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Employer Resource Navigator

Every hiring, training, and incentive resource for Hamilton County employers, organized by what you need.

Built from The county's hiring, training and incentive programs, with eligibility as each program publishes it

Eligibility is set by programs, not by us. The navigator tells you who to ask and what they require, and stops short of promising an outcome only the program can give.

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  • Section 45F Employer Child Care Tax Credit IRS Federal Tax Credits & Incentives Compare

    Federal tax credit covering 25% of childcare facility costs and 10% of childcare resource/referral costs for employers who provide childcare for their employees. Up to $150,000/year.

    Who qualifies: Any employer that incurs qualified childcare facility expenditures or qualified childcare resource and referral expenditures for their employees. What you get: 25% of qualified childcare facility costs + 10% of qualified resource/referral costs. Maximum $150,000/year total credit. Stackable with Indiana’s Emp… How to start: Claim on federal tax return using IRS Form 8882.

  • Indiana Employer Child Care Expenditure Credit DOR State Tax Credits & Incentives Compare

    Indiana state tax credit covering 50% of qualified expenditures (up to $100,000) for employers with 100 or fewer employees who establish new childcare facilities for their workers.

    Who qualifies: Indiana employers with 100 or fewer employees who establish a new Indiana-licensed childcare facility for employees’ children. Must not already be ope… What you get: 50% of qualified childcare facility expenditures, up to $100,000 per employer. Non-refundable. Statewide cap: $2.5M/year. How to start: Claim on Indiana state income tax return. Must obtain childcare license from FSSA.

  • Refundable Indiana tax credit for companies creating new jobs, up to 100% of projected payroll tax withholdings from new positions for up to 20 years. Indiana’s primary job creation incentive.

    Who qualifies: Companies creating new quality jobs in Indiana with competitive wages and benefits. Must demonstrate that the project would not occur in Indiana witho… What you get: Refundable tax credits calculated as a percentage of projected payroll tax withholdings from new jobs. Credits awarded over agreed-upon period (up to … How to start: Apply through IEDC. Requires formal proposal including job creation targets, wage commitments, and capital investment pl…

  • Indiana R&D Tax Credit DOR State Tax Credits & Incentives Compare

    State tax credit of 15% on the first $1 million in qualified research expenses plus 10% above $1 million for companies conducting R&D in Indiana.

    Who qualifies: Indiana businesses with qualified research expenses (QREs) in Indiana. Generally follows federal IRC Section 41 definitions. What you get: 15% of first $1M in qualified research expenses + 10% of QREs above $1M. Non-refundable, 10-year carryforward. How to start: Claim on Indiana corporate income tax return.

  • Hoosier Business Investment (HBI) Tax Credit IEDC State Tax Credits & Incentives Compare

    Indiana tax credit for businesses making capital investments that support job creation. Non-refundable credits certified over 2 years based on eligible investment amount.

    Who qualifies: Indiana businesses making qualified capital investments (equipment, building improvements, new facilities) that support job creation. What you get: Non-refundable income tax credits as a percentage of eligible capital investment, certified over 2 years. Amount negotiated with IEDC based on project… How to start: Apply directly to IEDC. Requires formal proposal with investment plan and job creation targets.

  • Headquarters Relocation Tax Credit (HQRTC) IEDC State Tax Credits & Incentives Compare

    Up to 50% of relocation costs for businesses moving corporate headquarters, division offices, or research centers to Indiana. Small HQRTC available for venture-backed companies.

    Who qualifies: Businesses relocating corporate HQ, division offices, or research centers to Indiana. Small HQRTC: companies with $4M+ venture capital. What you get: Up to 50% of relocation costs including capital investment. Small HQRTC: refundable, $5M statewide cap/year. How to start: Apply to IEDC with relocation proposal

  • Indiana Redevelopment Tax Credit (RTC) IEDC State Tax Credits & Incentives Compare

    Assignable state income tax credit for redevelopment of vacant or underutilized land and buildings. IEDC sets the credit percentage per project, up to a 30% statutory ceiling. IC 6-3.1-34.

