Individual Characteristics Form

U.S. Department Labor

Employment and Training Administration

OMB No. 1205-0371

Expiration Date: August 31, 2018

Individual Characteristics Form (ICF)

Work Opportunity Tax Credit

Control No. (For Agency use only)	APPLICANT INFORMATION (See instructions on reverse)		Date Received (For Agency Use only)
EMPLOYER INFORMATION
3. Employer Name	4. Employer Address and Telephone		5. Employer Federal ID Number (EIN)
APPLICANT INFORMATION
6. Applicant Name (Last, First, MI)	7. Social Security Number		8. Have you worked for this employer before? Yes ____ No ____ If YES, enter last date of employment: ____________
APPLICANT CHARACTERISTICS FOR WOTC TARGET GROUP CERTIFICATION
9. Employment Start Date	10. Starting Wage		11. Position
12. Are you at least age 16, but under age 40? Yes ___ No ___ If YES, enter your date of birth _____________________
13. Are you a Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces? Yes ___ No ___ If NO, go to Box 14. If YES, are you a member of a family that received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (Food Stamps) for at least 3 months during the 15 months before you were hired? Yes ___ No ___ If YES, enter name of primary recipient _______________________ and city and state where benefits were received _________________. OR, are you a veteran entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability? Yes ___ No ___ If YES, were you discharged or released from active duty within a year before you were hired? Yes ___ No ___ OR, were you unemployed for a combined period of at least 6 months (whether or not consecutive) during the year before you were hired? Yes ___ No ___
14. Are you a member of a family that received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly Food Stamps) benefits for the 6 months before you were hired? Yes ___ No___ OR, received SNAP benefits for at least a 3-month period within the last 5 months But you are no longer receiving them? Yes ___ No___ If YES to either question, enter name of primary recipient _____________________ and city And state where benefits were received _____________________.
15. Were you referred to an employer by a Vocational Rehabilitation Agency approved by a State? Yes ___ No___ OR, by an Employment Network under the Ticket to Work Program? Yes ___ No___ OR, by the Department of Veterans Affairs? Yes ___ No___
16. Are you a member of a family that received TANF assistance for at least the last 18 months before you were hired? Yes___ No___ OR, are you a member of a family that received TANF benefits for any 18 months beginning after August 5, 1997, and the earliest 18-month period beginning after August 5, 1997, ended within 2 years before you were hired? Yes___ No___ OR, did your family stop being eligible for TANF assistance within 2 years before you were hired because a Federal or state law limited the maximum time those payments could be made? Yes___No___ If NO, are you a member of a family that received TANF assistance for any 9 months during the 18-month period before you were hired? Yes___No___ If YES, to any question, enter name of primary recipient ________________________ and the city and state where benefits were received _________________________.
17. Were you convicted of a felony or released from prison after a felony conviction during the year before you were hired? Yes___No___ If YES, enter date of conviction ________________ and date of release _________________. Was this a Federal ____ or a State conviction_____? (Check one)
18. Do you live in an Empowerment Zone or Rural Renewal County (RRC)? Yes__ No __
19. Do you live in an Empowerment Zone and are at least age 16, but not yet 18, on Yes __ No __ your hiring date?
20. Did you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for any month ending within days before you were hired? Yes__ No__
21. Are you a veteran unemployed for a combined period of at least 6 months (whether or not consecutive) during the year before you were hired? Yes__ No__
22. Are you a veteran unemployed for a combined period of at least 4 weeks but less than 6 months (whether or not consecutive) during the year before you were hired? Yes__ No__
23. Are you an individual who is or was in a period of unemployment that is at least 27 consecutive weeks the day before you began to work for the employer, or if earlier, the day you completed IRS Form 8850, the Prescreening Form? Yes__ No__ If YES, did you receive unemployment compensation/benefits under State or Federal law during a period of unemployment? Yes__ No__
24. Sources used to document eligibility: (Employers/Consultants: List all documentation provided or forthcoming. For SWA Staff: List all documentation used in determining target group eligibility and enter your initials and date when the determination was made.
I certify that this information is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I understand that the information above may be subject to verification.
25(a). Signature: (See instructions in Box 25.(b) for who signs this signature block)		25.(b) Indicate with a  mark who signed this form:  Employer,  Consultant,  SWA,  Participating Agency,  Applicant, or  Parent/Guardian (if applicant is a minor)		26. Date:

