Title 15 › CHAPTER 116 — CORONAVIRUS ECONOMIC STABILIZATION (CARES ACT) › SUBCHAPTER I — KEEPING AMERICAN WORKERS PAID AND EMPLOYED › § 9011
The Administrator will pay the principal, interest, and fees on certain small‑business loans the government backs or funds. Covered loans include SBA‑guaranteed loans (including Community Advantage but excluding a specific type added by section 1102), loans under title V of the Small Business Investment Act, and loans made by intermediaries using funds under section 636(m). For many loans made before March 27, 2020 the Administrator will pay for a 6‑month period starting with the next payment due. Extra payment periods then apply starting with the first payment due on or after February 1, 2021: usually 3 more months, with an extra 5 months for borrowers in these NAICS codes: 61, 71, 72, 213, 315, 448, 451, 481, 485, 487, 511, 512, 515, 532, and 812; certain other covered loans get an 8‑month period. Loans made between March 27, 2020 and six months later get 6 months of payments starting at their first payment due. Loans approved February 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021 get 6 months beginning at first payment due. Payments must begin no later than 30 days after the first payment is due and must be applied so borrowers no longer owe those amounts. No single monthly Administrator payment during the extra or extended periods can be more than $9,000. If owed more, the lender may add the excess as interest to be paid at the end of the loan. Lenders may not charge late fees while Administrator payments are being made, and the Administrator will make those payments by the 15th of the month. Eligibility depends on the loan approval date. The Administrator will monitor funding and, if money runs short, will plan proportional cuts to the number of months and report that plan to Congress first. The Administrator must also work with bank regulators to avoid forcing lenders to raise reserves, waive maximum maturity limits for lender deferrals during the 1‑year after March 27, 2020, allow short extensions for required site visits (up to 60 days after some events and up to 90 days after payment defaults), publish and issue guidance within 14 and 21 days after enactment of the Economic Aid to Hard‑Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, send lenders a borrower NAICS list by March 1, 2021, mail borrowers explanatory letters within 30 days of that Act, and report monthly to Congress. There is $17,000,000,000 authorized to carry out these payments.
Full Legal Text
Commerce and Trade, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
15 U.S.C. § 9011
Title 15, Commerce and Trade
Last Updated
Sep 23, 2026
Release point: 119-110