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Can You Get Relief From a COVID EIDL Loan You Cannot Repay? Options to Explore

SBA offers eligible COVID EIDL borrowers a temporary payment reduction, not forgiveness. Your options depend on the hardship, business status, and whether SBA or Treasury services the loan.

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Yes, but relief is limited and depends on your account status. For eligible COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs), the SBA offers a temporary payment-assistance option that cuts payments by 50% for six months. It does not forgive the balance: interest continues to accrue, and full payments resume afterward. If your hardship is long-term, your account is delinquent, or the loan has gone to Treasury, different steps apply.

Which relief option fits your situation?

Your situation What to explore
Temporary cash-flow hardship; business is operating; loan is current or less than 90 days past due Request SBA’s six-month, 50% payment reduction through the SBA Loan Portal, if you meet the eligibility requirements below.
Loan is delinquent or you received a Treasury notice Check whether SBA still services the loan. After transfer to Treasury Cross-Servicing, contact Treasury using the notice or SBA’s published direction; SBA says it cannot service the account after transfer.
Loan is charged off or marked uncollectible, but has not gone to Cross-Servicing SBA describes a conditional reinstatement route: pay the full overdue balance through the portal, then contact COVID EIDL servicing to request reinstatement to current status.
Business may close or be liquidated Contact SBA through the Loan Portal or COVID EIDL servicing to discuss the account and next steps.
Collateral has been liquidated and the debt remains unresolved You may ask about an Offer in Compromise (OIC). SBA says it considers an OIC only after collateral liquidation under agency guidelines; acceptance is not guaranteed.
Borrower or an owner is in active bankruptcy, or bankruptcy is being considered SBA lists active bankruptcy as an exclusion from its payment-assistance program. Get advice from a qualified attorney about how bankruptcy law may apply to your debt, guaranty, and collateral.

Can you get a lower payment on a COVID EIDL?

SBA says eligible borrowers may request a 50% reduction in payments for six months through the SBA Loan Portal. An eligible loan may use this assistance once every five years. SBA describes it as an option for temporary financial difficulty or a cash-flow problem—not a solution for a long-term inability to pay.

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  • The business must be actively open and operating.
  • The loan must be current and less than 90 days past due when you request assistance.
  • Neither the borrower nor its owners may be in active bankruptcy.
  • The hardship must be temporary rather than a long-term challenge.

Interest is not waived during the reduced-payment period. SBA warns that continued interest increases the balloon payment due at the end of the loan term; full payments resume when the assistance period ends. If the portal does not offer the request for a loan originally approved for more than $200,000, SBA instructs borrowers to email [email protected]. Confirm availability and account-specific eligibility in the portal or with servicing.

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What if your EIDL is delinquent, charged off, or with Treasury?

Start by checking your status and notices in the SBA Loan Portal. SBA says failure to make required payments may lead to referral to the Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service Offset Program after 120 days of delinquency. Loans that meet specific criteria may also be transferred to Treasury Cross-Servicing. These are different collection routes; do not assume a delinquent account is still being serviced by SBA.

Once a loan is in Cross-Servicing, SBA says it is no longer the servicer and cannot assist with the account. Contact Treasury as directed in your notice or by SBA’s published instructions. SBA lists 800-289-7388 for Treasury Cross-Servicing; check your notice or current contact information before calling.

If SBA still has a charged-off or uncollectible loan and it has not been referred to Cross-Servicing, its instructions say to submit the full overdue balance through the SBA Loan Portal and then contact COVID EIDL servicing to request reinstatement to current status. This is a conditional process, not a guarantee that SBA will reinstate every loan.

Can the SBA forgive or settle a COVID EIDL?

SBA says COVID EIDLs cannot be forgiven. PPP forgiveness rules do not apply to these loans. SBA’s Offer in Compromise Requirement Letter, last updated August 11, 2026, says an offer will be considered only after liquidation of all collateral under agency guidelines. That is a prerequisite to consideration, not a promise that SBA will accept an offer. Ask SBA servicing about your account and the applicable process rather than assuming an OIC is available before collateral is addressed.

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What if your business is closing?

If you anticipate closing or liquidating the business, SBA directs borrowers to message through the SBA Loan Portal or contact COVID EIDL servicing. Contact SBA before disposing of collateral or winding down the business so you can ask what the loan and servicing requirements mean for your situation.

What to do next

  1. Sign in to the SBA Loan Portal and review your account status, payment history, notices, and available servicing options.
  2. If the business is operating and the hardship is temporary, check the payment-assistance eligibility criteria and submit a request through the portal. For an eligible loan originally approved for more than $200,000, email [email protected] if the portal option is unavailable.
  3. If the loan is charged off, confirm whether it has been referred to Cross-Servicing before following SBA’s conditional reinstatement steps.
  4. If your notice says Cross-Servicing has started, contact Treasury using the notice or current official contact information.
  5. For a closure, liquidation, or account-specific question, message SBA through the portal or contact its COVID EIDL servicing center. SBA asks borrowers to include the loan number, reason for contacting it, business or applicant name, and contact details.
  6. Use the SBA Servicing Center page to confirm current contact routes. SBA lists [email protected] and payment by phone at 833-853-5638. Its COVID EIDL guidance says paper checks have not been accepted since October 1, 2025; follow the current electronic payment instructions.

What the original COVID EIDL terms mean for repayment

SBA describes COVID EIDL as a direct loan that must be repaid. Program terms included a 30-year term and fixed rates of 3.75% for businesses and 2.75% for private nonprofits. Payments were deferred for the first two years, but interest accrued during deferment. SBA’s program overview says collateral was required for loans over $25,000 and a personal guaranty for loans over $200,000. These are program-level terms; your signed note and account record govern your individual loan.

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Does this guidance cover every EIDL?

The payment-assistance and no-forgiveness guidance here concerns COVID EIDLs. It should not be applied automatically to other EIDL programs or other SBA loans. Public guidance also cannot establish your current servicing status, whether you meet every eligibility test, whether collateral has been fully liquidated, whether an OIC will be accepted, or how bankruptcy law applies to a particular borrower or guarantor. For those questions, consult your loan documents and notices, contact the current servicer, and seek qualified legal advice where appropriate.

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