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Overview
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) offers employers tax incentives for hiring individuals from specific populations with historically higher rates of unemployment. If you are a member of a target group, you may improve your chances of being hired by making a potential employer aware that hiring you may result in tax savings for their business.
Target Groups
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the Act) was passed by Congress on December 21, 2020, and signed by the president on December 27, 2020. The Act reauthorizes the Work Opportunity Tax Credit until December 31, 2025. Additionally, the Act extends empowerment zone designations from December 31, 2020, to December 31, 2025.
State workforce agencies (SWAs) should continue the uninterrupted processing of employers’ timely filed certification requests and issuance of determinations (certifications or denials) for individuals who began to work for an employer on or after January 1, 2021, and before January 1, 2026, for all currently reauthorized targeted groups, including the extension of designated empowerment zones.
Tax credits currently are available for employers who hire in the following categories.
Veteran Groups
| Target Group | Maximum Tax Credit | |
|---|---|---|
| Disabled Veterans | Veterans with a service-connected disability of 10% or more and who have been unemployed for at least 6 months. | $9,600 |
| Veterans with a service-connected disability of 10% or more and who have been discharged or released within the last year. | $4,800 | |
| Unemployed Veterans | Veterans who have been unemployed for at least 6 months. | $5,600 |
| Veterans who have been unemployed for at least 4 weeks but less than 6 months. | $2,400 | |
| Veterans Receiving SNAP Benefits | Veterans who are a member of a family that has received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. | $2,400 |
Non-Veteran Groups
| Target Group | Maximum Tax Credit |
|---|---|
| Long-Term Family Assistance recipients who are members of a family that has received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits for at least 18 consecutive months | $9,000 |
Any of the following:
|
$2,400 |
| Summer Youth program participants who are 16 to 17 years old, work between May 1 and September 15, and live in an empowerment zone (Empowerment zones expired 12/31/2016) | $1,200 |
How It Works
If you are a member of one of these target groups, you may inform prospective employers that they may be eligible for a federal tax credit by hiring you.
If you believe you meet the qualifications for one of the veteran target groups, contact a Texas Veterans Leadership Program (TVLP) representative, who can issue an ETA Form 9062 (Conditional Certification) for you to present to prospective employers, making them aware that hiring you may result in tax savings for their business.
Employers who hire eligible job seekers must complete an IRS Form 8850 and an ETA Form 9061, linked below, and submit both documents to the Texas Workforce Commission’s Work Opportunity Tax Credit Unit within 28 days from the new hire’s start date.
Contact Information
- Call Texas WOTC Hotline: 800-695-6879
- Email: wotc@twc.texas.gov
