Month: February 2012

SBA HUBZone Program Eligibility Requirements

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1. Your business concern’s principal office must be located in a qualified SBA designated HUBZone. Search the SBA Mapping System to verify if your businesses principal office is located in a SBA designated HUBZone.

– Principal office means the location where the greatest number of the business concern’s employees at any one location perform their work. However, for those business concerns whose primary industry is service or construction, the determination of principal office excludes the business concern’s employees who perform the majority of their work at job-site locations to fulfill specific contract obligations.

2. Your business concern must be at least 51% unconditionally and directly owned and controlled by persons who are US citizens.

– Unconditionally and directly owned means directly owning at least 51% of the business concern.

– Control means both the day-to-day management and long term decision making authority for the business concern.

3. 35% of your business concerns employees must reside in a SBA designated HUBZone. Click here to verify if your employee’s primary residence is located in a SBA designated HUBZone.

– Employee means all individuals employed on a full-time, part-time, or other basis, so long as that individual works a minimum of 40 hours per month. This includes employees obtained from a temporary employee agency, leasing concern, or through a union agreement or co-employed pursuant to a professional employer organization agreement. Volunteers (i.e., individuals who receive deferred compensation or no compensation, including no in-kind compensation, for work performed) are not considered employees. However, if an individual has an ownership interest in and works for the HUBZone SBC a minimum of 40 hours per month, that owner is considered an employee regardless of whether or not the individual receives compensation.

– Reside means to live in a primary residence at a place for at least 180 days, or as a currently registered voter, and with the intent to live there indefinitely. A driver’s license will suffice for proof of residency.

4. Your business concern must be classified as a small business as defined by the SBA.

– Small business means the business concern, with its affiliates, must meet the size standard corresponding to its primary industry classification.

5. Certify that when performing a HUBZone contract, at least 35% of its employees engaged in performing that contract will reside within a SBA designated HUBZone.

For more information on the SBA HUBZone program and assistance with your HUBZone Application please visit our website.

A list of supporting documentation that must be submitted with your 8a Application

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Here is a typical list of supporting documents that will need to be included within your 8(a) application:

  • Evidence of concerns registration in SAM (System for Award Management) and DSBS (Dynamic Small Business Search) systems
  • Personal federal tax returns for the last three filing years
  • Company federal tax returns for the last three filing years
  • A company balance sheet and income statement no older than 90 days and for the last three completed years
  • Personal resume
  • List of current and past federal and non-federal contracts and invoices within the last two completed fiscal years
  • Letters of reference from current and/or past clients
  • Current certificate of good standing
  • Stock certificates/Stock ledger (Corp)
  • Articles of Incorporation/Organization/Partnership Agreement including any foreign filings
  • Bylaws or Operating Agreements
  • Meeting minutes (Corp and LLC)
  • Buy/Sell or Voting Agreements
  • DBA or Fictitious Business Name Filing
  • Organization chart
  • Business bank signature card
  • business and special licenses
  • Business loan agreements
  • Brief history of the business
  • Lease agreements for business
  • Business insurance
  • Personal financial statement supporting statements (Checking, Savings, IRA w/terms, etc..)
  • Proof of Citizenship
  • Trust Agreements
  • Statement of Bonding Limit
  • Letter of No Objection

Keep in mind that each 8(a) Application is unique and document requirements vary based upon the entity type and number of applicants.

Top 10 8(a) Program Continued Eligibility Problems

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1) Late or non-submission of 8(a) Annual Review documents. 

The most common eligibility problem 8(a) firms encounter is either the late or non-submission of required Annual Review documents. SBA is required to review each 8(a) firm’s program eligibility every year on the firm’s certification anniversary date. Your local SBA office will send a request for the required Annual Review documents and information shortly before the end of your program year which contains the date that your submission is due back to your Business Development Specialist (BDS). If it is not received by the due date, you will be sent a reminder and a second due date. If the information is not submitted by this second date, SBA’s rules & regulations require the SBA to start program termination proceedings against your firm. The termination process may result in the loss of your 8(a) certification. Once it is lost you cannot be certified in the program again. Since annual reviews are done every year on your anniversary date, you should be prepared for it and comply on time.

2) Late or non-submission of annual financial statements or failure to submit required type of statement based on sales level.  

