibility rules for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) by allowing self-employed workers to earn $1,000 more than their monthly business expenses, and by expanding the benefit to include those who pay themselves through dividends.


The changes were posted to the CERB question and answer portion of the government website late last week, the same day HuffPost Canada asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau whether the government would expand program eligibility for self-employed workers.

Trudeau had no announcement to make that morning in response to the question, but he said the federal government would “continue to fill gaps.”

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Justin Tang/CP
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks outside his residence at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on April 25, 2020.
“We will continue to work on making sure that everyone who needs help gets it,” he said.

Many sole proprietors had voiced concerns about being shut out of government assistance and unable to pay their bills.

On April 15, Trudeau announced that the CERB, a $2,000 monthly payment originally intended for those who had lost their jobs or were unable to work owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and mandated shutdowns, would be expanded to include “people making up to $1,000 a month.”

“Maybe you’re a volunteer firefighter or contractor who can pick up some shifts or you have a part-time job in a grocery store,” the prime minister said in making the announcement. “Even if you’re still working or you want to start working again, you probably need help in making ends meet. So if you earn $1,000 or less a month, you’ll now be able to apply for the CERB.”

Glenn Harrington, a wood furniture maker in Toronto, told HuffPost his store was forced to shut its doors, but his rent, insurance and equipment charges were still adding up to $5,000 each month.

“A thousand dollars a month for an individual isn’t bad, but for a business? They didn’t even make the criteria a little more?” he said at the time.

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Government officials initially told HuffPost that the $1,000 threshold was pre-tax money earned before expenses. The CERB application stated, to qualify, an individual “cannot have earned more than $1,000 in employment and/or self-employment income” without specifying if that was gross or net income.

Last Wednesday, Trudeau was still repeating that CERB was for someone “if you have a job but you’re only making up to $1,000 a month.”

The government website now states, however, that business owners “should consider their net pre-tax income (gross income less expenses)” in calculating their earnings to determine whether they qualify for the CERB.

“It’s all still gross [income] just gross income after business expenses,” said Ashley Michnowski, a spokesperson for Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Minister Carla Qualtrough.

The new guidelines also state that business owners who rely on dividends are eligible for the CERB, and their dividend income should be considered “as self-employment income provided it comes from non-eligible dividends (generally, those paid out of corporate income taxed at the small business rate).”

Trudeau pressed about self-employed workers
Trudeau and his cabinet ministers were asked five times about self-employed workers who pay themselves through dividends when Parliament met last Monday — three times by the Conservatives and twice by the Bloc Québécois. The Liberals sidestepped the questions.

At one point, however, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau suggested decisions on eligibility were being made on a “case by case” basis.

“It is true that there are situations where business owners do not give themselves a salary,” she said. “They pay themselves through surpluses and dividends. It is on a case-by-case basis, but the rules are clear: The individual must have an income of at least $5,000 in the previous year to qualify for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.”

The $5,000 remark relates to general eligibility. In order to qualify for the CERB, an individual must have had at least $5,000 in income in 2019 or in the past 12 months.

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Adrian Wyld/CP
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to a question in the House of Commons on April 20, 2020.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer noted the shortcomings of federal assistance for several small-business owners — “family businesses that receive dividends, self-employed people who own and operate businesses” — he asked whether Trudeau would “continue to broaden the eligibility criteria.”

The prime minister responded by saying the government has “helped the vast majority of companies and individuals” but realizes it needs “to keep refining” and improving.

“That is why I thank all members for making suggestions as we improve the programs,” he said.

Michnowski told HuffPost that the online FAQs were updated to “be more comprehensive” and that they “reflect a lot of the questions we are receiving from constituents and MPs pretty much daily at this point.”
 
Conservatives Offer Solutions for Liberals Small Business Support Program
By
NNL Staff
-
April 26, 2020


OTTAWA – The federal Conservatives say that the Government’s support program for small businesses doesn’t go quite far enough. “Justin Trudeau and Bill Morneau’s rescue package has picked winners and losers and let entrepreneurs fall through the cracks. We have been hearing from frustrated business owners asking for flexibility in the eligibility metrics currently in place. That is the least this government can do for the private sector after forcing them to close their doors,” said Shadow Minister for Small Business James Cumming.

On Sunday, Conservative Shadow Minister for Small Business James Cumming and Conservative Shadow Minister for Finance Pierre Poilievre has proposed what they state are easy solutions to help small businesses access the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA).

