As of today (25), those interested in taking out loans through the National Support Program for Micro and Small Enterprises (Pronampe) can now look for financial institutions. Created just over two years ago to help entrepreneurs during the covid-19 pandemic, the program offers loans for small businesses with lower interest rates and a longer term to start paying.
The money can be used for investments, such as purchasing equipment or carrying out renovations, and for operating expenses, such as employee salaries, paying bills, and purchasing goods. The use of funds for the distribution of profits and dividends among business partners is prohibited.
Since its creation, Pronampe has undergone several changes. In June of last year, the program became permanent and, more recently, included individual microentrepreneurs (MEI) and medium-sized companies. The last change was made in June by a concierge published by the IRS. The standard determines the need to share information about small business invoicing. After this procedure, the entrepreneur can negotiate the loan with the financial institution of his choice.
Loan access
Small companies with annual revenues of up to R$360,000 per year, small companies with annual revenues of R$360,000 to R$4.8 million and medium-sized companies with revenues of up to R$300 million can apply for the loan.
Rules
According to the program’s rules, the company that opts for financing must maintain the number of employees for up to 60 days after taking out the credit. The company can borrow up to 30% of annual gross revenue recorded in 2019.
In the case of businesses with less than a year of operation, the financing limit is up to half of the share capital or 30% of the average monthly revenue.
All public and private financial institutions authorized to operate by the Central Bank can operate the credit line. The loans are guaranteed by the Union of up to 85% of the resources.
Payment
The amount taken may be paid in up to 48 installments, with a maximum grace period of 11 months and a further 37 installments for payment. The maximum annual interest rate will be the same as the Selic rate, currently at 13.25% per year, plus 6%. The deadline to start repaying the loan is 11 months.
Deadline
According to the Ministry of Economy, the date of contracting the credit operation continues until December 31, 2024. Until then, the government estimates that R$ 50 billion can be lent to small businesses.
To obtain the loan, entrepreneurs need to share their company’s billing data with the financial institution of their choice. Once this is done, the entrepreneur will be able to negotiate the loan with the bank. If the bank is not listed in the list of possible recipients, the owner of a business must contact the bank branch and check the forecast for joining the system.
Sharing is done digitally, through the e-CAC portal, in site of the IRS. Just click on “Authorize Data Sharing”.
