However, the federal government will forgive the loans if a business uses at least 75 percent of the funds to maintain its payroll at pre-pandemic levels for eight weeks after the loan is disbursed (based on a 40-hour workweek). The remaining money can be used only to pay for certain expenses, such as a mortgage, rent and utilities.

In most cases, the S.B.A. is using payrolls as of Feb. 15 as its definition of pre-pandemic levels.

The fact that the loan is essentially a grant is a key reason Ms. Wills has worked so hard to get in line. She tried to apply at Chase and U.S. Bank before successfully submitting her application at Sunflower Bank, a small community lender based in Denver.

Ms. Wills decided not to lay off her staff even though the salon is closed, because she had heard the grant would require her to maintain full staffing without interruption. Her staff is working from home with reduced hours and wages, helping her teach classes and fulfill online orders for Base Coat’s nail polish line. Some employees have also filed for unemployment benefits to make up the difference.

If Ms. Wills had laid off her team, she would still be eligible for the grant once she brought the team back — but that fact was initially unclear. The Treasury Department recently clarified that businesses must rehire staff (or employ new workers) and return their payrolls to February levels by June 30, when the loan program is set to expire.

She thinks keeping her employees was the right move because many of them have been with her since she opened in 2013 and because she believes there will be high demand once she reopens.

“We’re going to be crying at the end of the day because we’ll be so busy,” Ms. Wills said.

However, if the loan doesn’t come through or businesses aren’t able to reopen in May, the story changes. Ms. Wills said she wouldn’t have the money to keep paying anyone, even after canceling her utilities and negotiating rent deals.