Add the jobs you hire for and every tool in this journey computes on them: your wages, your competition, your talent shed.
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.
Show me resources for
-
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.
Who qualifies: Applicable Large Employers (ALEs): 50+ full-time equivalent employees in prior year. Penalty: $2,880/employee (2026) for not offering coverage. How to start: Consult with benefits broker or HR advisor. IRS resources at healthcare.gov/employers.
-
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.
Who qualifies: Covered employers: 50+ employees within 75 miles. Eligible employees: 12+ months employed, 1,250+ hours worked. How to start: DOL compliance assistance: 1-866-487-9243. Free employer guides at dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla.
-
CMS Medicare Telehealth · Permanent Behavioral Health Distant-Site Authority CMS Federal Compliance & HR Compare
Free reference + reimbursement framework. CMS's 2026 final rule made permanent the ability for physicians, NPs, PAs, clinical psychologists, LCSWs, MFTs, mental health counselors, FQHCs, and RHCs to serve as Medicare distant-site providers for behavioral/mental health telehealth from any location, including the practitioner's home. Audio-only is permanently permitted for behavioral health. The required in-person visit (initial + annual) is suspended through December 31, 2027.
Who qualifies: Behavioral health clinicians and clinics enrolled in Medicare. Hamilton County mental health practices, FQHCs (HealthNet, Aspire, etc.), and hospital … How to start: Free policy reference. Verify provider enrollment at cms.gov.
-
Indiana Department of Insurance · Producer & Agency Licensing Indiana Department of Insurance State Compliance & HR Compare
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.
Who qualifies: Indiana-licensed insurance agencies, producers, and adjusters. No fee for use of compliance/licensing reference materials beyond standard licensing fe… How to start: Visit in.gov/idoi/licensing for forms, FAQs, and license-status lookups. Call 1-800-457-8283 for licensing questions.
-
AICPA Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS) · Free Toolkits for Small Firms AICPA & CIMA Private Compliance & HR Compare
The Private Companies Practice Section is AICPA's resource hub for small and mid-size CPA firms. Free downloads include the PCPS Burnout Prevention Toolkit, the AICPA Small Firm Generative AI Policy Template, Small Firms Solutions practice-management articles, the 'Transforming: Tales of Business Evolution' podcast, and access to PCPS Networking Groups (peer cohorts of similarly-sized firms). PCPS membership ($35/yr per CPA on top of AICPA membership) unlocks deeper member-only toolkits including HR policy templates, succession planning tools, and the firm-of-the-future content library.
Who qualifies: CPA firms of any size. Free resources require no membership; PCPS subscription requires AICPA membership. How to start: Browse aicpa-cima.com/topic/firm-practice-management for free resources. Add PCPS through AICPA member portal for full t…
-
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.
Who qualifies: Any U.S. employer including private sector, nonprofits, and government agencies. No size or industry restriction; particularly useful for small employ… How to start: Visit webapps.dol.gov/elaws/firststep/ and answer the guided questions. Print or save the customized compliance summary …
-
Center for Creative Leadership · Free Leading Effectively Library CCL Private Compliance & HR Compare
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.
Who qualifies: Open to all. No registration required for most articles; email signup unlocks downloadable guides and webinar registration. How to start: Browse ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/ or subscribe at ccl.org/subscribe/ for ongoing research-based cont…
-
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.
Who qualifies: Open to any HR professional, business owner, or manager. Most toolkits and the Ask an HR Advisor service require professional membership; SHRM Foundat… How to start: Join at shrm.org/membership for full access. Browse free SHRM Foundation research at shrm.org/foundation without members…
-
OSHA On-Site Consultation (Section 21(d)) · Indiana INSafe USDOL/INSafe Federal Compliance & HR Compare
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.
Who qualifies: Indiana private-sector employers with 250 or fewer employees at the site (and no more than 500 corporate-wide). Priority given to high-hazard industri… How to start: Request a visit through osha.gov/consultation 'Book a No-Cost Consultation' or contact Indiana INSafe directly at 317-23…
-
USDOL Wage & Hour Division · Compliance Assistance for Tipped Employers USDOL Federal Compliance & HR Compare
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.
Who qualifies: Open to all U.S. employers regardless of size or industry. Particularly relevant to HC restaurants, bars, hotels, salons, and any tipped-employee oper… How to start: Browse fact sheets and tools at dol.gov/agencies/whd/compliance-assistance. For free phone help, call the Indianapolis D…
-
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.
