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HR 1177
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Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to improve and enhance the work opportunity tax credit, to encourage longer-service employment, and to modernize the credit to make it more effective as a hiring incentive for targeted workers, and for other purposes.

Introduced Feb 10, 2025

Latest action (Feb 10, 2025) Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Policy area
Issues
Economy & Taxes

Summary

This bill expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), which allows employers to claim tax credits for hiring workers from targeted groups. It increases the base credit from 40 percent to 50 percent of the first $6,000 in wages, and adds a bonus: employers get an additional 50 percent credit on wages from $6,000 to $12,000 if an employee works at least 400 hours. The bill increases the wage thresholds and credit percentages for various targeted groups, including veterans (who can qualify for credits on up to $24,000-$48,000 in wages depending on veteran status) and long-term family assistance recipients. It removes the age 40 limit for supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) recipients, making older SNAP recipients eligible for the credit. The changes apply to employees who begin work after December 31, 2024.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to Lloyd Smucker’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

  • NULL $44,770
  • DIRECT WIRE AND CABLE $13,200
  • SELECT MEDICAL $11,600
  • LANCASTER SCHOOL OF COSMETOLOGY $11,100
  • SCENIC RIDGE $8,425

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Lloyd Smucker → · Outside spending →

Actions (2)

  1. Feb 10, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. · house
  2. Feb 10, 2025 Introduced in House

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

Text versions (1)

  • Introduced in House · Feb 10, 2025

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 10, 2025

Mr. Smucker (for himself, Mr. Horsford, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Suozzi, Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania, and Mr. Buchanan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

A BILL

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to improve and enhance the work opportunity tax credit, to encourage longer-service employment, and to modernize the credit to make it more effective as a hiring incentive for targeted workers, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act”.

SEC. 2. IMPROVING AND ENHANCING WORK OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDIT.

(a) In General.—Section 51(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended—

(1) by striking “shall be equal to 40 percent” and all that follows and inserting the following: “shall be equal to the sum of—

“(1) 50 percent of so much of the qualified first-year wages with respect to each individual for such year as does not exceed $6,000, plus

“(2) in the case of individuals who have performed at least 400 hours of service for the employer, 50 percent of so much of the qualified first-year wages with respect to each such individual for such year as exceeds $6,000, and does not exceed $12,000.”.

(b) Conforming Amendments Relating to Limitation on Wages Taken Into Account for Certain Veterans.—Section 51(b)(3) of such Code is amended to read as follows:

“(3) Increased limitation on wages taken into account for veterans.—The $6,000 and $12,000 amounts under paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a) shall be increased to—

“(A) $12,000 and $24,000, respectively, in the case of any individual who is a qualified veteran by reason of subsection (d)(3)(A)(ii)(I),

“(B) $14,000 and $28,000, respectively, in the case of any individual who is a qualified veteran by reason of subsection (d)(3)(A)(iv), and

“(C) $24,000 and $48,000, respectively, in the case of any individual who is a qualified veteran by reason of subsection (d)(3)(A)(ii)(II).”.

(c) Conforming Amendments Relating to Individuals Not Meeting Minimum Employment Periods.—

(1) Subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 51(i)(3) of such Code are each amended by striking “subsection (a)” and inserting “subsection (a)(1)”.

(2) Section 51(i)(3)(A) of such Code is amended by striking “40 percent” and inserting “50 percent”.

(d) Conforming Amendments Relating to Treatment of Summer Youth Employees.—Section 51(d)(7)(B) of such Code is amended—

(1) by striking clause (ii),

(2) by striking “, and” at the end of clause (i) and inserting a period,

(3) by redesignating clause (i) (as so amended) as clause

(iv), and

(4) by inserting before such clause (iv) (as so redesignated) the following new clauses:

“(i) in lieu of the amount determined under subsection (a), the amount of the work opportunity credit determined under this section for the taxable year shall be equal to 40 percent of the qualified first-year wages for such year,

“(ii) in the case of an individual described in subsection (i)(3)(A), clause (i) shall be applied by substituting ‘25 percent’ for ‘40 percent’,

“(iii) in the case of an individual described in subsection (i)(3)(B), no wages shall be taken into account under clause (i),

“(iv) the amount of qualified first-year wages which may be taken into account with respect to such individual shall not exceed $3,000 per year, and”.

(e) Conforming Amendments Relating to Long-Term Family Assistance Recipients.—

(1) In general.—Section 51(e)(1) of such Code is amended by striking “family assistance recipient—” and all that follows and inserting the following: “family assistance recipient, in lieu of subsection (a), the amount of the work opportunity credit determined under this section for the taxable year shall be equal to—

“(1) 40 percent of so much of the qualified first-year wages with respect to such individual for such year as does not exceed $10,000, and

“(2) 50 percent of so much of the qualified second-year wages with respect to such individual for such year as does not exceed $10,000.”.

(2) Clerical amendment.—The heading for section 51(e) of such Code is amended by striking “Credit for Second-year Wages” and inserting “Special Rules for Determining Credit”.

(f) Effective Date.—The amendments made by this section shall apply to individuals who begin work for the employer after December 31, 2024.

SEC. 3. REMOVAL OF AGE LIMIT FOR QUALIFIED SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM BENEFITS RECIPIENT.

(a) In General.—Section 51(d)(8)(A)(i) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking “but not age 40”.

(b) Effective Date.—The amendment made by this section shall apply to individuals who begin work for the employer after December 31, 2024. <all>

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