Insight

Tax credit for hiring from certain “target groups” can provide substantial tax savings

Many businesses hired in 2017, and more are planning to hire in 2018. If you’re among them and your hires include members of a “target group,” you may be eligible for the Work Opportunity tax credit (WOTC). If you made qualifying hires in 2017 and obtained proper certification, you can claim the WOTC on your 2017 tax return.

Whether or not you’re eligible for 2017, keep the WOTC in mind in your 2018 hiring plans. Despite its proposed elimination under the House’s version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the credit survived the final version that was signed into law in December, so it’s also available for 2018.

“Target groups,” defined

Target groups include:

  • Qualified individuals who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more,
  • Designated community residents who live in Empowerment Zones or rural renewal counties,
  • Long-term family assistance recipients,
  • Qualified ex-felons,
  • Qualified recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF),
  • Qualified veterans,
  • Summer youth employees,
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients,
  • Supplemental Security Income benefits recipients, and
  • Vocational rehabilitation referrals for individuals who suffer from an employment handicap resulting from a physical or mental handicap.

Before you can claim the WOTC, you must obtain certification from a “designated local agency” (DLA) that the hired individual is indeed a target group member. You must submit IRS Form 8850, “Pre-Screening Notice and Certification Request for the Work Opportunity Credit,” to the DLA no later than the 28th day after the individual begins work for you. Unfortunately, this means that, if you hired someone from a target group in 2017 but didn’t obtain the certification, you can’t claim the WOTC on your 2017 return.

A potentially valuable credit

Qualifying employers can claim the WOTC as a general business credit against their income tax. The amount of the credit depends on the:

  • Target group of the individual hired,
  • Wages paid to that individual, and
  • Number of hours that individual worked during the first year of employment.

The maximum credit that can be earned for each member of a target group is generally $2,400 per employee. The credit can be as high as $9,600 for certain veterans.

Employers aren’t subject to a limit on the number of eligible individuals they can hire. In other words, if you hired 10 individuals from target groups that qualify for the $2,400 credit, your total credit would be $24,000.

Remember, credits reduce your tax bill dollar-for-dollar; they don’t just reduce the amount of income subject to tax like deductions do. So that’s $24,000 of actual tax savings.

Offset hiring costs

The WOTC can provide substantial tax savings when you hire qualified new employees, offsetting some of the cost. Contact us for more information.

© 2018

Related Insights

Passing the public support test | quickbooks consulting in cecil county md | Weyrich, Cronin & Sorra

Non-Profits

Passing the public support test

Unless 501(c)(3) organizations prove they’re publicly supported, the IRS assumes they’re private foundations. The distinction is important,…
Child tax credit: The rules keep changing but it’s still valuable | cpa in cecil county md | Weyrich, Cronin & Sorra

Tax Prep, Planning & Strategy

Child tax credit: The rules keep changing but it’s still valuable

If you’re a parent, you may be confused about the rules for claiming the Child Tax Credit (CTC). The rules and credit amounts have changed…
There still may be time to make an IRA contribution for last year | accountant in elkton md | Weyrich, Cronin & Sorra

Tax Prep, Planning & Strategy

There still may be time to make an IRA contribution for last year

If you’re getting ready to file your 2022 tax return, and your tax bill is higher than you’d like, there may still be an opportunity to lower…

Connect with us

Use the form below to send us an email. WCS responds directly to all inquiries and general questions within 24 hours of posting.

This contact form is deactivated because you refused to accept Google reCaptcha service which is necessary to validate any messages sent by the form.