Who qualifies: All Indiana businesses required to register for sales, withholding, F&B, or innkeeper's tax. No size threshold. How to start: Visit in.gov/dor for the Small Business Center, register for INTIME at intime.dor.in.gov, and sign up for free outreach …
-
Indiana Professional Licensing Agency · License Search and Verify IPLA State Compliance & HR Compare
The state's free lookup for every license issued through an IPLA board: nursing (RN, LPN, APRN), dentistry (dentists and dental hygienists), veterinary medicine (veterinarians and registered veterinary technicians), cosmetology and barbering (cosmetologists, barbers, estheticians, manicurists), engineering (Professional Engineers), accountancy, real estate, pharmacy and about 60 boards in all. Search by name, license number, profession or license type; a result shows the status the board records (active, expired, probation, suspended, revoked and others). Use it before an offer for a role that needs a license and again at renewal time. The board, not the lookup, decides what a status means for practice; disciplinary case records are a separate IPLA search (in.gov/ai/appfiles/pla-litigation). Licenses issued by other agencies are not here: educators (IDOE), mortgage loan originators (DFI through NMLS), insurance producers (IDOI).
Who qualifies: Anyone; free. Covers licenses issued through the boards under IPLA. How to start: Open mylicense.in.gov/EVerification/Search.aspx, choose the profession or license type, enter the name or license number… Rules checked: 2026-09-28, against IPLA home (in.gov/pla), the IPLA Web Lookup/Verification page (mylicense.in.gov/EVerification/Search.aspx) and the IPLA professions directory, all retrieved 2026-09-28; the nursing, cosmetology and barber, dentistry, engineering and veterinary board pages each link this search as their verification tool. Not tax advice.
-
Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers (IPLA) · PE and Engineer Intern licensing IPLA State Compliance & HR Compare
The board under IPLA that registers Professional Engineers, cited in Indiana's rules as the State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers. Indiana's path to a PE: an EAC/ABET-accredited engineering degree, the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam through NCEES for Engineer Intern status, four years of experience, the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam, and five reference letters of which three come from Professional Engineers; the statute says neither exam can be waived. A PE licensed in another state applies by comity and sits Indiana's law exam. From March 2026 a candidate with a qualifying degree registers for the exams directly with NCEES without an IPLA application first. For an employer this means most new engineering graduates arrive as Engineer Interns or unlicensed and earn the PE years into the job; the PE is the license for the work an engineer signs off for the public, and it is verified with the IPLA license search.
Who qualifies: Engineering employers and engineers seeking Indiana registration. Exam and application fees apply; the pages are free. How to start: Read the Engineering Licensing Information page for the exam and experience requirements, point candidates to NCEES (nce… Rules checked: 2026-09-28, against IPLA Engineering Home and Engineering Licensing Information pages (in.gov/pla/professions/engineering-home) and the NCEES home page (ncees.org), retrieved 2026-09-28. Not tax advice.
-
Indiana Dentistry Board (IPLA) · Dentist and dental hygienist licensing IPLA State Compliance & HR Compare
The IPLA board that licenses dentists (Indiana Code 25-14) and dental hygienists (Indiana Code 25-13); dental assistants are not licensed by it. A dentist by examination holds a DDS or DMD from an accredited university, passing scores on every section of the National Board Dental Examinations, one regional clinical exam (CDCA, NERB, WREB, CITA, CRDTS or SRTA), the 30-question Indiana jurisprudence exam at 75%, and a criminal background check; the application fee is $250. A dental hygienist holds an associate degree in dental hygiene from an accredited program plus the National Board examination, a clinical exam passed within the last five years and the jurisprudence exam; the fee is $100. Both are verified free with the IPLA license search. What a practice can hire a hygienist or an assistant to do is set by the board's rules, not by this page.
Who qualifies: Dental practices and licensed dental professionals. Application fees as published; the pages and the lookup are free. How to start: Read the Dentistry Licensing Information page for the application checklists, have the candidate apply through MyLicense… Rules checked: 2026-09-28, against IPLA Dentistry Home, Dentistry Licensing Information and Dentistry Board pages (in.gov/pla/professions/dentistry-home), retrieved 2026-09-28. Not tax advice.
-
Indiana Board of Veterinary Medicine · Veterinarian and Registered Veterinary Technician licensing Indiana Board of Veterinary Medicine State Compliance & HR Compare
The state board that licenses veterinarians (DVM) and registers veterinary technicians (RVT). A veterinarian applies by examination, as a new graduate, or by reciprocity, with a criminal background check. A registered veterinary technician completes an AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program (the board's RVT page lists the accredited Indiana programs, which is where a practice looks for technician training), passes the Veterinary Technician National Examination through the American Association of Veterinary State Boards, and applies through MyLicense One with a background check. Both are verified free through the IPLA license search, and the board sells a digital certification when someone needs proof of licensure for another state (3 to 5 business days).