ETA Form 9061 (Rev. April 2016)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS FORM (ICF), ETA 9061. This form is used together with IRS Form 8850 to help state workforce agencies (SWAs) determine eligibility for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Program. The form may be completed, on behalf of the applicant, by: 1) the employer or employer representative, the SWA, a participating agency, or 2) the applicant directly (if a minor, the parent or guardian must sign the form) and signed (Box 25a.) by the individual completing the form. This form is required to be used, without modification, by all employers (or their representatives) seeking WOTC certification. Simply complete, sign, and submit this form together with IRS Form 8850 to the SWA. For new hires that begin to work for an employer on or after January 1, 2015, and on or before May 31, 2016, this form can be completed, signed, and submitted together with IRS Form 8850 to the SWA by June 29, 2016. For new hires with an employment start date on or after June 1, 2016, employers must meet the 28-day timely filing requirement. The WOTC Employer Certification will be sent to you, if all statutory target group eligibility and timely filing requirements have been met.

Boxes 1 and 2. SWA. For agency use only.

Boxes 3-5. Employer Information. Enter the name, address including ZIP code, telephone number, and employer Federal ID number (EIN) of the employer requesting the certification for the WOTC. Do not enter information pertaining to the employer’s representative, if any.

Boxes 6-11. Applicant Information. Enter the applicant’s name and social security number as they appear on the applicant’s social security card. In Box 8, indicate whether the applicant previously worked for the employer, and if Yes, enter the last date or approximate last date of employment. This information will help the “48-hour” reviewer to, early in the verification process, eliminate requests for former employees and to issue denials to these type of requests, or certifications in the case of “qualifying rehires” during valid “breaks in employment” (see pages III-12 and III-13, Nov. 2002, Third Ed., ETA Handbook 408) during the first year of employment.

Boxes 12-23. Applicant Characteristics. Read questions carefully, answer each question, and provide additional information where requested.

The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 retroactively reauthorized current target groups for a 5-year period, January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2019, and extended the Empowerment Zones designations for a two-year period, January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2016. The Act introduced a new target group, Qualified Long-term Unemployment Recipient (LTUR), for new hires that begin to work for an employer on or after January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2019, see Box 23. For guidance see IRS Relief Period in TEGL No. XXX-XX and IRS Notice 2016-22.

Box 24 Sources to Document Eligibility. The applicant or employer is requested to provide documentary evidence to substantiate the YES answers in Boxes 12 - 23. List or describe the documentary evidence that is attached to the ICF or that will be provided to the SWA. Indicate in parentheses next to each document listed whether it is attached (A) or forthcoming (F). Some examples of acceptable documentation are provided below. A letter from the agency that administers a program may be furnished specifically addressing the question to which the applicant answered YES. For example, if an applicant answers YES to either question in Box 14 and enters the name of the primary recipient and the city and state in which the benefits were received, the applicant could provide a letter from the appropriate SNAP (formerly Food Stamp) agency stating to whom SNAP benefits were paid, the months for which they were paid, and the names of the individuals included on the grant for each month. SWAs use this box to list the sources used to verify target group eligibility, followed with their initials and the date the determination was completed.

D escription of Examples of Documentary Evidence and Collateral Contacts. Employers/Consultants: You may check with your SWA to find out what other sources you can use to prove target group eligibility. (You are encouraged to provide copies of documentation or names of collateral contacts for each question for which you answered YES.)

QUESTION 12

• Birth Certificate or Copy of Hospital Record

• Driver’s License

• School I.D. Card¹

• Work Permit¹

• Federal/State/Local Gov’t I.D.¹

QUESTION 13

• DD-214 or Discharge Papers

• Reserve Unit Contacts

• Letter of Separation or other agency documents issued only by the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) on DVA Letterhead certifying the Veteran has a service-connected disability and signed by the individual who verified this information.

