New WOTC Target Group – Long Term Unemployment Recipient
The recent re-authorization and expansion of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) includes a new WOTC target group. Reading from the statute, a “Long-term Unemployment Recipient” is defined as an individual “being in a period of unemployment which— (A) is not less than 27 consecutive weeks, and (B) includes a period in which the individual was receiving unemployment compensation under State or Federal law.’’ (more…)
- Published in Work Opportunity Tax Credit
NO WOTC or Tax Extenders BIll in U.S. House Until After Elections
We’ve been watching developments closely, and today we finally have something concrete although not what we’ve been hoping. While the possibility still remains for a Senate tax extenders bill before the recess, it appears that the House will not move until after the November elections.
Paul Suplizio, President of the WOTC Coalition shared the following correspondence with coalition members last night. It is published here with permission. (more…)
- Published in Work Opportunity Tax Credit
ETA Form to Be Short Lived – Empowerment Zone Omitted from New WOTC Characteristics Form
It is quite sad. Just 2 days before the Senate Finance Committee completed its markup of the Family and Business Tax Cut Certainty Act of 2012, the Department of Labor issued Training and Guidance Letter (TEGL) 04-2012.
TEGL 04-2012 introduces the Department’s updated Form ETA 9061, which is the Individual Characteristics Form included in the WOTC program’s employee-application for certification. (more…)
- Published in Work Opportunity Tax Credit
Family And Business Tax Cut Certainty Act Of 2012 Will Extend WOTC and Empowerment Zones
Good news came smiling out of Washington, D.C. this week for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program and a number of other tax extenders. Some of you have contacted me with leads and insights, for which I thank you all.
On Wednesday, Senator Max Baucus, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee (a Democrat) and Senator Orin Hatch, the Committee’s top ranking Republican announced that a bipartisan agreement had been reached for the nervously-awaited tax extenders bill. (more…)
- Published in Work Opportunity Tax Credit
Congressional Tug of War on Tax Issues: MUST Keep Pushing House and Senate for WOTC Renewal
Paul Suplizio of the WOTC Coalition gave an analysis this morning of the current situation in Congress as it relates to renewal of WOTC and other tax extenders. While there is little chance of of immediate passage, there are important political milestones to be laid at this time. (more…)
- Published in Work Opportunity Tax Credit
Groundwork Laid for Tax Bill Extending WOTC and other Expired Tax Provisions
This morning’s Congressional hearing on the tax extenders is getting minimal mention this afternoon in the general media. The consensus from all quarters, however, seems to be that it was a successful step toward extending many of the expired tax provisions. (more…)
- Published in Work Opportunity Tax Credit
WOTC and Other Tax Extenders Must Wait
The House – Senate Conference has come to an agreement on what is now dubbed The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. Expectations are high that both the House and Senate will quickly pass the bill. President Obama has already indicated he will sign the bill.
Unfortunately, the tax extenders, including the general WOTC extension, were completely excluded from this legislation. All WOTC categories except for those favoring military veterans must now wait to be extended by another yet future tax bill.
As I’ve summarized before, this situation is not unusual for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program. Of the eight times Congress has acted to renew or extend the WOTC program, three were passed retroactively months after the program’s legislative authority had expired.
- The first was in March 2002 after WOTC expired on December 31, 2001.
- The second was in October 2004, about ten months after WOTC expired on December 31, 2003.
- The worst example to date was in December 2006, when the program was reauthorized almost 12 months after its expiration.
In each of these events, the renewal was made effective retroactively back to the date of expiration. In other words, employers were eligible to claim tax credits generated by properly certified employees hired between the expiration date and the date the WOTC program was renewed.
We continue to anticipate a similar re-authorization in 2012. For this reason, my firm will continue to process and submit WOTC applications under all employee-eligibility categories — not just for veterans.
As employers consider their strategy for 2012, they should remember that even though a general extension has not yet been passed, eligibility-categories for hiring military veterans are already authorized through 2012 by the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011. The amount of tax credit currently offered for hiring unemployed veterans goes as high as $9,600 per qualifying hire.
This is an excellent opportunity to more affirmatively recruit veterans for your workforce.
- Published in Work Opportunity Tax Credit
WOTC Call to Action – New Developments for WOTC and Tax Extenders
There are new developments in the effort to include WOTC and other tax-extenders in the upcoming payroll tax cut bill. A Senate-House conference is currently negotiating to extend the payroll tax cut, which expires in February.
Paul Suplizio, President of the WOTC Coalition, reports that Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp is “waving off in advance an expected offer from Senator Baucus” to include tax extenders in the bill. Max Baucus is Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. (more…)
- Published in Federal Legislation, Work Opportunity Tax Credit
HR 2082 – Bill to Extend and Refine the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program
I received an update from Paul Suplizio, President of the WOTC Coalition today. There is recent progress on the legislative front for an extension of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit.
The WOTC program is currently slated to expire on December 31, 2011. While that might at first seem alarming if your company has been relying on the program to offset hiring costs, its par for the WOTC game. Over the years, Congress has repeatedly allowed the program to expire or nearly expire before renewing it for another term. (more…)
- Published in Federal Legislation, Work Opportunity Tax Credit