Who qualifies: Veterinary practices, animal hospitals and shelters hiring veterinarians or veterinary technicians. Application fees as published; the pages and the l… How to start: Read the Veterinarian Licensing or Registered Veterinary Technician Licensing page for the application path, then confir… Rules checked: 2026-09-28, against Indiana Board of Veterinary Medicine home, Veterinarian Licensing, Registered Veterinary Technician Licensing and Verify License Status pages (in.gov/vetboard), retrieved 2026-09-28. Not tax advice.
-
Indiana Department of Financial Institutions · Mortgage Loan Originator licensing (NMLS) Indiana DFI State Compliance & HR Compare
Who must hold Indiana's mortgage loan originator (MLO) license and what it takes, from the DFI's own FAQ (updated 2025-08-26). The license applies to a person engaged in mortgage loan origination, so it covers a loan officer who originates residential mortgages, not every loan officer title; the DFI, or the Secretary of State when it licenses the sponsoring employer, issues it, and the application runs through NMLS. Requirements the FAQ lists: at least 20 hours of NMLS-approved pre-licensing education, a passing SAFE test score of 75%, an FBI criminal background check through NMLS (the FAQ names a felony conviction within seven years, or any fraud-related felony, as disqualifying), a credit report review (bankruptcies in the last ten years, judgments, liens, and foreclosures or delinquencies in the last three), U.S. residency, and sponsorship by a licensed employer. Confirm an individual's or a company's license on NMLS Consumer Access; the DFI's Find a License extranet lists the consumer credit entities it regulates.
Who qualifies: Banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders and brokers hiring loan officers who originate residential mortgages. NMLS and state fees apply; the FAQ is fre… How to start: Read the MLO FAQ, then have the candidate apply or move their sponsorship to your company through NMLS (mortgage.nationw… Rules checked: 2026-09-28, against Indiana DFI MLO FAQ (updated 2025-08-26), Consumer Credit Licensing page and DFI home, retrieved 2026-09-28. Not tax advice.
-
NMLS Consumer Access · Mortgage loan originator and lender verification NMLS (State Regulatory Registry LLC) N/A Compliance & HR Compare
The free public lookup on the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, which the DFI uses to license mortgage loan originators and mortgage lenders. Search by NMLS ID, state license number, or name with city, state or ZIP; a result shows whether a company, branch or individual is licensed or registered with a state regulator, plus registrations of loan originators at federally regulated institutions. Updated nightly on business days; it does not show applications a state has not yet approved, and the record is what the licensee or its employer reported to the regulator. NMLS was created by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors and the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators and is owned and operated by State Regulatory Registry LLC, a CSBS subsidiary.
Who qualifies: Anyone; free. Covers mortgage, consumer finance, debt and money services licensees of participating state regulators, and federally registered mortgag… How to start: Open nmlsconsumeraccess.org and search the candidate's NMLS ID or name; for best results use the full NMLS ID or state l… Rules checked: 2026-09-28, against NMLS Consumer Access home page (nmlsconsumeraccess.org), retrieved 2026-09-28. Not tax advice.
-
Indiana Department of Education · Educator license lookup (LVIS360) Indiana DOE State Compliance & HR Compare
The Indiana Department of Education, not IPLA, issues educator licenses and permits, so a teacher's license is verified here rather than in the IPLA search. The public data page of LVIS360, IDOE's Licensing Verification and Information System, offers an Educator License Search that reflects real-time licensure and licensure history, an Offense Search of educators whose licenses or permits were revoked or suspended under the cited sections of the Indiana Code, and an Adjunct Permit Search of locally issued permits, which school corporations report and IDOE does not issue. For schools, child care and youth programs, and any employer hiring for a role that asks for a teaching license. Office of Educator Licensing: 317-232-9010.
Who qualifies: Anyone; free. How to start: Open license.doe.in.gov/public_data, choose Educator License Search, and search the name; the educator licensing page at… Rules checked: 2026-09-28, against IDOE Educator Licensing page (in.gov/doe/educators/educator-licensing), LVIS360 home and Public Data pages (license.doe.in.gov), retrieved 2026-09-28. Not tax advice.
18 of 107 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.
Analyst Coach
Ask about the local labor market in plain language, on top of your dashboards. Answers carry their sources and point to the tools for the math. It is an AI coach, your chats are private, and they are never used to train anything.
In crisis? Call or text 988, free, 24/7.
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.