In this week’s Wednesday episode (April 22, 2020) of the Town of Plymouth’s “COVID-19 Daily Update,” Heather Cozby provided additional clarification as to who qualifies for the economic stimulus payments, whether they are considered taxable, and whether any portion of these payments will need to be refunded should personal circumstances change in the year ahead. She also shared that those without direct deposit info on file with the IRS will begin to receive paper checks as part of a rolling payment schedule based on AGI.

On the unemployment front, the Massachusetts DUA website is ready for sole proprietors and gig workers/contractors. Go to mass.gov/pua. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals who are unable to work because of a COVID-19-related reason but are not eligible for regular or extended unemployment benefits.

The new SBA funding is currently being passed into legislation and will be allocated in a way that allows more businesses to get access to funds quickly. Small businesses who didn’t make it into the first round of funding should be filling out their application with the bank now to ensure an expedited loan process. The SBA will issue each small business a loan number, at which point the bank will have up to 10 days to complete the funding package.

Heather will be appearing on the show every Wednesday to give ongoing updates. Tune in next Wednesday at noon on the PAC-TV community channel and Plymouth government channel (Comcast 13 and 15, and Verizon 43 and 47), or online at PAC-TV’s streaming channel. You will have the opportunity to ask questions via email. The email address will be shown onscreen during the PAC-TV broadcast.