U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
FACT SHEET – ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTER LOANS
(SBA DISASTER DECLARATION DUE TO DESIGNATION BY THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE)
PENNSYLVANIA Declaration 17740
(Disaster: PA-00121)
Incident: DROUGHT
occurring: April 7, 2022 through October 3, 2022
in the Pennsylvania counties of: Berks, Bucks, and Montgomery; the contiguous Pennsylvania counties of: Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Northampton, Philadelphia, and Schuylkill; and the contiguous New Jersey counties of: Burlington, Hunterdon, Mercer, and Warren.
Application Filing Deadline: August 21, 2023
Disaster Loan Assistance Available:
Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) – Working capital loans to help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private, non-profit organizations of all sizes meet their ordinary and necessary financial obligations that cannot be met as a direct result of the disaster. These loans are intended to assist through the disaster recovery period.
Credit Requirements:
- Credit History – Applicants must have a credit history acceptable to SBA.
- Repayment – Applicants must show the ability to repay the loan.
- Collateral – Collateral is required for all EIDL loans over $25,000. SBA takes real estate as collateral when it is available. SBA will not decline a loan for lack of collateral, but SBA will require the borrower to pledge collateral that is available.
Interest Rates:
The interest rate is determined by formulas set by law and is fixed for the life of the loan. The maximum interest rate for this program is 2.940 percent.
Loan Terms:
The law authorizes loan terms up to a maximum of 30 years. SBA will determine an appropriate installment payment based on the financial condition of each borrower, which in turn will determine the loan term.
Loan Amount Limit:
The law limits EIDLs to $2,000,000 for alleviating economic injury caused by the disaster. The actual amount of each loan is limited to the economic injury determined by SBA, less business interruption insurance, and other recoveries up to the administrative lending limit. SBA also considers potential contributions that are available from the business and/or its owner(s) or affiliates. If a business is a major source of employment, SBA has the authority to waive the $2,000,000 statutory limit.
Loan Eligibility Restrictions:
- The applicant business must be located in the declared disaster area.
- Only uninsured or otherwise uncompensated disaster losses are eligible.
- The economic injury must have been the direct result of the declared disaster.
- Nurseries are only eligible for economic injury caused by declared drought disasters.
- By law, agricultural enterprises such as farmers and ranchers are not eligible for any type of SBA assistance.
- Applicants who have not complied with the terms of previous SBA loans are not eligible. This includes borrowers who did not maintain flood and/or hazard insurance on previous SBA loans.
- Loan assistance is available only to the extent the business and its owners cannot meet necessary financial obligations due to the disaster. This determination is made by SBA.
Note: Loan applicants should check with agencies / organizations administering any grant or other assistance program under this declaration to determine how an approval of SBA disaster loan might affect their eligibility.
