The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the U.S. economy has made the role of accountants and other finance professionals more urgent, especially as non-essential businesses across the country are forced to close and make critical operational decisions. CPAs were particularly in the spotlight last week as the tax-filing deadline was extended to July 15 in response to the crisis.

It is important that CPAs keep abreast of these fast-moving updates, said American Institute of CPAs president and CEO Barry Melancon, recommending the AICPA’s coronavirus online resource center as a good starting point. He also explained that CPAs can currently offer more to clients than just meeting these new deadlines.

“If you think of the makeup of the profession, the knowledge, we are extraordinarily well-positioned,” Melancon told Accounting Today. “It’s way more than complying with the tax deadline, financial reporting. Those things are important, but way bigger is real solid decision-making. Our economy will fight to bounce back; I see an opportunity to do that, a path to do that. … People from every type of organization have the potential for a powerful impact on good decision-making and how to come out of this. It’s probably the greatest opportunity for our profession to affect the economy.”

Beyond financial expertise, accountants might find themselves especially in-demand for their practicality, Melancon predicted.

“I think that we have this incredible obligation and opportunity — not from an opportunistic [standpoint] — but the opportunity to impact a very serious situation in the economy,” Melancon continued. “It’s all about how we are trusted, knowledgeable, ethical people in this profession — those are true statements. Right now, we can be a calming force for clients; if you work for a company, you can be a calming force for good decisions. We can be realists [and] help people work through some difficult decisions.”

Amid this pandemic, both Melancon and CPA.com president and CEO Erik Asgeirsson (pictured) have been in communication with accounting firms and AICPA members, as well as the other organizations comprising a coalition they formed to ask the U.S. government to direct any coronavirus relief funds to small businesses through payroll processors. These conversations have inspired optimism, according to Asgeirsson, who added that firms that have adopted the technology solutions that thought leaders like those at CPA.com have been evangelizing for years are at an advantage.

“We’ve both been talking to a lot of firms, and like everyone, they’re focused on the safety of employees and doing an excellent job, making sure people work remote and take care of their situations,” Asgeirsson shared. “The second thing is a focus on helping clients navigate unprecedented times, to really be set up to operate in this environment. What happened with cloud-enabled solutions was they are able to support businesses and clients wherever they are and are actually operating today. Things have changed [but] we are operating and connected and will be in a position to support clients in these uncharted waters.”

The AICPA and CPA.com are prepared to continue helping CPAs in these unprecedented times, Asgeirsson said.

“Some firms need a little assistance in getting modern platforms up and running, and we continue to provide those services,” he explained. “We’re also aware these firms are knowledge workers and are invested in systems that can support clients, and can play a big role. It’s an otherwise fortunate position to be in, that we can still provide these services. We’ve also seen states declare [CPAs] as essential services.”

As the spread of the coronavirus, and the government and economic response to it, continues to accelerate, preserving connectivity will be critical, according to Melancon and Asgeirsson.

“It’s amazing how fast this is all going,” Asgeirsson observed. “Communication matters.”

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) has petitioned President Donald Trump to enact a faster system of payment for small- to medium-sized businesses as the coronavirus pandemic rolls on in the country, stalling the economy, according to reports.

The AICPA was joined by the International Franchise Association and two payroll companies, Paychex and Intuit, in penning the open letter to Trump. The proposition is for the federal government to set up a new centralized system in which SMB payroll processors could funnel finances to businesses to help them keep paying employees.

AICPA President and CEO Barry Melancon said this would be the most efficient way to get payroll processes running and help money get to those that need it, as well as assisting in getting things running again once the pandemic has eased up at some point.

The coalition emphasized that the plan would especially help out businesses that have been forced to lay off workers or close their doors as the crisis continues to unfold and people have to practice social distancing.

However, the funds for this project would depend on the passage of a financial aid and relief measure in Congress, which had not happened as of Tuesday (March 24). Several attempts at such were blocked by Democrats in Congress who said the measures did not go far enough toward protecting workers and instead focused more on corporate interests.

There are more payroll companies looking to join this coalition and voice support, according to officials. The AICPA is prepared to continue responding to Washington’s actions, hoping that whatever Congress decides to do will align with the coalition’s goals.

Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com, said one reason this could work well is that the system is mostly already in place, as payroll companies know who needs to get paid and how much. All that’s missing, he said, is the centralized hub that would bring it all under the government’s roof.

For the calculation of the Average Monthly Payroll cost under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Gross Payroll approach should be used for the application, according to the recommendation from the AICPA-led small business funding coalition. This recommendation was developed in conjunction with the National Payroll Reporting Consortium (NPRC). It comes after the additional guidelines Treasury and the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued on Thursday.

For the calculation of the Average Monthly Payroll cost, we recommend that payroll providers and CPAs use Gross Payroll based on 2019 data versus Net Payroll (defined as Gross Payroll less federal withholding and employee FICA). Neither the CARES Act nor the recent guidance instructs the PPP applicant to exclude federal withholding and employee FICA for the 2019 period. The Average Monthly Payroll cost includes Gross Payroll and the other defined PPP payroll cost elements such as health care, etc.

Downloadable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Borrower Application Form.

“Treasury and the SBA have acted quickly to generate this small business stimulus. As key stakeholders in the implementation of the PPP relief, we are collectively working to drive consistency in the interpretation of the administration’s guidance. Our goal is to help produce an efficient application process to quickly get the funds in the hands of small businesses and their employees,” said Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com.

Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA, the AICPA’s executive vice president of firm services, added, “Based upon statements from members of Congress, it appears that the intent of the PPP was to base the salary calculation on gross wages with no adjustment for federal taxes. This ensures that payroll tax expenses are not passed on to the small businesses in need. In a program of this magnitude, it’s expected that guidance will evolve and terms will be clarified.”

The AICPA also said that its discussions with Treasury, SBA, banks and payroll processors to address these and other issues are ongoing and that it will keep its members, coalition partners and small businesses updated on the efforts to protect Main Street America.

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) is the world’s largest member association representing the CPA profession, with more than 429,000 members in the United States and worldwide, and a history of serving the public interest since 1887. AICPA members represent many areas of practice, including business and industry, public practice, government, education and consulting. The AICPA sets ethical standards for its members and U.S. auditing standards for private companies, nonprofit organizations, federal, state and local governments. It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination, offers specialized credentials, builds the pipeline of future talent and drives professional competency development to advance the vitality, relevance and quality of the profession

Late Monday night, Treasury and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) released FAQs on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the $349 billion small business relief program that is a key part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, P.L. 116-136.

Over the past week, the AICPA and our small business funding coalition have been advocating for additional clarity on certain provisions of the PPP. We've been working hard to drive a common understanding and approach around PPP implementation. The AICPA has been leading with recommendations and interpretations based on our understanding of the intent of the program.

These FAQs from Treasury and the SBA are critically important to help facilitate the funding of small businesses. We thank them for producing these clarifications and swiftly communicating this update.

The FAQs align with many of the recommendations we made, such as:

• Using the gross payroll approach for both loan application and forgiveness. Also, the guidance clarified that the employer's share of Federal Insurance Contributions Act taxes should not be included.
• The $100,000 salary limitation does not include health care, retirement benefits, and state and local taxes.
• Applicants that use Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) can provide payroll reports since they cannot produce individual entity payroll tax documents.
• The time period for calculating payroll costs for the maximum loan amount.

These clarifications are going to have a significant impact in the total eligible funding amount available to small businesses. We plan to release an updated set of AICPA recommendations later today that will include a distilled version of these FAQs.

Our overall goal is to help minimize confusion for both our firms and PPP applicants and also to drive consistency with lenders. The effectiveness of the PPP depends on the quick distribution of funds, so it's crucial we minimize complexity for small businesses that desperately need support now.

These are historic times for our clients and our stakeholders. We know there are other outstanding issues, and we will continue to drive recommendations and advocacy to produce further clarity.

The AICPA's Paycheck Protection Program Resource Center houses resources and tools produced by the AICPA to help address the economic impact of the coronavirus. 

For more news and reporting on the coronavirus and how CPAs can handle challenges related to the pandemic, visit the JofA's coronavirus resources page.

— Erik Asgeirsson is president and CEO of CPA.com. Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA, is the AICPA's executive vice president–Firm Services. To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Kim Nilsen, the JofA's publisher, at Kim.Nilsen@aicpa-cima.com.

