Canada Emergency Business Account Program
Effective January 12, 2022, the government announced that it was extending the loan repayment deadline for the Canada Emergency Business Account. For all eligible borrowers in good standing, the date has been extended from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2023.
It is now no longer possible to submit new applications to the Canada Emergency Business Account Program.
However, if you submitted a request on or prior to June 30 and you have any questions concerning your application (i.e. status, refusal, etc.), we invite you to contact the Government of Canada’s CEBA Call Centre at 1-888-324-4201 from Monday to Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. (EST).
This program helps small businesses and not-for-profits cover their operating costs that cannot be deferred such as wages, rent, utilities, insurance premiums and property tax during a period where their revenues have been temporarily reduced due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Characteristics
- This program is offered through Laurentian Bank to its clients in the form of an interest-free term loan of CDN$60,000 until December 31, 2023.
- This $60,000 loan contains a grant of 33.3% (CDN$20,000) if the amount of CDN$40,000 is repaid in full by December 31, 2023.
- If the loan is not repaid by December 31, 2023, it can be renewed for 2 years (until December 31, 2025) at an interest rate of 5%.
Eligibility Criteria
Laurentian Bank clients who meet all the criteria below are eligible for the Canada Emergency Business Account Program:
- Only an authorized signatory with the authority and power to financially bind the company can make a request.
- The business is an operating company registered in Canada and active at March 1, 2020.
- The company has a Federal tax registration.
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The business paid total employment income in the 2019 calendar year of between CDN$20,000 and CDN$1,500,000. Or
For applicants with CDN$20,000 or less in total employment income paid during the 2019 calendar year, the following criteria apply:- The borrower has a Canada Revenue Agency business number and has filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return;
- The borrower has eligible non-deferrable expenses of between CDN$40,000 and CDN$1,500,000. Eligible non-deferrable expenses could include costs such as rent, property taxes, utilities, and insurance; expenses will be subject to verification and audit by the Government of Canada.
- The company must have an active commercial current account with Laurentian Bank, which is its primary financial institution.
- No prior request for the Canada Emergency Business Account Program has been submitted by the company or will be submitted through another financial institution. Otherwise, the Federal Government could initiate legal action.
- In accordance with the requirements of the Canada Emergency Business Account Program (the “Program”), as set out by the Government of Canada, the funds from this loan shall only be used to pay non-deferrable operating expenses, including, without limitation, payroll, rent, utilities, insurance, property tax and regularly scheduled debt service. The funds may not be used to cover any payments or expenses, such as existing indebtedness, payments of dividends, distributions and increases in management compensation.
- The company acknowledges its intention to continue to operate the business or to resume operations.
- it is not a Government organization or body, or an entity wholly owned by a Government organization or body;
- it is not a non-profit organization, registered charity, union, or a fraternal benefit society or order, or an entity owned by such an organization, unless the entity is actively carrying on a business in Canada (including a related business in the case of a registered charity) that earns revenue from the regular supply of property/goods or services;
- it is not an entity owned by any Federal Member of Parliament of Canada or Senator of the Parliament Canada; and
- it does not promote violence, incite hatred or discriminate on the basis of sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, colour, race, ethnic or national origin, religion, age or mental or physical disability, contrary to applicable laws.
Loan Repayment:
You can now proceed with the repayment of the loan awarded to you under the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) Program.
If you have an account with multiple signatories, you need to be sure that all of them authorize the transaction before we can proceed with the repayment process. You will find the pertinent details on the repayment form.
Repay your loan using the Bill Payments feature in LBCDirect
It is possible for you to quickly and easily repay this loan in one single payment or in several partial instalments. Simply access the LBCDirect platform, go to the bill payment section, and select the correct supplier — BLC-COVID-19-CEBA-CUEC. Then enter your loan reference number (first 12-digit) and the amount you wish to repay.
More details on this procedure
If you do not have access to LBCDirect, you can make your loan repayment by filling out the repayment form. If you have an account with multiple signatories, you need to be sure that all of them authorize the transaction before we can proceed with the repayment process. You will find all details on the repayment form.
For more information, consult the Questions and Answers document concerning the CEBA Program.
