The COVID-19 pandemic affected millions of businesses across the country, some of whom took advantage of various government assistance programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) and the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). However, one heavily impacted group that is often overlooked is that of self-employed professionals and sole proprietorships. The COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting shutdowns and government orders, limited their income opportunities with equal severity.

Thankfully, if you are one of the 16 million self­ employed professionals across the U.S., relief is right around the corner. You'll be happy to know that there is a government relief program specific to your needs that is still available to be claimed right now, and it is called the Paid Sick and Family Leave Credits. The window for applications is expiring soon, so self-employed workers need to act fast to take advantage of this life-changing credit.

In order to help employees/individuals cope with the losses coming as a result of the pandemic, the government issued paid sick leave days that could be used for reasons related to COVID. To account for these missed days for self-employed individuals, the government started offering a credit for the amount of work days missed due to COVID complications, such as:
 •    Being unable to work due to federal, state, or local shutdown orders,
•    Needing to take care of family members with COVID, or
•   Being placed in quarantine as a result of COVID exposure. For those who missed out on work due to any of these circumstances, this credit could offer much­ needed assistance.