Combating COVID-19 as a Business Owner
Answers to your questions from a CPA, HR, Insurance, & Legal Professionals
Thank you to our panel for an informative Q&A session! For those who were not able to tune in, we have posted a recording of the session on our YouTube channel and included links to resources below.
Quick Links:
- Accounting Resources courtesy of our panelist, Elizabeth Berry.
- City of Raleigh COVID-19 General Information Page
- Office of Economic Development COVID-19 Page – Includes information and links for:
- Unemployment
- NC Governor Executive Order
- Small Business Loans Q&A
- Questions from 3/16 Listening Session
- Health Recommendations for Businesses
- Small Business tips & resources
- See the guidance from NC Department of Revenue, which allows for a delay in sales tax payment until April 15th. You still need to file by the usual deadline but this does offer some temporary relief from payment. Make sure to have your CPA or bookkeeper read this to understand the stipulations and process.
- NC Employment Security Commission Unemployment Benefits Info or call (888) 737-0259 (8am-4:30pm)
- Curbside Parking (Carry Out / Delivery)
- SBA COVID-19 Economic Injury SBA Loans
- 1099 workers – still nothing definitive. Watching for more at https://des.nc.gov/need-help/covid-19-information
Business owners –
Today, Friday, March 20 at 2:00 pm, we are hosting a webinar with a CPA, HR, Insurance, and Legal professionals. They are going to do their best to help answer questions on unemployment, SBA, and any and all questions you may have. Please email jennifer@cshoplocalraleigh1.wpapps.dev with your questions.
FREE WEBINAR
Combating COVID-19 as a Business Owner
Answers to your questions from a CPA, HR, Insurance, & Legal Professionals
Friday, March 20 at 2:00 PM
Please email questions to jennifer@cshoplocalraleigh1.wpapps.dev
Zoom Meeting ID: 665 495 606
PANELIST:
Elizabeth Berry, CPA, CIRA, CFE is the Principal of the firm Elizabeth C. Berry, CPA, PLLC. She has 29 years’ experience in the fields of tax, management consulting, bankruptcy, restructuring, and forensic accounting. She works with individuals and businesses on taxes, consulting and best business practices / management issues.
Kristy Dixon, SPHR is the Chief People Officer at Luihn VantEdge Partners, LLC with over thirty years experience as a practitioner of human resources. Her expertise particularly spans into employee relations, training and development, recruitment and staffing, and compliance.
Miller Lawson, Insurance Agency Owner & Primary Agent at Lawson Insurance Group, Inc. Licensed agent for Property & Casualty and Life & Health since 2002.
James Vann, PLLC, Attorney at Vann Attorneys concentrating in commercial collections, serving entrepreneurs, business litigation, business formation and organization, business succession planning and estate planning.
Changes included in March 17th’s Executive Order 118, the Governor’s office released guidance on food and beverage sales, as well as new guidelines for Unemployment Insurance. Clink the link to see the specific language, but this order does the following:
- Removes the one-week waiting period for workers
- Removes the requirement that a laid-off worker look for a new job
- Downsizing and certain reductions in hours due to the business impacts of Coronavirus will qualify for unemployment.
- Employees will be able to apply for unemployment online or over the telephone, versus doing so in person. Info on how to apply remotely can be found at: https://des.nc.gov
- Employers will not be responsible for benefits paid as a result of the Coronavirus.
We recommend employers take the following two steps to ensure employee-filed claims are identified and processed in accordance with this executive order:
- Encourage employees to mention COVID-19 in their claim when filing for unemployment as a result of the Coronavirus.
- The employer response to the claim should clearly highlight COVID-19 as the cause and ask specifically for “noncharging.”
Given this new information, filing “attached worker claims” for your employees due to lay-offs associated with the Coronavirus likely does not make sense for most employers.
CAI’s HR Advisors are fielding hundreds of inquiries from member companies. Many are devising unique shift schedules, extra disinfecting practices, work-from-home options, and new office arrangements to promote social distancing at work. In addition, companies are doing their best to supplement pay or PTO should an employee be out due to the epidemic and not hold such absences as attendance points for potential disciplinary action, as recommended by the CDC.
Bills are pending which provide further protections for workers and companies. The passage of the Federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act or similar federal laws will provide further clarification on how expenses will be relieved. CAI will continue to update our members as news comes available.
For more information and additional trusted resources regarding COVID-19, visit our COVID-19 Command Center.
