Getting a job with a felony, while not at all easy, is not impossible. It just seems that way.
Felons can find work in a variety of areas.
Many employers are reluctant to hire felons, but there are many compelling reasons for companies to hire felons.
This blog post will cover what a tax credit for hiring a felon is.
- Advantages of Hiring Felons
- What Is a Tax Credit?
- Making Their Case for Employment
- Supporting a Felon Wanting to Get a Job Through a Tax Credit
Contents
Advantages of Hiring Felons
What makes felons good workers? They have been gone from society for a number of years on a lengthy prison sentence.
This has given them the chance to reflect on the years they have spent incarcerated and how much of their lives they have wasted because of their crime.
For many, they are grateful to those willing to give them a chance and are motivated to succeed.
Years of incarceration has made them punctual due to the rigid schedule which they had to follow in prison. They are accustomed to hard work.
While in prison most felons learned job skills that could be used in a new position.
Now they have the opportunity to show others that they can adapt to working in society again and can get the education they need and learn new skills.
Also, many are on probation and have to be accountable to their Probation Officer for finding and holding a job.
A key to remember is that those who are hired are the ones who have faced and dealt with the frustration of seeking employment. The free guide to becoming employed outlines the steps to success.
They understood it would be a struggle and maintained a positive attitude. They have convinced themselves they are employable once again.
They came to the job interview appropriately dressed and groomed. They were on time, polite, respectful, and made a good impression. They persisted until they found a job.
These are exactly the types of qualities a good employee exhibits and demonstrate reasons for employers to hire them.
Another advantage for companies in hiring a felon is that there is a tax credit for doing so.
What Is a Tax Credit?
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal program started by the Small Business Job Protection Act in 1966.
The purpose of the program is to encourage employers to hire veterans and persons from other target groups that have significant barriers to employment.
Felons, of course, are one of those specific groups that have difficulty finding jobs.
Felons that have been convicted or released within one year of their hiring are eligible to be hired through the WOTC.
Employers hiring a felon complete and submit paperwork from the U.S. Department of Labor. This is then sent to the state workforce agency WOTC coordinator for processing.
The forms must be submitted no more than 28 days after the hiring.
Employers may hire as many felons as they want under this program and receive up to $2400 for a two-year period for each one employed, depending on how many hours the employee works.
In the first year, an employer can claim a tax credit of 40% of the employees’ wages and 25% of their wages the second year for those employees working at least 400 hours.
Making Their Case for Employment
No, it won’t be easy to get hired.
But there is an opportunity for a job available to those who want it, and the tax credit for employers provides that chance.
Doing the things that it will take to get that job will be challenging, but what hasn’t been since leaving prison?
Felons need to be willing to do what is required to find a job.
There are a number of steps felons can take to help themselves in getting a job:
- Having their records expunged can wipe out their crime, making it easier to find a job
- Going through a re-entry program
- Getting further education and training to get the knowledge and skills they need to be hired
- Downloading the Guide to Getting Employed with stories of success and tips for presenting themselves in a favorable light
- Having a quality resume is essential in finding a job
Supporting a Felon Wanting to Get a Job Through a Tax Credit
For families of felons wanting to find a job, take the time to help your loved one in their efforts.
Support them in returning to society and finding a way to succeed and make a difference.
Encourage them to be honest as they seek work and take advantage of the hiring tax credit as a means of finding employment.
Businesses need quality employees. There is no reason why felons can’t be that quality employees.
The tax credit for hiring a felon available to employers will help make this a reality.
Be there for your loved one as they work to be one of those who don’t return to prison within two years.
What do you think about this blog post? Are you or someone you know been in the situation of trying to get hired by an employer for a tax credit? What was that like for them, and how did they achieve success? Please tell us in the comments below.