Your year-end financial statements must be signed, dated and their accuracy verified by an authorized officer, partner, or sole proprietor of the concern. Firms with annual receipts of less than $2 million may submit statements prepared in-house, in accordance with “generally accepted accounting procedures” or have a compilation statement prepared by a qualified CPA or independent public accountant. Those firms with sales of more than $2 million and less than $10 million must provide reviewed statements, prepared by a qualified CPA or independent public accountant. Statements are due within ninety (90) days after the close of the company fiscal year. Those firms with total sales of $10 million and over are required to submit audited financial statements prepared by a CPA or independent public accountant. Those firms who will be submitting audited statements are allowed an additional 30 days due to the added complexity. The company’s sales figures on the Profit and Loss Statement must show the break-down of 8(a) and non-8(a) sales, if applicable. The submission of proper, year-end financial statements, (Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Statements) is mandatory as a condition of 8(a) program participation, as noted in your signed 8(a) Participation Agreement. Firms who are delinquent in submitting annual financial statements are ineligible to receive 8(a) contract awards. In addition program termination proceedings may be initiated if financial statements are not received in this office by the required due date. Most 8(a) firms have calendar fiscal year end date (December 31). While the financial statement due date might correspond with the time that your accountant is doing your business & personal tax returns, there is no provision for any extensions to the financial statement submission date. Make sure that your CPA is aware of this mandatory 8(a) compliance requirement.

3) Failure to keep your BDS up to date on contact information changes, e.g. address, telephone number, e-mail address, etc.

8(a) firms must notify their BDS immediately upon making any changes to their contact information. Since they may be contacting you either via email, telephone, regular mail or certified mail, they must have accurate contact information for you. They are required by some of SBA’s regulations to use “certified mail, return receipt requested” to contact you regarding certain issues, such as Annual Reviews. Several firms have actually lost their 8(a) certification because they either didn’t notify SBA of their address change or they didn’t bother to pick up their certified mail at the post office.

Since the SBA may contact you  via email regarding the your Annual Review process, it is imperative that they have your proper email address and the SBA is not blocked by any SPAM filters.

4) Excessive compensation or withdrawals from the 8(a) concern.

Regarding the compensation of the owners of 8(a) firms, 13CFR 124.112 states the following: (d) Excessive withdrawals. (1) The term withdrawal includes, but is not limited to, the following: Cash dividends; distributions in excess of amounts needed to pay S Corporation, LLC or partnership taxes; cash and property withdrawals; payments to immediate family members not employed by the Participant; bonuses to officers; and investments on behalf of an owner. Although officers’ salaries are generally not considered withdrawals for purposes of this paragraph, SBA will count those salaries as withdrawals where SBA believes that a firm is attempting to circumvent the excessive withdrawal limitations though the payment of officers’ salaries. SBA will look at the totality of the circumstances in determining whether to include any specific amount as a withdrawal under this paragraph.

Withdrawals are excessive if during any fiscal year, they exceed (i) $250,000 for firms with sales up to $1,000,000; (ii) $300,000 for firms with sales between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000; and (iii) $400,000 for firms with sales over $2,000,000. The fact that a concern’s net worth has increased despite withdrawals that are deemed excessive will not preclude SBA from determining that such withdrawals were detrimental to the attainment of the concern’s business objectives or to its overall business development.

5) Failure to meet Competitive Business Mix targets.

To ensure that Participants do not develop an unreasonable reliance on 8(a) awards, and to ease their transition into the competitive marketplace after graduating from the 8(a) BD program, Participants must make maximum efforts to obtain business outside the 8(a) BD program. During both the developmental and transitional stages of the 8(a) BD program, a Participant must make substantial and sustained efforts, including following a reasonable marketing strategy, to attain the targeted dollar levels of non-8(a) revenue established in its business plan. You should use the 8(a) BD program as a resource to strengthen the firm for economic viability when 8(a) program benefits are no longer available. During the transitional stage of the 8(a) BD program, a Participant must achieve certain targets of non-8(a)contract revenue (i.e., revenue from other than sole source or competitive 8(a) contracts). These targets are called non-8(a) business activity targets and are expressed as a percentage of total revenue. The targets call for an increase in non-8(a)revenue over time. During their transitional stage of program participation, Participants must meet the following non-8(a) business activity targets each year:

Participant’s year in the   transitional stage

Non-8(a) business activity   targets (required minimum non-8(a) revenue as a percentage of total revenue)

1

15

2

25

3

35

4

45

5

55

The SBA will measure the Participant’s compliance with the applicable non-8(a) business activity target at the end of each program year in the transitional stage based on the Participant’s latest fiscal year-end total revenue. At the end of each year of participation in the transitional stage, the SBA will review the Participant’s total revenues to determine whether the non-8(a) revenues have met the applicable target. In determining compliance  the SBA will compare all 8(a) revenues received during the year, including those from options and modifications, to all non-8(a) revenues received during the year.

