Resources for Businesses
SBA Loans
The SBA has now approved all counties in Texas in its Economic Injury Disaster Declaration and granted access to its Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, which will provide long-term, low-interest loans to qualifying businesses across the state. Please visit this website to apply.
Sales Tax Payments
The Texas Comptroller has established a hotline for businesses who have questions about sales tax payments: (800) 252-8880.
For businesses seeking tax payment assistance and waivers of penalties and interest, from the Comptroller:
These are challenging times for businesses all over the nation. The Texas Comptroller’s office knows that during periods of economic hardship, paying or remitting taxes and fees on time can feel like an extra burden when there’s so much uncertainty. We’re thankful to those businesses that were able to remit state and local sales taxes they collected from customers in February on the March 20, 2020, due date.
We understand that virtually all of our taxpayers are doing their best to remain in compliance and be responsible in submitting the taxes they collected from their customers. With that in mind, our agency is here to offer assistance to those businesses that are struggling to pay the full amount of sales taxes they collected in February.
For businesses that find themselves in this situation, our agency is offering assistance in the form of short-term payment agreements and, in most instances, waivers of penalties and interest.
We ask that you contact our Enforcement Hotline at 800-252-8880 to learn about your options for remaining in compliance and avoiding interest and late fees on taxes due.
In addition, we have a variety of online tools for businesses seeking assistance. See our COVID-19 emergency response webpage for access to online tools, tutorials and other resources for tax services, and to establish 24/7 online account access with Webfile.
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Tarrant Conty Order
On March 21st, Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley ordered new restrictions on Tarrant County businesses to flatten the curve and prevent the spread of COVID-19. You can read more and see a chart of affected businesses here.
Critical Infrastructure Businesses
On March 22, Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley amended an order clarify language provided by the Department of Homeland Security as to what critical infrastructure businesses should operate in accordance with CDC guidelines. See the order here. More information and guidance on critical infrastructure businesses can be seen here.
Mass Claims and Shared Work (TWC)
If you have to close your business either temporarily or permanently and need to lay off employees, you may be able to submit a mass claim for unemployment benefits on their behalf. The Mass Claims program streamlines the unemployment benefit claims process for employers faced with either temporary or permanent layoffs. Employers can submit basic worker information on behalf of their employees to initiate claims for unemployment benefits. You can submit a mass claim request on Employer Benefits Services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Note: If you have already laid off staff, you cannot use Employer Benefits Services (EBS) to submit a Mass Claim. If your layoff date was in the past and you have 10 or more employees affected by the pandemic, email TWC’s Mass Claims Coordinator at: ui.massclaims@twc.state.tx.us and ask us to provide Mass Claims documents to submit manually. Make sure your email contains the following information:
Our Mass Claims department will send the documents to you as soon as possible.
Need to Reduce Employee Hours? Check out TWC’s Shared Work Program
If your business has slowed down due to the pandemic and you need to reduce employee working hours, you may be able to avoid laying off employees by submitting a shared work plan. The Shared Work program provides Texas employers with an alternative to layoffs. TWC developed this voluntary program to help Texas employers and employees withstand a slowdown in business.
Shared Work allows employers to:
Shared Work unemployment benefits are payable to employees who qualify for and participate in an approved Shared Work Plan. Workers may choose not to participate. Employees who qualify will receive both wages and Shared Work unemployment benefits.
For more information, see TWC’s Shared Work web page.
Guidance on Issues Small Businesses Will Encounter
From the Small Business Administration:
Resources to Prevent COVID-19 Spread
From the Small Business Administration:
The following interim guidance may help prevent workplace exposures to acute respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, in non-healthcare settings. The guidance also provides planning considerations if there are more widespread, community outbreaks of COVID-19.
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