Helping Put America Back to Work

As a business, you can benefit from many different hiring incentive programs that were designed to assist specific groups of job seekers in our community get into the workforce and create a strong economy that benefits us all. These programs provide you with tax credits or other incentives and can be key to your business' success as you bring in or retain skilled workers.

Don’t miss out on these opportunities due to a lack of information! Review the different target groups below.

 

No-cost interns

Get access to no-cost interns and provide an opportunity for youth to acquire hands-on experience through the Make Your Way (MYWay) program at workNet DuPage. This program is a workforce development initiative that seeks to guide young adults in the County onto good career paths and provide a pipeline of fresh talent for DuPage County employers.

Your business benefits with interns paid for entirely by DuPage County, who is the employer of record. We do all of the recruiting and candidate preparation. Young adults 18 to 24 undertake three to five weeks of intensive training at our center which includes workplace readiness & soft skills training, and completion of certifications appropriate to the industry. The program culminates by placing the participants in internships.

To find out how your company can participate and get access to no-cost interns, contact Ron Schlager at Rschlager@worknetdupage.org or at (630) 955-2037.

Veterans have ingrained leadership talents. In addition to a strong work ethic, they have good communication and technical skills that make them excellent employees.

Businesses benefit from the following tax credits when they hire veterans:

State Income Tax Credit Up To $5,000 Annually Per Veteran

Employers in Illinois can earn a state income tax credit of up to $5,000 annually for hiring Veterans of Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation Iraqi Freedom. The credit is 10% of the total wages paid to every qualified Veteran hired after January 1, 2010. Veterans must work at least 185 days during the tax year for the employer to qualify. The tax credit can be claimed by employers on income tax returns. To file for the Veteran's Tax Credit, please visit the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) and file Income Tax Form 1299-D for corporations, Income Tax Form 1299-C for individuals, or Income Tax Form 1299-A for partnerships and S corporations.

Federal Tax Credits Up To $9,600 Per Veteran

Employers that hire Veterans may receive federal tax credits as high as $9,600 per Veteran for for-profit employers or up to $6,240 for tax-exempt organizations under the Work Opportunity Tax Credit program (WOTC). To learn more, contact the WOTC National Office.

Employers in DuPage County are hiring workers with disabilities and seeing the rewards. The majority of people with disabilities do not require accommodations and if they do, the average cost is around $500[1]. Individuals with disabilities tend to:

  • Demonstrate lower turnover
  • Maintain better levels of attendance [2]
  • Be more aware, not less, of safety issues in the workplace and have average or better safety records [3]

 

Tax incentives are available to help employers cover accommodation costs for employees with disabilities and make tapping into this community an attractive recruiting strategy.

  • Architectural and Transportation Tax Deduction - All businesses are eligible to take an annual deduction for expenses incurred to remove physical, structural, and transportation (e.g. vehicle-related) barriers for persons with disabilities at the workplace.
  • Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)– This federal tax credit is also available to employers who hire and retain individuals with disabilities. Employers collectively claim about $1 billion in tax credits each year under the program. Credits are based on the hours worked and wages earned by the employee in the first year. If the individual works at least 120 hours, the employer may claim a tax credit equal to 25% of the individual's first year wages, up to the maximum allowed. If the individual works at least 400 hours, the employer may claim a tax credit equal to 40% of the individual's first year wages, up to the maximum allowed.

 

[1] U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), “The ADA: Myths and Facts”
[2] Corporate Practices Study, Rutgers University, 2008
[3] DePaul University and Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), “Exploring the Bottom Line: A Study of the Costs and Benefits of Workers with Disabilities”

People who have been incarcerated greatly value their jobs when they get hired. Finding employment is not easy for them so once they are hired they are not likely to quit. Many ex-felons have a favorable employment and educational history and are as reliable as other workers.

Employers can get a full-time employee at a substantially reduced cost by taking advantage of tax credits for hiring people with past convictions.

  • Work Opportunity Tax Credits (WOTC) reduce employers’ federal income tax liability by up to $2400 when hiring a formerly incarcerated person.
  • The Federal Bonding Program covers losses up to $5,000 with no deductible and is free of charge to the employer.
  • Enterprise Zone Job Tax Credit allows any business located in the 95 Illinois enterprise zones a $500 credit on Illinois income taxes for each job created for which an economically disadvantaged individual or dislocated worker is hired.
  • On-The-Job Training is a “hire-first” program in which businesses can get up to 50% reimbursement of a new employee’s wages while they are in training.