Federal grant funding to support registered apprenticeship expansion, employer partnerships, and new apprenticeship pathways. Earn-and-learn model with DOL-registered credentials.

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.

Assignable state income tax credit for redevelopment of vacant or underutilized land and buildings. IEDC sets the credit percentage per project, up to a 30% statutory ceiling. IC 6-3.1-34.

Compliance guidance for businesses with 50+ full-time equivalent employees. The Affordable Care Act requires applicable large employers to offer minimum essential coverage or face penalties.

Compliance guidance for employers with 50+ employees within 75 miles. The Family and Medical Leave Act requires 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for qualifying reasons.

Free and low-cost workplace safety training, consultation, and compliance assistance. Indiana operates a State Plan through IOSHA with free on-site consultation for small businesses.

Hamilton County's CoStar alternative — built from free public sources. 6,433 commercial + industrial parcels with assessed values, ownership, TIF districts, vacancy, and small-business CRA lending data. Free for site-selection, real-estate diligence, expansion planning.

Federal portal for sponsoring a Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). Up to 12-month structured program with paid OJT + classroom instruction + portable industry-recognized credential. Tax-deductible employer wages, federal credits available, USDOL technical assistance included.

Federal Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program reserves 3% of all federal contract dollars for qualifying small businesses. Hamilton County has multiple qualifying tracts. Once certified, you compete for set-aside contracts + receive 10% pricing preference in full-and-open competitions.

Indiana's hospital trade association serves 164 hospitals and 23 health systems statewide, including community mental health centers. Membership delivers advocacy, workforce data, the IHA Endorsed Business Partner Program (vetted workforce/revenue cycle/operations vendors like Medical Solutions for healthcare staffing), patient safety initiatives, and a member portal with employment-opportunity listings. Membership dues are tiered by hospital size; partner programs are free for members to use as procurement shortcuts.

Indiana is the 34th state to join the Nurse Licensure Compact. RNs and LPNs holding a multistate license from any of the 33+ partner states can practice in Indiana (in person or via telehealth) without obtaining an Indiana-specific license, and Indiana-licensed nurses can practice in other compact states. Removes a significant licensure barrier for healthcare employers recruiting clinical nurses across state lines, particularly relevant for Hamilton County's proximity to Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, and Michigan markets.

Free training programs available to Indiana employers including healthcare and social-services nonprofits: Youth Mental Health First Aid (for staff working with adolescents 12-18), QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention, Mental Illness 101 overview, and lived-experience presentations (Ending the Silence, In Our Own Voice, Law Enforcement Storytelling). NAMI Indiana staff can deliver trainings directly to organizations on request.

IDOI is the state regulator overseeing insurance producer and agency licensing in Indiana. Free agency-facing resources include the Licensing FAQ, license reporting requirements for producer/agent/agency/adjuster, license reinstatement and transfer guidance, the Find an Agent/Agency/Company database (useful for verifying competitor agencies and recruiting licensed staff), CE Advisory Council guidance for compliance with continuing-education requirements, and Veteran Test Fee Reimbursements for veterans entering the industry. All resources free to any Indiana-licensed insurance employer.

Free interactive online tool from the U.S. Department of Labor that walks small employers through which major federal employment laws apply to their business based on industry, employee count, and other factors. Three companion advisors: the main FirstStep (which laws apply), the FirstStep Recordkeeping/Reporting/Notices Advisor (what to document), and the FirstStep Poster Advisor (which workplace posters are required, with downloadable PDFs). No information entered is recorded. Ideal for HC small firms (<50 employees) without a dedicated HR/legal function.

CCL is one of the world's top-ranked leadership-development providers. The Leading Effectively article library is free and open: hundreds of research-backed articles, downloadable guides, white papers, the Lead with That podcast, and free webinar series. Designed for managers and emerging leaders at any size organization. CCL's paid programs (coaching, 360 assessments, leadership academies) start in the thousands of dollars per participant; the free library is an excellent low-budget alternative for HC small firms wanting research-grounded content for internal lunch-and-learns or 1:1 manager coaching.

Guideline is a low-cost 401(k) administrator built for small employers. Plans start at $49/month base + $8/employee/month, no AUM fees, and integrate with major payroll providers (Gusto, ADP, Paychex, QuickBooks). Includes plan design, IRS/DOL compliance testing, Form 5500 filing, fiduciary services (3(38) investment fiduciary), and employee onboarding. Eligible employers can claim the SECURE 2.0 startup tax credit covering up to 100% of plan costs (up to $5,000/yr for 3 years) for employers with <50 employees.

The IRS SB/SE Tax Center is the consolidated landing page for federal tax compliance and free tax-credit reference materials targeted at firms with assets under $10M. Includes employment tax guidance (Form 941, 940, W-2/W-3, 1099-NEC), retirement plans for small entities (SEP-IRA, SIMPLE IRA, Solo 401(k)), small business tax credits reference (R&D credit, WOTC, Disabled Access Credit, Pension Plan Startup Cost Credit / Form 8881, Small Employer Health Insurance Credit / Form 8941), and the IRS Small Business Tax Workshop video series. Free and authoritative for any HC employer's CPA or in-house bookkeeper.

