In 2020 the state of California issued 127,188 Work Opportunity Tax Credit certifications.
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit, known as WOTC, is a federal tax credit available to employers who hire individuals from target groups, that include qualified Veterans, individuals on food stamps and more.
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is available throughout the United States, and in 2020 it was worth approximately $3.8 Billion dollars to employers. 1,620,806 total Work Opportunity Tax Credits were issued in the United States in 2020. WOTC was renewed for five years in 2020, and is active through 12/31/2025.
Overall, California issued 7.85% of WOTC Tax Credits in 2020.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit Statistics for California 2020:
California received the third most overall WOTC Requests in 2020 at 526,262, and also came first in the number of certifications for the IV-A (TANF) both long and short term categories, Veteran unemp. 6 Mo., and Long Term Unemployment categories.
| WOTC Target Group | Total Credits | Percentage |
| SNAP (FS) | 68,610 | 53.94% |
| Long term IV-A (TANF) | 13,434 | 10.56% |
| Long Term Unemployment | 10,974 | 0.00% |
| IV-A (TANF) | 10,132 | 7.97% |
| Veteran unemp. 6 Mo. | 8,133 | 6.39% |
| SSI Recipient | 5,624 | 4.42% |
| Veteran unemp. 4 Wk | 4,156 | 3.27% |
| Ex-felon | 3,737 | 2.94% |
| Vocational Rehabilitation | 1,649 | 1.30% |
| Veteran Receiving SNAP | 629 | 0.49% |
| Disabled Veteran unemp. 6 Mo. | 85 | 0.07% |
| Disabled Veteran | 17 | 0.01% |
| Designated Community Resident | 7 | 0.01% |
| Summer Youth | 1 | 0.00% |
| Ticket Holder | 0 | 0.00% |
More about the Work Opportunity Tax Credit’s target groups.
California WOTC Tax Credit Certification 2015 – 2020:
| WOTC Certifications | Current Pending* | Denials | Total Requests | |
| 2020 | 127,188 | 143,547 | 255,527 | 526,262 |
| 2019 | 158,793 | 174,894 | 263,235 | 596,922 |
| 2018 | 158,209 | 199,179 | 259,810 | 617,198 |
| 2017 | 155,869 | 193,424 | 198,953 | 548,246 |
| 2016 | 134,635 | 149,064 | 203,905 | 487,604 |
| 2015 | 171,526 | 59,225 | 149,121 | 379,872 |
| 2014 | 167,614 | 58,267 | 147,353 | 373,234 |
*Pending at time of publishing (February 2021).
About Our WOTC Screening Services
- Why you should use CMS’s WOTC Tax Screening Service rather than doing it yourself.
- Get an idea of how much you could be saving by utilizing the Work Opportunity Tax Credit for your company, try our WOTC Calculator.
- Are you a CPA or tax service provider? Find out how you can become a strategic Business Partner.
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