Restaurants Revitalization Fund: Common Questions & Answers

[Ani_]

Hi Food and Beverage Sellers! 

Square will start enabling applications for the Restaurants Revitalization Fund (RRF) today Monday, May 3rd at 12:00 PM EST. This plan includes a $28.6 billion fund for awards to eligible businesses, administered by the SBA. Square is working with the SBA to help business owners apply for an award if they are eligible. If you meet the program requirements, you can submit your application through your Square Dashboard or through the SBA Portal. If you are eligible to apply through Square, we will pre-fill your application with information you have on your Square account.

I encourage you all to take a look at the Live Q&A: Restaurant Revitalization Fund for Square Food and Beverage Sellers for common questions and answers. I’ve also included an overview of the Live Q&A below:

When can you apply:

• Applications start on Monday 5/3 at 12:00 p.m EST / 9:00 a.m. PST.
• The SBA has a registration window open on Friday 4/30, but if you plan to apply through Square you do not need to register with the SBA. 

Who can apply through Square:

• To determine if you are an eligible business type, you’ll need to visit SBA’s website (sba.gov/restaurants).
  
• If you processed with Square in 2019 and 2020 (Table 1 or 2 in the RRF application), you can apply through Square’s dashboard or the SBA. If you used multiple POS providers during that period or had supplemental income e.g. from online ordering apps, you can still apply with Square. You’ll be able to add supplementary income information — but the SBA may require you to provide additional documentation before you e-sign your application.
  
• If you began processing with Square in 2020 or 2021 (Table 3 in the RRF application), then you will need to apply through the SBA. You can get useful information from your Square account to include in your application — to learn how, please take a look at our Support Center.

Why you should or should not apply with Square

• If you apply through Square can save time completing and submitting your application with pre filled data from your Square account.
  
• Submitting through Square can help you get your application in front of the SBA quickly — before the RRF funds run out.
  
• Square will enable you to add supplemental revenue information in your application for either Table 1 or Table 2 applicant. However, if you are a Table 3 applicant, you will need to apply via SBA because Square will not let you upload supporting documentation for eligible expenses. 

How can you apply with Square:

• If you are eligible to apply through Square, you’ll need to log in to your dashboard when the application window opens, using the owner’s login. From there, you’ll find a specific RRF module from where you can start your application.
  
• Square will have pre-filled your application with the information we know about your business. That said, there is information we do not have access to. To complete your application as fast as possible we recommend to have the following information handy:
• The date (day, month, and year) you began operations.
• How many months you operate in every location. This is especially important if you operate a seasonal business. 
• Any additional income you may have earned in 2019 and 2020 that was not processed through Square. Ideally you are tracking this income by location. If this information is not available feel free to distribute this across locations ensuring the total revenue by location (through Square and other sources)stays under $5M.
• Your PPP loan information — especially if you did not process these loans with Square.
  
• After submitting your award application through your Square Dashboard, you’ll need to eSign your application. Here’s how it works:
• Open an email from Square with the title “Your RRF award application is not yet complete.” Follow the link in the email to visit the SBA portal.
• If you see a page with the title “Third Party Signup,” you are in the right spot. Enter the text you see in the grey pixelated image in the appropriate field and click Complete Sign Up.
• You’ll then receive an email from SBA with the title “SBA Restaurant Revitalization Fund - Password Reset E-mail.” Click the link included in the email to reset your password.
• Once you complete your password reset, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Sign and Submit Application to sign your application via DocuSign.
• The SBA may also require additional documentation for your application if you indicated revenue outside of Square. From the SBA portal, you will be able to upload supporting documentation to the Additional Info Needed section if required by the SBA.

How can you get help if you have more questions?

• If you have more granular questions about the application process, eligibility, or awards, please reach out to the designated SBA helpline (844-279-8898) or the SBA district office. Applicants can call this number for multilingual application or program support.
• Reach out to your SBA District Office: Applicants can reach out to their local District Office for tailored regional SBA support.

Note: You will be able to apply through Square if we have available processing data for at least a portion of 2019 and 2020 available through your Square account. If you are able to apply through Square, you will see a module on your online Square Dashboard prompting you to begin the application. If you apply through Square you do not need to register through the SBA portal. If you began processing with Square in either 2020 or 2021, we recommend that you apply through the SBA Portal. Square will not be able to support these applications and you will not see a module on Dashboard to begin your application.

Update: The SBA has announced that they will officially stop accepting applications for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) on Monday, May 24, at 8 p.m. ET.

[Wonppang1]

What about missing confirmation email for esign? 

[Greenbeat]

• if you are missing the email to esign your application 
• go to restaurants.sba.gov
• click the “forgot my username” button 
• enter the email that you have used when applying with square
• follow the subsequent instructions 
• a lot of people have recovered their user id with sba this was and have subconsciously signed their application 

[blend382]

@Ani_ RE: Annualizing receipts discrepancy:  will we loose our place in line if we resubmit? 