SHRM is the largest HR professional association in the world. SHRM members access an extensive library of free toolkits (sample policies, I-9 audit checklist, job analysis toolkit, performance review templates, employee handbook templates), the Ask an HR Advisor service (unlimited phone/email questions answered by a certified HR consultant), the Vendor Directory for HR tech selection, and the SHRM Foundation's free workforce-development research. Professional membership ~$264/yr; one membership covers an HR practitioner who can serve a small firm with no dedicated HR staff.

Coursera Career Academy aggregates 60+ entry-level professional certificates from employer-recognized providers (Google, IBM, Intuit, Microsoft, Meta, Salesforce). Thousands of individual courses are free to audit (no certificate). Full Career Certificates run $49/month via Coursera Plus subscription; most certificates take 3-6 months to complete part-time. For HC professional-services and finance employers, the most relevant certificates include Google Project Management, Google Data Analytics, IBM Data Analyst, Intuit Bookkeeping, Google Cybersecurity, Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce, and Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst. Coursera for Business offers team licenses; Coursera also partners with WIOA workforce boards (including Indiana DWD) for tuition-free access in some cases.

Hospitality Indiana — the rebranded Indiana Restaurant & Lodging Association — is the state trade association for hotels, restaurants, and food/beverage employers. Membership unlocks discounted ServSafe Food Manager and Food Handler certification (in-person classes are offered throughout Indiana including the Indianapolis MSA), Indiana ProStart workforce pipeline access for high schools, ServSafe Workplace harassment-prevention training, RestaurantOwner.com discount, telemedicine for staff, and a member directory. Membership pricing is set on a contact basis; ServSafe Manager retail certification typically runs $125-$179 per attendee with member discounts.

ServSafe is the National Restaurant Association's nationally recognized food safety certification — the de facto standard most Indiana health departments accept for the required Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) on premises at every food establishment. Online Food Handler course is roughly $15 per employee; Manager certification (online or instructor-led, with proctored exam) runs $125-$179. Required compliance for any HC food employer per Indiana 410 IAC 7-24.

Free, confidential workplace safety and health consultation for small and mid-size employers (under 250 workers, or under 500 corporate-wide). A consultant from Indiana INSafe (the state's OSHA 21(d) partner inside the Indiana Department of Labor) walks the workplace, identifies hazards, recommends fixes, and helps build a written safety program — all at no cost and separate from OSHA enforcement. Findings are not shared with OSHA inspectors. Particularly valuable for restaurants, hotels with kitchens, fitness studios, salons, and small construction firms with chemical/slip/equipment exposures.

Free FLSA compliance toolkit specifically built for restaurants and small employers with tipped staff. Includes plain-English fact sheets (Fact Sheet #2 Restaurants, Fact Sheet #15 Tipped Employees, Fact Sheet #15A Dual Jobs/80-20 rule), required-poster downloads, the elaws FLSA Advisor, free phone consultations through the Indianapolis WHD District Office, and on-request employer compliance seminars. Helps small employers calculate proper tip credit, overtime on the regular rate, recordkeeping, and posting requirements without paying for outside HR counsel.

Free Indiana Department of Revenue resources for small employers managing sales tax, withholding, food & beverage tax (Hamilton County imposes 1% F&B on top of 7% sales tax), and county innkeeper's tax (5% in HC). Includes the New & Small Business Center education portal, the Business Owner's Guide PDF, free INTIME e-filing portal training, the Business Education Outreach Program (free webinars and in-person workshops), and a Business FAQ knowledge base. All Indiana businesses are required to file electronically and submit zero-dollar returns even with no activity — DOR resources help employers stay current and avoid the 20% late penalty.

American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute's six-track entry-level certification program for front-line hotel staff: Front Desk Representative, Guest Room Attendant, Maintenance Employee, Restaurant Server, Kitchen Cook, and Public Area Cleaner. Used by Hamilton County's existing Hospitality Training Program (run with Janus Developmental Services). Each track is a self-paced workbook + online exam ending in an AHLA-endorsed industry credential. Cost is roughly $50-$95 per learner depending on track and bulk discount. Helps small hotels and B&Bs in HC standardize onboarding without building training from scratch.

Restaurant-specific workforce management platform (scheduling, time clock, team chat, tip pooling, labor budgeting, hiring) used by 50,000+ restaurants. Free 'Comp' tier supports unlimited shifts at one location for up to 15 employees with scheduling, availability, time-off requests, and one-way announcements — fits the median HC independent restaurant. Paid tiers ($39.99 / $79.99 / $134.99 per location/month) add time clock, tip pooling, labor compliance alerts, payroll integration, and engagement scoring. Built for the restaurant tip-credit edge cases DIY scheduling tools miss.

All-in-one team management platform purpose-built for small hourly employers (restaurants, retail, salons, fitness studios). Free forever for one location with unlimited employees: scheduling, time clock with web/mobile/POS punch-in, team messaging, labor cost tracking, and hiring (free job posts to Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Craigslist). Paid tiers add multi-location, advanced time tracking, HR & compliance pack with HR Pro on-call advisor, payroll integration, and labor-law-compliant scheduling alerts. Used by ~100,000+ U.S. small businesses.