The Disabled Access Credit provides a non-refundable credit for small businesses that incur expenditures for the purpose of providing access to persons with disabilities. An eligible small business is one that that earned $1 million or less or had no more than 30 full time employees in the previous year. They may take the credit each and every year they incur access expenditures.
 
The Architectural Barrier Removal Tax Deduction encourages businesses of any size to remove architectural and transportation barriers to the mobility of persons with disabilities and the elderly. Businesses may claim a deduction of up to $15,000 a year for qualified expenses for items that normally must be capitalized. Businesses claim the deduction by listing it as a separate expense on their income tax return. Also, businesses may use the Disabled Tax Credit and the architectural/transportation tax deduction together in the same tax year, if the expenses meet the requirements of both sections. To use both, the deduction is equal to the difference between the total expenditures and the amount of the credit claimed.
 
The Work Opportunity Credit provides eligible employers with a tax credit up to 40 percent of the first $6,000 of first-year wages of a new employee if the employee is part of a “targeted group.” An employee with a disability is one of the targeted groups for the Work Opportunity Credit, provided the appropriate government agencies have certified the employee as disabled. The credit is available to the employer once the employee has worked for at least 120 hours or 90 days.   Employers can receive a maximum allowable credit of $1,500 per employee if the individual works between 120 and 400 hours a year. If the employee works more than 400 hours, an employer can receive a maximum allowable credit of $2,400 per employee. There is no limit to the number of qualified employees for which an employer can take the credit; however an employer can only receive a maximum credit of $6,000 per year.
 
Other targeted groups include qualified veterans, at-risk youth and ex-felons. For a complete list of these targeted groups, log on to www.floridajobs.org/wotc. To qualify for a WOTC, candidate must be assessed for eligibility by an employer prior to a job offer. Pre-screening IRS forms must be completed and submited before the start date.
 
Another tax credit available to Florida employers is the Welfare-to-Work tax credit. This is a two-year credit designed to assist long-term family assistance recipients in entering or re-entering the workforce. For the definition of a long-term family assistance recipient, log on to www.floridajobs.org/wotc. Employers who hire eligible candidates can receive a maximum first year credit of $3,500. For the second year of employment, an employer can receive a maximum credit of $5,000.
 
To apply for a WtW tax credit, employers must complete the IRS pre-screening forms as mentioned for the WOTC. Eligible candidates must be employed for a minimum of 400 hours before the WtW credit can be claimed.