A little good news for employers and foster youth living in New Mexico. Republican Governor Susana Martinez has signed into law a bill providing a $1,000 tax credit to employers that hire qualifying foster youth.
Although the New Mexico Foster Youth Tax Credit was signed on March 1, the law does not go into effect until July 1. Beginning then, employers may claim a tax credit of up to $1,000 per each qualifying foster youth they hire.
The $1,000 is based on the qualifying youth’s first full year of employment. If a youth does not remain employed for an entire year, the employer may claim a pro-rated portion of the $1,000 based on the percentage of a year worked. For example, work half a year, claim half the credit or $500.

Interestingly, an individual youth may qualify to generate the tax credit for one and only one employer during any particular tax year. The certification process will include measures to ensure that two employers may not claim a credit based on the same youth’s wages during the same tax year.
Also, an employer may not claim the tax credit for rehiring a youth. The benefit applies only to an individual’s first and original hire by any particular employer.
NWCAN, a New Mexico-based foster youth advocacy organization, published a helpful one-page flyer about the new tax credit. You can read it here.