Here is a link to the current supports for small business
Finance critic Pierre Poilievre says, “A major flaw with the government’s new commercial rental assistance program that will grind to a halt many businesses that have been operating through the COVID-19 shut down”.

Canada Emergency Business Account

The Conservatives say, “Senseless rules exclude many deserving businesses from the CEBA. First, under the current criteria, small businesses must have a pre-existing business account to qualify for the CEBA. Sole proprietors typically use a chequing account, rather than a business account, and thus do not qualify.

“Second, businesses must have a payroll of at least $20,000 to qualify for the CEBA. Newer family-run businesses typically have no payroll because family members do all the work without salary, so they can pay off debt and build up the business instead. When family members eventually do get paid, it is through dividends, which do not count as payroll. This type of business tends to have little cash to cushion catastrophic surprises like the COVID-19 shut down”.

The Conservatives offer solutions they feel that the Prime Minister and Liberal minority government can get behind.

The Conservatives suggest that the government can correct the shortcomings of the Canada Emergency Business Account with two simple corrections to the loan criteria:

  1. Remove the requirement to have a business account to qualify for the CEBA.
  2. Expand the eligibility criteria for the CEBA, to include revenue decline, so more small businesses qualify for the $40,000 loan.
Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance

The Conservative’s say that the government’s rental assistance will help businesses that are closed because of COVID-19. However, a design flaw will force many businesses that have remained open to close or grind their operations to a halt. The problem is that a business must have lost 70% of its revenue to qualify for the rental subsidy. Any business that has not lost that amount gets nothing, including those whose revenues have fallen by half while they stay open during COVID-19. To get rental assistance, many will need to shut down completely in order to drop their revenue by 70%. Conservatives are calling on the government to address this flaw.

“Conservatives are proposing practical solutions to rescue businesses whom governments have locked down. Governments should not punish business owners because they have the wrong type of bank account; or because they put their revenues into the company instead of paying themselves; or because they have fought through the COVID-19 lockdown to keep serving customers and employing workers,” says Poilievre.
 
I received word yesterday that I don't qualify for CEBA loan as your business must have a payroll number set-up with revenue canada. Without it SOL:mad:. It means that if you operate a small family business or owner/operator and pay through yearly draw or dividend you are excluded. If your set-up with employees and payroll your OK. Dividend payment are excluded as well.

Anyway just passing info along to people who are looking at this.
 
If you paid yourself a salary you are eligible.

"I pay myself a salary from my corporation, am I eligible for a CEBA loan? It depends! If you have paid yourself a salary and a total of this salary is more than $50,000, yes your business is eligible to get this line of credit. Note dividends are different from salary."

This isn't exactly correct only if you don't have a a payroll number registered. If you declare just an income draw as many solo owner/operators do you can't get it.
 
This isn't exactly correct only if you don't have a a payroll number registered. If you declare just an income draw as many solo owner/operators do you can't get it.
I thought they corrected that though? Something about people that only draw dividends would qualify. I do both.
 
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I thought they corrected that though? Something about people that only draw dividends would qualify. I do both.

No dividends still aren't eligible as I read it. They dropped it 20k but still left the registered payroll requirement in. I didn't know that. Without number you can't put your application in.

You need this Employers account number on a right on T4.

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This article explains it more. In red is where owners are getting excluded.

https://www.advisor.ca/tax/tax-news/how-small-businesses-without-employees-get-shut-out-of-benefits/

How small businesses without employees get shut out of benefits
More support is needed to cope with the pandemic

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most significant programs for businesses are the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA). One of the requirements for CEWS is that the business had a payroll account with the Canada Revenue Agency on March 15, 2020. One of CEBA’s requirements is that the business had total 2019 payroll between $20,000 and $1,500,000, as reported on a 2019 T4 summary.

Several small businesses don’t qualify for these programs given their remuneration plans.

Consider a typical sole proprietor operating a business with no employees. They’ll receive no support from CEWS and CEBA because they wouldn’t have needed a payroll account, nor would they have a 2019 T4 summary as they typically wouldn’t pay themselves a salary.

Instead, they’re remunerated with the profit from their business after applicable taxes and CPP payments. (Profit is reported as self-employment income on the business owner’s personal tax return.)

