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Find hiring, training and incentive programs
Every hiring, training and incentive program open to Hamilton County employers, organized by what you need. Eligibility is set by each program.
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.
You are on Free. 2 of 11 tools in Resources and IHC services are open to you. See what the other 9 add.
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Innovative cost-sharing model where childcare costs are split three ways: employer, employee, and state/county. Reduces family childcare burden by 65%. Pilot opportunities available in Hamilton County.
Who qualifies: Any employer interested in subsidizing employee childcare costs. Model proven in Michigan (195 employers, 65% family cost reduction) and piloting in I… What you get: Employer pays ~1/3 of childcare costs. Employee pays ~1/3. State/county subsidy covers ~1/3. Typical employer cost: $200-$400/employee/month. How to start: Contact Invest Hamilton County to explore pilot participation
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Guidance on implementing employer-sponsored backup childcare, in-center, in-home, or personal network reimbursement. Typical cost: $1,000-$2,000/employee/year with 3-10x ROI from reduced absenteeism.
Who qualifies: Any employer. IHC provides free guidance on implementing backup care benefits. What you get: Typical employer investment: $1,000-$2,000/employee/year. ROI: 3-10x from reduced absenteeism, turnover, and recruitment costs. How to start: Contact Invest Hamilton County for free consultation
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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.
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Federal tax credit for employers that pay for employee childcare. For tax years starting in 2026: 40% of qualified childcare costs (50% for eligible small businesses) plus 10% of resource and referral costs, up to $500,000 a year ($600,000 for small businesses). Tax years 2025 and earlier: 25%, up to $150,000.
Who qualifies: Any employer that incurs qualified childcare facility expenditures or qualified childcare resource and referral expenditures for their employees. What you get: 2026 and later: 40% of qualified childcare costs (50% if average gross receipts over the prior 5 years are $32 million or less) + 10% of resource/referral costs; cap $500,000 ($600,000 small business). The caps and the small-business threshold are the 2026 amounts and are indexed for inflation for tax years beginning after 2026; use the IRS figure for your year. 2025 and earlier: 25% + 10%, cap $150,000. An Indiana credit (IC 6-3.1-39.5) also exists; the state bulletin does not say whether the same spending can count for both, so check with a tax professional. How to start: Claim with IRS Form 8882 on your federal return. Keep records of what you spent and when. Rules checked: 2026-09-24, for tax year 2026, against IRS, Employer-provided child care credit: tax year 2026 and later (page updated 2026-07-23) and tax year 2025 and earlier (updated 2026-06-11). Not tax advice.
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Indiana state tax credit for employers that spend on childcare for their workers. For tax years beginning in 2026, employers with 500 or fewer employees qualify (100 or fewer for 2024 and 2025). Qualifying spending now includes facility costs, operating costs, contracts with licensed Indiana facilities or an intermediary, and resource-and-referral services.
Who qualifies: Indiana employers with 500 or fewer employees (tax years beginning in 2026; 100 or fewer for 2024 and 2025) that incur qualified childcare expenditure… What you get: 50% of qualified childcare spending, up to $100,000 per employer per year. Statewide pool of $2.5 million per state fiscal year, awarded in the order returns are filed. Not refundable; unused credit carries forward 3 years; cannot be assigned. How to start: Claim on your Indiana income tax return (credit code 876). Keep records of the qualifying spend; contracts must be with … Rules checked: 2026-09-24, for tax year 2026, against Indiana DOR Income Tax Information Bulletin #126 (April 2026); IC 6-3.1-39.5 as amended by SEA 1177 (2026). Not tax advice.
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Tax-advantaged benefit allowing employees to set aside up to $7,500/year (2026) pre-tax for childcare expenses. Saves employers 7.65% in FICA taxes on every dollar contributed.
Who qualifies: Any employer offering a cafeteria plan (Section 125). Employees with children under 13 or dependent adults requiring care. What you get: Employees save 22-35% on childcare costs (tax bracket dependent). Employers save 7.65% FICA on all DCFSA contributions. 2026 limit: $7,500/year (up fr… How to start: Implement through your payroll/benefits administrator. No government approval needed, employer establishes the plan.
6 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.
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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.