Are you an employer hiring workers who were previously unemployed or only working part time? There are now two new tax benefits available to you. These provisions are part of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act enacted into law March 18, 2010.

According to this law, employers who hire unemployed workers this year (after Feb. 3, 2010 and before Jan. 1, 2011) may qualify for a 6.2-percent payroll tax incentive, in effect exempting them from their share of Social Security taxes on wages paid to these workers after March 18, 2010. This reduced tax withholding will have no effect on the employee’s future Social Security benefits, and employers would still need to withhold the employee’s 6.2-percent share of Social Security taxes, as well as income taxes.

In addition, for each worker retained for at least a year, businesses may claim an additional general business tax credit, up to $1,000 per worker, when they file their 2011 income tax returns.

The two tax benefits are especially helpful to employers who are adding positions to their payrolls. New hires filling existing positions also qualify, but only if the workers they are replacing left voluntarily or for cause. Family members and other relatives do not qualify.

Cick here to view the full text of the HIRE Act bill.