Also consider the business owner who is the sole shareholder/director of a corporation operating a business with no employees. When the owner is remunerated with dividends, the corporation pays taxes based on the corporate tax rate, and the dividends are paid with after-tax earnings. The dividends are also taxable to the shareholder personally. However, because of integration, the total tax paid by the corporation and shareholder approximates the taxes under the sole proprietor scenario.

The biggest difference is that no CPP is payable on the dividends. However, the shareholder will also not receive CPP benefits on these earnings in the future when they reach the eligible age, whereas the sole proprietor will.

Like the sole proprietor, the shareholder of a corporation wouldn’t have needed a payroll account and wouldn’t have a 2019 T4 summary. Therefore, they wouldn’t qualify for CEWS or CEBA.

The rules for these support programs are clear. What’s unclear is why so many small businesses are excluded. Compared to a business with employees, the biggest difference for businesses without employees is they generally don’t make employer or employee contributions to EI. Was this a factor in the decision to treat businesses differently, or simply an oversight?

Although many of these business owners may qualify for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) of $500 per week, that benefit was meant to replace personal income, not operating cash flow for a business. In contrast, CEBA is for a business’s non-deferrable operating expenses, including rent, utilities, insurance, property tax and regularly scheduled debt service. For many businesses that currently qualify, CEBA has provided the bridge they need to operate until they can start to generate enough cash flow.

For the businesses that don’t qualify, is CERB expected to cover these same operating expenses? Some business owners who qualify for CEBA also qualify for CERB, so it’s clear the government saw the need for two programs to support them. Why are certain sole proprietors and incorporated individuals excluded?

Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business has said that 20% of Canada’s 1.4 million small- and medium-size businesses don’t qualify for CEBA because they either pay employees dividends or employ contractors.

Since the government unveiled its rent relief program for businesses last month, there’s been no mention of additional programs or changes to existing programs to help businesses, despite the government’s awareness that some businesses are falling through the cracks. Further, the speed of legislation seems to have slowed.

Yet, several small businesses remain closed and may never reopen, and others may not have the cash flow to continue operating unless new funding is announced or existing eligibility requirements are broadened.

While it may be too late for some, hopefully the government will assist small businesses that are important to Canada’s economy but shut out from benefits.
 

Federal government unveils new financial aid measures to support large businesses

Daily Hive Staff
|
May 11 2020, 7:26 am
CPAC_TV/Twitter
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced new financial aid measures for medium and large-sized businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement, made prior to his daily address, was delivered by Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains. It included a program that helps Canada’s large businesses obtain bridge funding.

“Employers, large and small, are facing challenges due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Our government has their backs,” said Morneau in a statement.

“We know that many businesses of all sizes need our help in order to keep their many employees on the payroll and their suppliers paid until the economy recovers. That is why today’s measures will help both large and mid-sized employers to get access to the financing they need to make it through this extraordinarily challenging time.”

On Monday, the Government of Canada announced it is establishing a Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF) “to provide bridge financing to Canada’s largest employers, whose needs during the pandemic are not being met through conventional financing, in order to keep their operations going.”

According to the federal government, the objective of this support is to help protect Canadian jobs, help Canadian businesses weather the current economic downturn, and avoid bankruptcies of otherwise viable firms where possible.

They also say that this support “will not be used to resolve insolvencies or restructure firms, nor will it provide financing to companies that otherwise have the capacity to manage through the crisis.”

Eligible Canadian companies have annual revenues of $300 million or higher.

The businesses seeking this support will have to demonstrate how they intend to preserve employment and maintain investment activities.
 
I haven't . Don't meet criteria with percentage drops they require. Tourism grant we can't either even though directly effected with some of my customers. They also have another BC grant to help businesses going to online shopping of $7500. But if you have one set up can't get that either.

I was turned down for CEBA as well.

In the end though I am glad I didn't take anything. I think some of these programs are going to bite people in the butt with CRA. Look at the businesses that got them. You look and see now that some of these businesses are now closing. Even after they put there hand out for 20k more.

I would apply though for BC grant if you can. I don't know any business that got it yet. Many were turned down or are still waiting.
 
Just got approved last week pending plan. But sounds like that is not an issue. Approved for 30000. Criteria less onerous now.
 
Just got approved last week pending plan. But sounds like that is not an issue. Approved for 30000. Criteria less onerous now.
So does your plan have to cost you 30k? That part confused me.
 
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