Consequences of not meeting competitive business mix targets. Any firm that does not meet its applicable competitive business mix target for the just completed program year will be ineligible for sole source 8(a) contracts in the current program year, unless and until the Participant corrects the situation. The SBA may initiate proceedings to terminate a Participant from the 8(a) BD program where the firm does not make good faith efforts to obtain non-8(a) revenues.

6) Failure of the person upon whom 8(a) eligibility is based to be the highest compensated individual in the firm.

13CFR 124.106 (3) allows non-disadvantaged individuals to participate in the management of an 8(a) concern but they MAY NOT receive compensation from the applicant or Participant in any form as directors, officers or employees, including dividends, that exceeds the compensation to be received by the highest officer (usually CEO or President). The highest ranking officer may elect to take a lower salary than a non-disadvantaged individual only upon demonstrating that it helps the applicant or Participant. You must obtain the prior written consent of the Director, Office of Business Development or designee before changing the compensation paid to the highest ranking

officer to be below that paid to a non-disadvantaged individual. See your BDS for further information or if you have questions on this matter.

7) Failure of the person upon whom 8(a) eligibility is based to devote full-time management to the 8(a) concern.

13CFR124.106 requires the following to maintain 8(a) eligibility:

(a)(1) An applicant or Participant must be managed on a full-time basis by one or more disadvantaged individuals who possess requisite management capabilities.

(2) A disadvantaged full-time manager must hold the highest officer position (usually President or Chief Executive Officer) in the applicant or Participant and be physically located in the United States.

(3) One or more disadvantaged individuals who manage the applicant or Participant must devote full-time to the business during the normal working hours of firms in the same or similar line of business.

(4) Any disadvantaged manager who wishes to engage in outside employment must notify the SBA of the nature and anticipated duration of the outside employment and obtain the prior written approval of the SBA. The SBA will deny a request for outside employment which could conflict with the management of the firm or could hinder it in achieving the objectives of its business development plan.

8) Failure to obtain prior SBA approval of ownership changes.

A Participant may change its ownership or business structure so long as one or more disadvantaged individuals own and control it after the change and the SBA approves the transaction in writing prior to the change. The decision to approve or deny a Participant’s request for a change in ownership or business structure will be made and communicated to the firm by the Director, Office of Business Development. The decision of the AA/8(a) BD is the final decision of the Agency. A decision to deny a request for change of ownership or business structure may be grounds for program termination where the change is made nevertheless. A change in ownership does not provide the new owner(s) with a new 8(a) BD program term.

9) Failure to Perform the Required Percentage of Work on an 8(a) Contract.

To assist the business development of Participants in the 8(a) BD program, an 8(a) contractor must perform certain percentages of work with its own employees. These percentages and the requirements relating to them are the same as those established for small business set-aside prime contractors, and are set forth in 13CFR125.6. A Participant must certify in its offer that it will meet the applicable percentage of work requirement both sealed bid and negotiated procurements. (a) In order to be awarded an 8(a) contract, the 8(a) concern must agree that:

(1) In the case of a contract for services (except construction), the concern will perform at least 50 percent of the cost of the contract incurred for personnel with its own employees.

(2) In the case of a contract for supplies or products (other than procurement from a non-manufacturer in such supplies or products), the concern will perform at least 50 percent of the cost of manufacturing the supplies or products (not including the costs of materials).

(3) In the case of a contract for general construction, the concern will perform at least 15 percent of the cost of the contract with its own employees (not including the costs of materials).

(4) In the case of a contract for construction by special trade contractors, the concern will perform at least 25 percent of the cost of the contract with its own employees (not including the cost of materials).

10) Failure to submit SBA form 1790 Representative Report.

13CFR124.601 requires each Participant to submit a semi-annually a written report to its assigned BOS that includes a listing of any agents, representatives, attorneys, accountants, consultants and other parties (other than employees) receiving fees, commissions, or compensation of any kind to assist such Participant in obtaining or seeking to obtain a Federal contract. The listing must indicate the amount of compensation paid and a description of the activities performed for such compensation.

