Incentive is aimed at helping individuals to become self-sufficient
Washington’s Employment Security Department is offering small-business owners a tax credit for any help they can be in finding work for “hard-to-place job-seekers.”
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), according to the department, would be for the following general categories of workers:
- Public assistance recipients, if they meet the eligibility requirements for SNAP (food stamps), TANF or long-term TANF.
- Several categories of military veterans.
- People convicted of a felony and hired within a year after their date of conviction, work release, or release from prison or jail.
- People with disabilities participating in state or federal vocational-rehabilitation programs who’ve had an “individual written plan” for employment in the two years before being hired.
- Anyone who received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for any month in the 60 days before being hired.
- Long-term unemployed individuals hired on or after Jan. 1, 2016 (must have been unemployed at least 27 consecutive weeks).
“Employers can reduce their federal business taxes by up to $2,400 for most eligible hires; and up to $9,000 over two years for each qualifying TANF recipient who is hired,” according to the department. “The tax credit for veteran categories range from $2,400 to $9,600. The WOTC program has been approved through Dec. 31, 2019.”
Click here to learn more and to participate online.
