What the CARES Act Means for Churches and Church Staff

Editor’s Note:Additional updates regarding the CARES Act and its various provisions can be found on Church Law & Tax’s coronavirus coverage page.

The 900-page, $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act became law on March 27, 2020. It is the third package enacted by Congress in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. It follows:

1. The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (March 6, 2020), which provided $8.3 billion in emergency funding for federal agencies to respond to the coronavirus outbreak.
2. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (March 18, 2020), which requires certain employers, including churches, to provide their employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. These provisions, which can be fully reimbursed by the government, will apply from April 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020.