For buy-here, pay-here operators who received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan of $150,000 or less, they might not have to repay the amount.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) launched a streamlined application portal to allow borrowers with PPP loans of $150,000 or less through participating lenders to apply for forgiveness directly through the SBA.

“The SBA’s new streamlined application portal will simplify forgiveness for millions of our smallest businesses — including many sole proprietors — who used funds from our Paycheck Protection Program loans to survive the pandemic,” Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman said in a news release.  “The vast majority of businesses waiting for forgiveness have loans under $150,000.

“These entrepreneurs are busy running their businesses and are challenged by an overly complicated forgiveness process. We need to deliver forgiveness more efficiently so they can get back to enlivening our Main Streets, sustaining our neighborhoods and fueling our nation’s economy,” Casillas Guzman continued.

SBA highlighted this new change will help rush relief to more than 6.5 million smallest of small businesses.

The new forgiveness platform began to accept applications from borrowers on Wednesday.

SBA said lenders are required to opt-in to this program through https://directforgiveness.sba.gov.

SBA said more than 600 banks have opted in to direct forgiveness, enabling over 2.17 million borrowers to apply through the portal. Officials indicated this represents 30% of loans $150,000 or less that have not yet been submitted for forgiveness.

“As one of the leading PPP lenders in the nation, Customers Bank is proud to partner with SBA to deliver responsive digital loan forgiveness service to the small business borrowers,” Customers Bank president and chief executive officer Sam Sidhu said in the news release.

“The streamlined and efficient SBA PPP loan forgiveness portal will help borrowers and lenders move forward with economic growth and job creation following the pandemic. We encourage other lenders to join Customers Bank and opt-in to the SBA portal.”

In addition to the technology platform, the SBA is setting up a PPP customer service team to answer questions and directly assist borrowers with their forgiveness applications. Borrowers who need assistance or have questions should call (877) 552-2692 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday.

“This initiative will allow PPP borrowers to put their concerns of achieving full forgiveness behind them and focus on operating and growing their businesses again,” said Patrick Kelley, associate administrator for SBA’s Office of Capital Access.

“We are pleased to be able to assist financial institutions across the U.S. in processing forgiveness applications for small business owners,” Kelley added.