Income Tax Incentives
Workforce Recruitment Credit
An individual, estate, trust, partnership, corporation, or limited liability company is allowed an income tax credit for employing extraordinary recruitment methods to recruit and hire employees for hard-to-fill positions in North Dakota. The credit is equal to 5% of the compensation paid during the first 12 consecutive months to an employee hired to fill a hard-to-fill employment position, and is allowed in the first year following the year in which the employee completes the 12 consecutive month employment period. An unused credit may be carried forward up to four years. In the case of a passthrough entity, such as a partnership or S corporation, the credit is passed through to its owners in proportion to their ownership interests.
To be eligible for the credit, the employer must pay an annual salary that is at least 125% of North Dakota’s average wage and must have employed all of the following recruitment methods for at least six months to fill a position for which the credit is claimed: (1) Contracted with a professional recruiter for a fee; (2) Advertised in a professional trade journal, magazine, or other publication directed at a particular trade or profession; (3) Provided employment information on a web site for a fee; and (4) Paid a signing bonus, moving expenses, or atypical fringe benefits.
In addition, if an employer claims the credit, an employee hired in a hard-to-fill position is allowed a deduction for a signing bonus, moving expenses, or atypical fringe benefits paid by the employer.