[Ani_]

@blend382 You would need to restart the application. However, the SBA is going to be evaluating applications based on both the time they were submitted but also the accuracy of the information provided. By appying through a POS partner, restaurant owners are able to accelerate their application submission process with verified data.

[EmsIceCream]

Just to clarify, are you saying that applying through a POS partner for the RRF gives an applicant priority over people who have applied directly through the SBA? 

[blend382]

@Ani_  I  withdrew my application and the square dashboard still says it is under review.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks

[brittann2525]

After waiting over 24 hours and not receiving an email for the doc signing, I applied through the SBA, how do I withdraw my application with square?

For everyone waiting I highly recommend you apply through the SBA, I signed immediately and its now in the IRS verification stage.

[PPastry]

Can you tell me if we got small change deposits in our bank account do we need to do anything in return. I remember reading something about this and I can’t remember where I read it. Does it require some type of action on my part?  Thank you 

[thefarleyexp]

Still no resolution for withdrawal of application- my dashboard still says finish your application. I have followed all of the troubleshooting steps. Engineers are supposed to be reviewing- nothing yet.

[Maize]

I rec'd an email saying Square was unable to submit my application b/c PPP's could not be verified, however both PPP's were rec'd through Square.  What am I missing? 

[TheGrindNH]

Unpopular opinion here on the majority of this thread, but after dealing with the SBA for 13 months now of my Eidl reconsideration, I would wager that square shouldnt be bearing the weight of all the problems here. (Not saying you are blaming them, just replying to this whole thread as a whole).   I too have an apparent PPP loan 'issue', and I didn't even use square for that, and I called the SBA today to figure this out ( didn't receive an email or any correspondence, just had a hunch my app was stuck and not updating quickly enough and after this year and my zero confidence in the SBA I call often as soon as I have any hunch, ever.)  The sba doesn't know whether they're coming or going.  Depending on who you talk to you will get totally different answers each time.   Their systems are so flawed.  I actually feel badly for Square, TBH. They probably didn't even realize what they were getting themselves in to.  Hoping this turns around soon and we start hearing people get funded. 

[TheGrindNH]

Hi!  Thanks for the info.  I applied, all sales through square, docusigned by 12:45pm Monday and I'm listed as in review since mid afternoon Monday.  Should I expect my app to update with 'IRS verify' status or not, if applied through Square?  Seems stuck if so, since everything else happened quickly then nothing.  I trust the SBA about as much as...nothing.  I don't trust the SBA at this point and their info is always different depending on who you talk to.  It's infuriating. 

[PPastry]

If it helps TheGrindNH I was wondering the same as you.  I have also been in review since Monday so today I called SBA because I also got two small change deposits added to my bank account.  I hit prompt 5 on the SBA phone prompt to talk to someone about the deposit and if I needed to do anything on my end.  She said my tax documents are being reviewed at the moment so showing in review but not showing IRS verify status.  I wondered why it was showing in IRS verify status since that is what was going on but She said my application looks fine and when it moves forward I will get an email.  Hope this helps a bit. I felt unsure so that is why I called.   I hope that she gave me the right information.  

[TheGrindNH]

Thanks yes it does.  I haven't gotten any small change deposits yet but I'm hopeful I'll work my way through.  I have very little faith in the SBA and their information.  Yours sounds better to me.  🙂

[TheGrindNH]

Fyi I ended up calling on a hunch, and there was a PPP reporting glitch on my account that I received no notifications about.  They say it's nothing I can fix or control and to just wait.  Which of course I won't, haha.  I'll call again twice a day until a few SBA reps tell me the same consistent thing and I'm satisfied.  Ugh.  So, my account is still in review even though I signed within an hour Monday. So either way there's issues happening and I am pretty convinced they're on the SBA and not Square, at least majority. And in my experience SBAs automatic email system is flawed so if you have a hunch, just be your own advocate.  

[cafeimmortelle]

Still have not received any email

[Theikes21]

Square will not send another application if you withdraw

[Theikes21]

I have contacted square twice and was told they could not resend the application 

[mike26]

Ani,

A Question--on my Square Dash board I never received the module . Have been with Square Multiple Years with over $2.0M in Sales Transactions for both 2019/2020 and before.....My question is Why Did I not Receive the Dashboard Module?

Any Feedback is Appreciated.

[Mlove]

I have the same question, only I’ve  been with square for 9 years.  I’ve asked several times since Monday morning but have received nothin’.  Luckily, I didn’t waist my time waiting and got my app in to SBA early.  Hope you did, too.

[Ani_]

Hey @mike26 I'll dm you!