Automate WOTC Tax Credit Screening and Form 8850 E-Signatures in Greenhouse

The WOTC.com integration for Greenhouse embeds IRS Form 8850 screening into the candidate-to-onboard workflow so every new hire can be evaluated automatically for federal and state hiring tax credits. When enabled, the integration sends a secure screening email as soon as a candidate is marked "hired" in Greenhouse, captures an e-signed Form 8850, and returns status updates directly to the candidate profile. This article explains how the integration works, who should enable it, the measurable benefits it delivers (time saved, tax credits captured, and compliance assurance), and practical steps to implement and maximize value. It includes workflow diagrams, common questions, implementation tips, and an ROI comparison against manual screening.

Key features at a glance

• Automated Form 8850 delivery Form 8850 is emailed to new hires automatically when Greenhouse shows the candidate as "hired," eliminating manual distribution.
• E-sign compliance Built-in e-signature meets state workforce agency requirements so submissions are accepted for credit processing.
• Federal and state screening Screens for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and cross-checks other state employment tax incentives where available.
• Real-time status sync Daily status updates are written back to the candidate profile in Greenhouse so HR and payroll see progress without extra manual tracking.
• Value prequalification Prequalification logic provides an estimated credit value range for each eligible hire to help prioritize follow-up and documentation.

The integration creates a simple, auditable path from hire event to credit claim. When a candidate is set to hired in Greenhouse, the integration triggers an email with the screening form and e-sign instructions; the candidate completes the form, the response is validated and stored, and WOTC.com processes the file for federal and state screening. Behind the scenes the system applies eligibility rules for federal WOTC target groups and runs an additional filter for available state incentives, then reports statuses (prequalified, submitted, approved, denied) back to Greenhouse daily.

Typical integration workflow

Who should enable the integration

• Companies with frequent hires Organizations that hire regularly (high-volume retail, hospitality, staffing firms) capture credits at scale and reduce admin overhead.
• Payroll and tax teams Teams responsible for tax credits and compliance gain reliable documentation and audit trails.
• Mid-size to enterprise HR teams Businesses across sizes (from 100 to 10,000+ employees) can capture state and federal incentives without adding headcount.
• Companies that pursue tax credits systematically Organizations that track ROI from hiring incentives will benefit from automated prequalification and reporting.

Eligibility centers on federal WOTC target groups, which can yield credits generally ranging between $2,400 and $9,600 per eligible hire depending on the target group and hours worked. The integration also identifies additional state-level credits where applicable; these amounts and qualification rules vary by state and are assessed during the screening process. Because credit amounts depend on specific circumstances—hire date, hours worked, target group, state rules—WOTC.com provides an estimated credit value during prequalification, and final amounts are determined after submission and agency approval.

Example credit ranges by federal target group (illustrative)

E-signature functionality is built specifically to meet state workforce agency requirements for WOTC submissions. When a new hire completes the screening with e-sign, they authorize WOTC.com to retain and submit necessary data; this reduces the risk of rejected claims due to improper signature capture and simplifies audit responses. Employers should maintain copies of signed forms and system logs; the integration centralizes storage so documentation is accessible from the Greenhouse profile and WOTC.com dashboard.

Implementation and setup tips

• Enable trigger on 'hired' status Configure the Greenhouse trigger to send the screening email immediately when a candidate's status becomes 'hired' to capture timely responses.
• Customize email templates Edit the screening email language for clarity and include straightforward instructions for completing the form and e-signing.
• Map required fields Ensure candidate data fields in Greenhouse are mapped correctly to WOTC.com to prevent data mismatches during submission.
• Train HR users Provide brief guidance for recruiters and HR staff on where to view status updates and how to escalate issues to WOTC.com support.

Common questions

Reporting and tracking become operationally simple with the integration: HR personnel see a status flag on each hired candidate, payroll gets a list of approved credits, and tax teams can export records for reconciliation. The daily sync reduces manual reconciliation work and lowers the chance that eligible hires are missed due to timing gaps or paperwork delays. Integrations like this also produce an audit trail—the timestamped form submission, e-sign evidence, and agency acknowledgments are retained to support claims in case of an audit.

Best practices to maximize captured credits

• Trigger screening at hire Don't delay screening—send the form as soon as the hire event occurs to capture timely responses and signatures.
• Educate new hires Include a short explanation in onboarding materials describing why they should complete the form promptly.
• Monitor daily Assign a team member to review daily status updates in Greenhouse and follow up on incomplete submissions within 48–72 hours.
• Integrate payroll Pass approved credit data to payroll systems to ensure credits are captured in the correct tax period.

From a cost perspective, the integration minimizes administrative expense and the risk of missed claims. Many organizations recover integration costs quickly because single approvals can deliver credit values in the low thousands. Per the vendor details, there is typically no partner implementation fee—so the primary costs are internal time and any optional premium services for more advanced reporting. The calculation is straightforward: compare the incremental admin cost of manual screening vs. time saved and multiply by the average credit per eligible hire to estimate annual ROI.

Manual process vs WOTC.com + Greenhouse integration

Troubleshooting & support

Adopting the WOTC.com integration for Greenhouse is a practical step that reduces manual effort, improves compliance, and helps secure federal and state hiring credits that otherwise may be missed. The combination of automated screening, e-signature validation, daily status sync, and centralized reporting is designed to make tax-credit capture routine rather than exceptional. For teams already using Greenhouse, enabling the integration is a low-friction, high-impact way to improve accuracy in credit capture and reduce administrative burden across HR, payroll, and tax functions.