Is Cares Act funding still available?

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❌ No, general CARES Act funding is no longer available for new applications or claims, as most programs have expired or concluded.

📊 Status of Major CARES Act Programs

  • Coronavirus Relief Fund: Expired for incurring new costs on December 31, 2021 / December 30, 2020 depending on entity guidelines; fully closed out.
  • Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): Permanently closed to new small business loan applications in May 2021.
  • Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEERF): Expired with all institutional and student grant funds fully drawn down.
  • Economic Development Administration (EDA): CARES Act Recovery Assistance projects are in their final wind-down phase, with all activities completing by September 30, 2027, accepting no new awards.

💡 What You Should Do Instead

  • Explore Active Relief: Look into modern federal, state, or municipal community development programs that replaced pandemic-era funding.
  • Check Local Resources: Contact your local county or state economic development office for current non-COVID grant or assistance options.

Is the CARES Act still in effect in 2026?

Parts of the CARES Act remain active statutory law in 2026, though most temporary pandemic-era emergency funding and automatic relief programs have expired.

What is Still in Effect

  • 30-Day Notice to Vacate: Section 4024 of the CARES Act included a permanent statutory requirement that landlords of "covered dwellings" (properties with federally backed mortgages or federal assistance) provide at least a 30-day notice to vacate before filing for eviction due to nonpayment of rent.
  • Legal Status: Congress has not repealed this specific notice requirement, and legal compliance guidelines continue to recognize it for applicable properties, although enforcement and specific agency rules vary.

What is Expired or Changed

  • Direct Financial Relief: Short-term pandemic stimulus, automatic mortgage forbearance enrollment windows, and emergency financial assistance programs have ended.
  • Agency Enforcement Shifts: Major housing enterprises like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have scaled back active monitoring or enforcement of specialized CARES Act notice audits, and some federal or state bodies have moved to alter or challenge local implementation rules.

If you are a tenant or landlord dealing with a property query, check the National Housing Preservation Database or consult local housing laws to see if a specific building falls under federally backed coverage.

What is the current status of the CARES Act?

The CARES Act was enacted into law on March 27, 2020, and its temporary economic relief programs have since concluded or wound down.

Legislative Status and Timeline

  • Enactment: Signed into law as Public Law 116-136 by President Donald Trump to address the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Active Status: Most emergency funding programs, direct individual payments, and expanded unemployment benefits expired long ago, replaced or extended by subsequent legislation like the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
  • Final Wind-Down: Remaining agency-specific recovery assistance programs (such as Economic Development Administration activities) have concluded or finalized their remaining project closeouts.

Key Provisions That Reached Completion

  • Direct Payments & Relief: One-time economic impact payments ($1,200 for eligible individuals) and temporary expanded unemployment benefits are fully completed.
  • Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): The small business loan application windows and initial forgiveness phases administered via the Small Business Administration (SBA) have closed.
  • Coronavirus Relief Fund: State, local, and tribal government expenditure deadlines for utilizing their direct allocations concluded at the end of 2022.

When did CARES Act forbearance end?

The original application window for initial CARES Act mortgage forbearance requests ended at different times depending on the loan type, with final individual forbearance extensions wrapping up by mid-2022 (allowing up to 18 months or 540 days of total relief from the initial 2020 start dates).

Application and Deadline Timelines

  • Initial Request Deadlines: While the CARES Act was signed in March 2020, individual federal agencies set varying final deadlines to request an initial forbearance plan, stretching into 2021.
  • Maximum Duration: Individual forbearance plans lasted for up to 180 days with options for extensions totaling up to 540 days (18 months) for qualifying federally backed mortgages (such as FHA, VA, USDA, and Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac loans).
  • Active Program Close: All active COVID-19 specific initial forbearance entries and maximum extensions concluded as homeowners exhausted their eligible extension periods through 2021 and 2022.

Current Status

  • The original direct enrollment periods for CARES Act forbearance are completely closed.
  • Homeowners struggling with mortgage payments can still contact their loan servicer to ask about standard loss-mitigation options, loan modifications, or payment deferrals.

What is the CARES Act stimulus check?

The CARES Act stimulus check was a direct cash payment of up to $1,200 sent by the U.S. federal government to eligible individuals in 2020 to offset the economic hardship of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officially called Economic Impact Payments, these funds were authorized under the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law on March 27, 2020.

Payment Amounts and Breakdown

  • Individuals: Up to $1,200 for single adults with an adjusted gross income (AGI) at or below $75,000.
  • Married Couples: Up to $2,400 for joint filers with an AGI at or below $150,000.
  • Dependents: An extra $500 for each qualifying child under the age of 17.
  • Income Phase-Outs: Payments reduced progressively for incomes above those thresholds and phased out completely for higher-income earners.

Key Facts

  • Tax Status: The payments were tax-free and did not need to be paid back.
  • Eligibility Basis: They were calculated using information from a person's 2019 or 2018 tax return, or from federal benefit programs like Social Security.
  • Broader Package: The direct payments were part of a larger legislative effort that also expanded unemployment benefits and created the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses.

