On March 27, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This bill will provides significant support to businesses. The signature piece of the new law is the “Paycheck Protection Program” which will provide $350 billion to help small businesses keep workers employed amid COVID-19 and economic downturn. This new program provides 100% federally guaranteed loans to small businesses who maintain their payroll during this emergency. Importantly, these loans may be forgiven if borrowers maintain their payrolls during the crisis or restore their payrolls afterward. Additional details, including the list of lenders offering loans under the program, will be available in the coming weeks as the law in implemented. In the meantime, our friends at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have prepared an easy-to-understand checklist to guide businesses and self-employed individuals through this new program as they prepare to file for a loan.