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Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)

TAA was established under the Trade Act of 1974 to help American workers who lost their jobs as a result of increased imports or shifts in production to foreign countries. It is a federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and cooperating state employment agencies. The Trade Act has been amended several times since 1974.

If increased competition from imports has contributed significantly to the workers’ unemployment with an employer, a petition for TAA eligibility may be filed by any group of three or more workers of a firm or subdivision of a firm, their union, or their duly authorized representative. The group may petition the U.S. DOL for a determination of eligibility to apply for TAA at http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/.

If the U.S. DOL determines that trade import injury has occurred to an employer, it will issue a certification of eligibility so that employees who have been laid off or had their hours reduced may apply for TAA benefits. The benefits available vary depending on when the petition was filed with the U.S. DOL. Information on the benefits available under the different programs can be found by following the links below.

Trade Act of 2002

(Certified petitions filed on or after Nov. 4, 2002, and no later than May 17, 2009)

Trade Adjustment Assistance 2002 (TAA)

Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance 2002 (ATAA)

Trade Act of 2009

(Certified petitions filed on or after May 18, 2009, and no later than Feb. 14, 2011)

Trade Adjustment Assistance 2009 (TAA)

Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance 2009 (RTAA)

Trade Act of 2011

(Certified petitions filed on or after Feb. 15, 2011, and no later than Dec. 31, 2013)

Trade Adjustment Assistance 2011 (TAA)

Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance 2011 (RTAA)

Trade Act of 2015

(Certified petitions filed on or after Jan. 1, 2014)

Trade Adjustment Assistance 2015 (TAA)

Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance 2015 (RTAA)

Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC)

The Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) program is ending as of 12-31-20
 
The Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015, Public Law 114-27, modified and extended the HCTC Program through December 31, 2019; Public Law 116-94, the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, enacted on December 20, 2019, extended the HCTC Program through December 31, 2020. After this date, the HCTC Program will have expired.
 
Expiration of the HCTC Program means that all Monthly HCTC payments end prior to January 1, 2021. However, eligible TAA Recipients who did not request the Monthly HCTC in 2020 and instead paid 100 percent of their health insurance premiums are entitled to claim the Yearly HCTC on their 2020 Federal income tax return. They may use Form 8885, Health Coverage Tax Credit, to claim the credit and calculate the amount of any HCTC for which they may be eligible.
 
Is there an alternative to the HCTC Program?
 
Taxpayers who have been eligible for and claimed the HCTC may want to contact their current health plan administrator to obtain information to assist them in determining if their current plan, without the HCTC, will continue to work for them and their families.

Check www.HealthCare.gov for health coverage options available to taxpayers and their families. Eligible TAA recipients  enrolling through a Marketplace may qualify for the IRS Premium Tax Credit to help pay premiums and out-of-pocket health coverage costs.
 
What is the due date for the final Monthly HCTC payment?
 
For participants enrolled in the Monthly HCTC, the final payment due date was December 10, 2020, for December coverage. Do not send a payment to the HCTC Program in December 2020 if it is for a coverage month that begins in January 2021 or later. For all questions about the final Monthly HCTC payment due date, please refer to the IRS HCTC website.