Panicked, small-business owners started calling Drucker & Scaccetti’s public accounting offices in Philadelphia nonstop last week.

Owners didn’t want to miss a chance to borrow some much-needed cash to cover rent and payroll for the next eight weeks—especially if the low-interest loan eventually would be repaid by the federal government. But they had questions, and little guidance to help them in their urgent rush to start submitting applications for the Payroll Protection Program, $349 billion in small business loans created in the latest virus relief package (Public Law 116-136).

“It’s so complicated and such a mess,” said Daniel Marques, a tax accountant with Drucker & Scaccetti P.C.

Business owners need help understanding their options, navigating loan officers at the local bank, calculating their payroll, even quelling their fears that they’ll miss out and risk losing their business. CPA firms like Drucker & Scaccetti are on the front lines of that effort, racing to save millions of American small businesses.

And they are stepping up, Marques said, even though the Small Business Administration program doesn’t directly involve taxes and the loans can’t be used to pay his fees.

Fight for Survival

The vast majority of CPA firms are small businesses too, and their own future depends heavily on the financial health of their client base. Right now, small businesses in survival mode are turning to their accountants to make critical decisions, said Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com, the technology arm of the American Institute of CPAs.

The AICPA last week called on all 44,000 public accounting firms in the U.S. to support their clients as they seek the much-needed cash relief—a life line Congress provided in the legislation known as the CARES Act. The organization has worked with banks and paycheck-processing companies to ensure consistency in the loan applications over important details, like how to calculate the payroll and the time-frame the calculation should cover.

CPAs can offer trusted guidance, help clients apply for the relief, and make sure that the loan will qualify to be forgiven, Asgeirsson said.

The needs are urgent. According to the JPMorgan Chase Institute, about half of all small businesses have a cash safety net worth less than 15 days. A survey of small businesses found that a quarter have seen revenue dry up due to the outbreak, according to the group Businesses for Responsible Tax Reform.

Anne Zimmerman, a Cincinnati-based CPA and co-chair of the tax reform group, said her six-person firm will continuing working with clients even though some of them can no longer afford their services. Her clients are like family, she said, and she won’t turn away from them.

“For smaller firms like ours, if we don’t continue to help our clients through, whether or not they’re going to be able to afford to pay us, we’re not going to have any clients when we’re done,” Zimmerman said. “How do you say ‘No, sorry you can’t afford me.’ You’re going to help them.”

Accounting Not Immune

Like its clients, Postlethwaite & Netterville APAC isn’t immune to the downturn in the economy and the firm is keeping a close eye on its own cash flows, said Brandon Lagarde, a Baton Rouge, La. tax attorney, who runs the firm’s tax services group.

The firm works with restaurants and other businesses in New Orleans’s normally vibrant hospitality industry, now hobbled by travel restrictions intended to slow the spread of the virus. Thanks to Hurricane Katrina, the region’s business owners are familiar with SBA loan programs. The agency approved nearly $10 billion in aid to businesses and residents impacted by a trio of Gulf Coast hurricanes in 2005. q

“The Katrina recovery, I mean it took probably a year to really get off the ground, and now you’re talking about trying to get something like this off in a week,” Lagarde said. “It’s just very frustrating.”

But owners aren’t waiting for guidance or clarifications from the SBA, Lagarde said; they need to apply now or they risk running out of money.

He’s focused on how businesses are preparing for the inevitable red tape that could dash hopes of the government covering the full amount of the loan.

"No one wants a big old loan on the balance sheet after it’s said and done, not if they can help it,” he said. “It’s really trying to help people make sure they are not borrowing too much because maybe not all of it will be forgiven.”

Companies that receive the CARES loan will need to track the money with separate bank accounts and ledgers. They must decide carefully how they spend the money, he said.

Zimmerman has given her clients in Ohio similar advice.

“Get what you think you deserve, but don’t go spend it all,” she said. “You need to hold onto this money to use for only dire things that you really need to keep your business going.”

In the meantime, Zimmerman is bracing for her own revenue decline in the coming months. She, like her clients, would be eligible for the paycheck loan coverage.

But for now, she says, her team is busier than ever, helping clients to hold on just a little longer.