TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Basic Eligibility
• My employees work remotely for my Massachusetts business, but they live outside of the state. Is the training of these employees eligible for Express Program funding?
• I want to train a new hire, but they have not started yet. When can they start training?
• As a business owner, am I eligible to take part in grant-funded training through the Express Program?
• I am a sole proprietor, am I eligible for the Express Program?
• I am an individual seeking training for myself. Am I eligible to receive reimbursement for training through the Express Program and Workforce Training Fund?

Basic Eligibility

Employees who are eligible for reimbursement through Express are those who were employed either full- or part-time under the FEIN of the applicant business on the date the application was submitted, and who are paid as W-2 employees with active MA tax withholdings.

We are not able to fund prospective employees, those who do not contribute to MA taxes through payroll, or 1099 contractors.  

My employees work remotely for my Massachusetts business, but they live outside of the state. Is the training of these employees eligible for Express Program funding?

If your employees work remotely for a Massachusetts business, but live outside of the state, they are eligible for funding through the Express Program as long as your company pays into the Massachusetts unemployment system for them. This means they would still be considered Massachusetts payroll employees. 

If the employee works remotely for your Massachusetts company, but you do not have them on your MA payroll (you have them on payroll in the state they live in), they would not be eligible for funding through the Express Program. 

I want to train a new hire, but they have not started yet. When can they start training?

Training should only be applied for the new hire once they have started. Applications cannot be submitted for prospective employees who are not on payroll at the moment of application. This means a new hire could start training in as little as 21 days* from date of hire, pending an agreement is awarded for training. 

*If a new trainee will be taking part in a course that is listed as a “group rate”, they could join a group training that was approved for funding on their first day of work if increasing the employee count does not change the approved course amount. See Can I add trainees to an application that has already been approved? for more detailed information. 

As a business owner, am I eligible to take part in grant-funded training through the Express Program?

The Express Program provides employers fast, simple access to grant-funded training, helping businesses in Massachusetts respond to emerging needs. Massachusetts businesses, of any size, may apply. To qualify, businesses must pay into the Workforce Training Fund. All for-profit companies pay into the fund. All trainees must be full-time or part-time payroll employees of the company receiving an Express Program grant and must be employed in Massachusetts. Trainees are not required to live in Massachusetts.

Since owners are generally not W-2 payroll employees, they are usually not eligible for funding through our program; however, we realize that each business is organized a bit differently. If you are a business owner AND a W-2 payroll employee, you would be eligible for funding through the Express Program. If not, your employees would be eligible, but you would not be.

If you have additional questions, you are welcome to email us at express@commcorp.org!

I am a sole proprietor, am I eligible for the Express Program?

There are several factors that come into play when applying as a sole proprietor that may or may not make you eligible for the Express Program. 

Most sole proprietors do not pay into the Workforce Training Fund, as they do not pay into unemployment insurance through the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance for themselves. This means most sole proprietors are ineligible for training reimbursement through the Express Program. 

If you are a sole proprietor of a limited liability company (LLC), and you have W-2 employees for whom you pay into unemployment, your employees may be eligible—but you would not be eligible as you do not pay into unemployment for yourself. For this scenario, please reach out to us directly at express@commcorp.org and we can help you determine if your employees are eligible.

I am an individual seeking training for myself. Am I eligible to receive reimbursement for training through the Express Program and Workforce Training Fund?

Unfortunately, we are unable to reimburse for training for an individual that is not currently employed, or who is not seeking training through their current employer.

If you are currently job hunting, or if you have recently been laid off and are seeking to re-enter the workforce, we recommend connecting with your local MassHire Career Center. MassHire Career Centers can help you identify opportunities to join upskilling programs, or to procure financial aid for training through programs such as Individual Training Accounts (ITA) or Section 30 - learn more here. 

The Express Program provides employers fast access to funds to train their workers. The Workforce Training Fund, the source of money that is used to support the Express Program, is made possible by a surcharge on unemployment insurance payments that businesses make to the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA). Because of this, our program only reimburses employers for approved incumbent worker training costs.