CARES Act Funding Updates: July 2020

9 related questions found

Was the CARES Act good or bad?

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act had both positive and negative effects, acting as a massive economic lifeline during the COVID-19 pandemic while also drawing criticism over implementation and corporate relief.

The Positive Impacts

  • Direct Payments: Sent stimulus checks to millions of American households to cover basic needs.
  • Expanded Unemployment: Added a temporary $600 weekly boost to unemployment insurance, preventing widespread poverty.
  • Small Business Support: Funded the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) with over $360 billion in loans to help businesses keep workers employed.
  • Healthcare Funding: Provided vital resources for hospitals and healthcare workers on the front lines.

The Criticisms and Drawbacks

  • Corporate Oversight: Critics argued that some large corporate loan and tax provisions (such as net operating loss deductions) functioned as handouts to big businesses and the wealthy.
  • ** Administrative Strain:** Antiquated state unemployment systems struggled to process claims quickly, leaving many workers waiting for funds.
  • Gaps in Coverage: Some self-employed workers, gig economy workers, and frontline "essential workers" faced hurdles or delays receiving targeted aid.
  • Inflation and Debt Concerns: The injection of $2 trillion into the economy contributed to concerns regarding long-term national debt and subsequent inflationary pressures.

How do I know if my property is covered by the CARES Act?

You can determine if a property is covered by the CARES Act by checking online databases for federally backed mortgages or housing assistance programs.

🔎 Search Tools & Databases

✅ Qualifying Coverage Categories

  • Federal Programs: Public housing, Section 8, or Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC).
  • Vouchers: Accepts Housing Choice or rural vouchers.
  • Backed Mortgages: Loans backed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or FHA/VA/USDA.

⚠️ What Coverage Means Now

  • Notice Period: Landlords must provide a 30-day notice to vacate for nonpayment.
  • Permanent Rule: This requirement remains active even though the initial eviction moratorium expired.

Is the CARES Act still in effect in Texas?

The broad eviction moratorium and financial assistance programs under the federal CARES Act have expired, but its 30-day notice-to-vacate requirement remains a subject of ongoing legal debate and application in Texas.

What Has Expired

  • Eviction Moratorium: The temporary federal ban on residential evictions for nonpayment on federally backed or assisted properties expired in July 2020.
  • State Assistance Programs: Programs like the Texas Rent Relief Program and the Texas Eviction Diversion Program ended in 2023.

What Still Matters (The 30-Day Notice)

  • The Rule: Section 4024 of the CARES Act included a permanent requirement that landlords of federally supported or financed rental properties give tenants at least a 30-day notice to vacate before filing an eviction for nonpayment.
  • Covered Properties: This requirement applies if the property participates in federal assistance programs (like Section 8) or has federally backed financing (such as loans associated with Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac).
  • Texas Practice: While standard Texas law allows for a shorter 3-day notice unless the lease states otherwise, many housing advocates and court training centers maintain that the federal 30-day requirement still overrides state timelines for "covered dwellings" in nonpayment cases. Under recent procedural updates like Texas Senate Bill 38, courts navigate these overlapping rules by allowing certain filings to proceed while restricting the actual execution of a writ of possession until the full 30-day federal period has passed.

For details on a specific property or lease, consult Texas Law Help or a qualified local attorney.

How do I qualify for the CARES Act?

The CARES Act was a one-time 2020 economic stimulus law, meaning direct individual stimulus payments and major programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) are closed and no longer accepting new applications.

Because the CARES Act covered many different areas, qualification depended on whether you were applying as an individual, a small business, or a local government.

Individual Stimulus Payments (Closed)

  • Income limits: Full direct payments ($1,200) went to single filers making up to $75,000 and joint filers making up to $150,000 based on 2018 or 2019 tax returns.
  • Requirements: Recipients needed a valid Social Security number and could not be claimed as a dependent on another person's tax return.
  • Status: These direct relief checks are no longer being issued.

Small Business Relief / PPP (Closed)

  • Employee limits: Generally businesses with fewer than 500 employees (or fewer than 1,500 depending on the industry).
  • Operation date: The business must have been operating and paying payroll taxes as of February 15, 2020.
  • Status: The Paycheck Protection Program and associated emergency loans have ended. You can check current small business resources through the U.S. Small Business Administration.

State, Local, and Tribal Governments

When did the CARES Act get passed?

The CARES Act was passed by the U.S. Senate on March 25, 2020, passed by the House of Representatives on March 27, 2020, and signed into law on March 27, 2020.

Timeline of Passage

  • March 25, 2020: The Senate passed the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) by a 96–0 vote.
  • March 27, 2020: The House of Representatives passed the bill.
  • March 27, 2020: President Donald Trump signed the bill into law.

Key Details

  • Purpose: Provided roughly $2.2 trillion in emergency economic relief and stimulus during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Impact: Funded direct $1,200 individual tax rebates, expanded unemployment benefits, and created the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for small businesses.