For more information on the 8(a)BD Program, including the 8(a) Annual Review or 8(a) Compliance Service, please visit www.cloveer.com or call 813-333-5800.

8a Certification: How to determine if your AGI is below the $350,000 threshold.

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The $350,000 Threshold for Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)

Among the many 8(a) business development program eligibility requirements the applicant for 8(a) Certification must have is an average AGI over the past three taxes years of less than $350,000.

What is the definition of Adjusted Gross Income?

Adjusted gross income (AGI) is a tax term for an amount used in the calculation of an individual’s income tax liability. AGI is calculated by taking the applicants gross income and subtracting their maximum allowable adjustments. AGI is located on line Line 7 for 2018 personal taxes, Line 8B for 2019 Taxes and Line 11 for 2020 personal taxes.

How do I determine my Adjusted Gross Income for 8(a) Certification Purposes?

Step 1: The easiest way to initially determine if you exceed the $350,000 threshold, averaged over the last three years is to add up the AGI number reported on the first page of your last three years of federal tax returns.

Please note: If your portion of the applicant firm’s business income is negative or shown as a loss, you cannot deduct this loss from your AGI since losses from an S corporation, LLC or partnership are losses to the company only and are not losses to the individual and cannot be used to reduce your AGI.

If you add these three numbers, divide them by three and result is a number larger than $350,000 you must do further analysis. Go to Step 2.

If the number is less than $350,000 and your distributions taken out the company do not exceed the profits reported for your business on its tax return, your AGI is less than $350,000 without doing any further analysis.

If your distributions exceed the profits reported for your business, you must do further analysis. Go to Step 2.

Step 2: If your resulting calculation shows more than $350,000 or your distributions exceed the profits reported for your business on its tax return, and you are filing the taxes jointly with your spouse, you will then need to separate out the portion of any income reported on the tax return between the applicant and their spouse.

For example: (1040). Wages, salaries, tips, etc. = $100,000 (Applicant’s portion, $40,000 – Spouse’s portion, $60,000). Do the same for each income line as specified above.

Once you have separated out all income reported on the tax return between the applicant and their spouse take the total for the last three years and divide them by three. If the resulting calculation is still larger than $350,000 you must do further analysis. Go to Step 3.

If the number is less than $350,000 and your distributions taken out the company do not exceed the profits reported for your business on its tax return, your AGI is less than $350,000 without doing any further analysis.

Step 3:  There is one final analysis that can be performed to see if you still exceed the $350,000 AGI threshold. If the applicant business concern is an S corporation, LLC or partnership you may:

(Please note: Single Member LLC’s that file a Schedule C cannot use the below in their calculations, per the SBA):

  1. Deduct any income associated with the business that was reinvested into the business concern, less any distributions taken.

Example 1: Your applicant business income shown on the tax return is $100,000. You took $0 in distributions. The result is that $100,000 was reinvested or not distributed therefore the entire $100,000 can be deducted from your AGI calculation.

Example 2: Your applicant business income shown on the tax return is $100,000. You took $50,000 in distributions. The result is that $50,000 was reinvested or not distributed therefore the $50,000 can be deducted from your AGI calculation.

  1. Deduct any income used to pay the LLC or S-Corporation Federal taxes owed on behalf of the income from your LLC or S-Corporation income reported. Please note the SBA does not count or allow any State taxes you may have paid to reduce your AGI. Only Federal taxes paid are allowable to reduce your AGI.

In order to determine what the Federal taxable income tax that you paid on behalf of the business income reported on your tax return you must determine your IRS Income Tax rate.

To determine your IRS Income Tax rate, look at your 1040 form (Taxable Income).

Then, click here to visit a site that will show you your tax bracket percentage. Be sure the indicate the tax year, filing status and then lookup your tax bracket percentage based upon your taxable income.

Example: Your applicant business income shown on the tax return is $100,000. Your determined IRS Income Tax rate is 24% therefore you are responsible for $24,000 that would be paid to the IRS on the income from your business reported and the result would be an additional $24,000 that can be deducted from your AGI calculation.

As you can see from above, determining your AGI can be somewhat complex for 8(a) Certification purposes. Cloveer can help you to determine your AGI should you need further assistance. We offer an AGI Analysis Service for $250.00 where we will perform an analysis for the last three years and provide you a detailed report showing you exactly what your AGI is for each year and averaged over the last three years. If you are interested in this service, please request a service agreement or give us a call at 813-333-5800 for more information.