QUESTIONS 14 & 16

• TANF/SNAP (Food Stamp) Benefit History or Case Number Identifier

• Signed statement from Authorized Individual with a specific description of the months benefits that were received

QUESTION 15

• Vocational Rehabilitation Agency Contact

• Veterans Administration for Disabled Veterans

• Signed letter of separation or related document from authorized Individual on DVA letter head or agency stamp with specific description of months benefits were received.

• For SWAs: To determine Ticket Holder (TH) eligibility, Fax page 1 of Form 8850 to MAXIMUS at: 703-683-1051 to verify

if applicant: 1) is a TH, and 2) has an Individual Work Plan from an Employment Network.

Page 2 ETA Form 9061 (Rev. April 2016)

QUESTION 17

• Parole Officer’s Name or Statement

• Correction Institution Records

• Court Records Extracts

QUESTION 18 & 19

• To determine if a Designated Community Resident lives in a RRC, visit the site: www.usps.com. Click on Find Zip

Code; Enter & Submit Address/Zip Code; Click on Mailing Industry Information; Download and Print the

Information, then compare the county of the address to the list in the January 2012 Instructions to IRS 8850.

• To determine if the DCR or a Summer Youth lives in an Empowerment Zone, check the most current instructions to IRS Form 8850, or visit the US. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s “locator” at: http://egis.hud.gov/ezrclocator.

QUESTION 20

• SSI Record or Authorization

• SSI Contact

• Evidence of SSI Benefits

QUESTIONS 21, 22

• Unemployment Insurance (UI) Claims Records

• UI Wage Records

QUESTION 23

• UI Wage Records

• UI Claims Records

• Self-Attestation Form

QUESTION 24

• Employers/Representatives: List All sources used and provided to the SWA to document target group eligibility. SWA Staff: List all documentation used to determine/verify eligibility in the target group requested by the employer/rep., to reach the final determination.

__________________________

Notes:

1. Where a Federal/State/Local Gov’t., School I.D. Card, or Work Permit does not contain age or birth date, another valid document must be obtained to

verify an individual’s age.

2. ESPL No. 05-98, dated 3/18/98, officially rescinded the authority to use Form I-9 as proof of age and residence. Therefore, the I-9 is no longer a

valid piece of documentary evidence.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Box 25.(a) Signature. The person who completes the form signs the signature block.

Box 25(b) Signature Options. (a) Employer or Authorized Representative, (b) SWA staff, (c) Participating Agency staff, or (d) Applicant (If applicant is a minor, the parent or guardian must sign).

Box 26. Date. Enter the month, day and year when the form was completed.

Persons are not required to respond to this collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. Respondent’s obligation to reply to these

questions is required to obtain and retain benefits per law 104-188. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 minutes per

response including the time for reading instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the

information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing burden to the U.S.

Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division of National Programs, Tools, and Technical Assistance, 200 Constitution Ave., NW,

Room C-4510, Washington, D.C. 20210 (Paperwork Reduction Project Control No. 1205-0371).

Page 3 ETA Form 9061 (Rev. April 2016)

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...... (Cut along dotted line and keep in your files)

TO: THE JOB APPLICANT OR EMPLOYEE,

Privacy Act Statement:  The Internal Revenue Code of 1986, Section 51, as amended and its enacting legislation, P.L. 104-188, specify that the State Workforce Agencies are the "designated" agencies responsible for administering the WOTC certification procedures of this program. The information you have provided completing this form will be disclosed by your employer to the State Workforce Agency.  Provision of this information is voluntary. However, the information is required for your employer to receive the federal tax credit.  IF THE INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE IS ABOUT A MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY, YOU SHOULD PROVIDE HIM/HER A COPY OF THIS NOTICE.

Page 4 ETA Form 9061 (Rev. April 2016)

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