    Who qualifies: Taxpayers making IEDC-approved qualified investments in the redevelopment or rehabilitation of a qualified redevelopment site (vacant or underutilized… What you get: Qualified investment × an IEDC-determined percentage, not to exceed 30%; an additional 5% may be awarded if the project is located in a federal Opport… How to start: Apply through the IEDC before making the investment (iedcportal.iedc.in.gov/rtc-program). IHC Business Services can help…

  • Model six employer childcare benefit strategies (DCFSA, backup care, stipends, reserved slots, Tri-Share, onsite) against your workforce profile. Returns net annual ROI per strategy with downloadable PDF. Built on IHC's proprietary multipliers + OBBBA 2026 §45F/§129 logic.

    Who qualifies: Free for any employer. Best fit: 25+ employees considering childcare benefit investment. What you get: Free. No credit card. How to start: Visit childcare-roi.onrender.com, subscribe with email + topic interests for full results.

  • Indiana Economic Development Corporation's full incentive catalog: EDGE, HBI, R&D, HQRTC, Skills Enhancement Fund, IndianaINvests grants, SEF training grants. Single front door for all state-level incentives. Application process is consultative, IEDC project managers guide qualifying employers through stacking + sequencing.

    Who qualifies: Indiana-based or relocating-to-Indiana businesses. Most credits require minimum capital investment (varies by program) + new full-time jobs at 150%+ s… What you get: Highly variable. Common stacks for Hamilton County employers: EDGE ($25K to $100K credit) + HBI ($50K to $200K) + SEF ($5K/employee) for medium-sized … How to start: Visit iedc.in.gov/programs-initiatives/business-incentives. Or work through IHC Business Services for warm IEDC introduc…

  • Guideline · Small Business 401(k) Plans Guideline, Inc. Private Tax Credits & Incentives Compare

    Guideline is a low-cost 401(k) administrator built for small employers. Plans start at $49/month base + $8/employee/month, no AUM fees, and integrate with major payroll providers (Gusto, ADP, Paychex, QuickBooks). Includes plan design, IRS/DOL compliance testing, Form 5500 filing, fiduciary services (3(38) investment fiduciary), and employee onboarding. Eligible employers can claim the SECURE 2.0 startup tax credit covering up to 100% of plan costs (up to $5,000/yr for 3 years) for employers with <50 employees.

    Who qualifies: U.S. employers with at least 1 W-2 employee. Best fit for <100 employees. Self-employed/solo plans also available. How to start: Get a quote at guideline.com. Set-up takes 2-4 weeks; payroll integration auto-handles deferrals. Tax credit captured by…

  • IRS Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center IRS Federal Tax Credits & Incentives Compare

    The IRS SB/SE Tax Center is the consolidated landing page for federal tax compliance and free tax-credit reference materials targeted at firms with assets under $10M. Includes employment tax guidance (Form 941, 940, W-2/W-3, 1099-NEC), retirement plans for small entities (SEP-IRA, SIMPLE IRA, Solo 401(k)), small business tax credits reference (R&D credit, WOTC, Disabled Access Credit, Pension Plan Startup Cost Credit / Form 8881, Small Employer Health Insurance Credit / Form 8941), and the IRS Small Business Tax Workshop video series. Free and authoritative for any HC employer's CPA or in-house bookkeeper.

    Who qualifies: All small businesses (assets <$10M) and self-employed individuals. No application required. How to start: Browse irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed. Subscribe to the IRS e-News for Small Businesses for weekly up…

11 of 100 programs shown, curated and reviewed quarterly by the Invest Hamilton County team. External links open the program's own site in a new tab. Spot something out of date? Tell us.

Built by Alex, the Hamilton County Data Hub, from BLS wage records, Census commuting and business patterns, O*NET skill profiles, and licensed Lightcast postings. Wages are set by employers. Ranges, never promises.

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