Small Employer Quality Jobs (SEQJ)
SEQJ
Vetted line-by-line against the official Oklahoma Small Employer Quality Jobs 2026 Guidelines (ODOC). Worked math below is illustrative, not client actuals.
- Eligibility
- ≤500 employees at application and averaging ≤500 over the preceding 4 calendar quarters. Must be in a qualifying basic industry (all regular Quality Jobs industries except Oil & Gas; NAICS list in S2 Attachment A — manufacturing = NAICS 31/32/33, 5131, 11331). Activity must not have existed in the prior 6 months. Must offer basic health insurance (employee pays ≤50% of premium; offered to all working ≥30 hrs/wk; 12 months to institute).
- Benefit
- Quarterly cash rebate of up to 5% of newly created taxable payroll; exact rate set by ODOC cost/benefit analysis and capped at 5%. Job-creation threshold is tiered by community population: <3,500 → greater of 5 jobs or 5% of FTE; 3,500–7,000 → greater of 10 or 7.5%; >7,000 → greater of 15 or 10%. Time to reach: 24 months for most (36 months for R&D, testing labs, software publishing, computer systems design, data processing/hosting, and medical & diagnostic labs). Average-wage requirement: 110% of average county wage (125% if counting employer-paid health premiums; 100% in economically-challenged counties). Tulsa Co. reference (S2 Att. B): 100% = $59,250; 110% = $65,175; 125% = $74,062.
- Worked math
- Unquantified
Illustrative only: new annual taxable payroll of $3,000,000 × 5% = $150,000/yr; over the full 7 years ≈ $1,050,000 (assumes thresholds met every quarter; inputs illustrative, not the client's).
- Term
- Quarterly claims for the first 24 months; if thresholds met, continue an additional 5 years (7 total). Miss thresholds at 24 months → dismissed; fall short later → suspended until cured.
- Out-of-state sales
- ≥35% for the first two years, ≥60% thereafter, achieved within 24 months of start. May count sales to a buyer who resells out of state, or to the federal government. R&D companies and testing labs are excused.
- Exclusivity
- Quality Jobs Act program — mutually exclusive with 21CQJ (a company picks one for the same jobs). S2 "Incentives Excluded" list also bars combining with the Investment/New Jobs Tax Credit, Insurance Premium Tax Credit, Tax Credit for Employer-Provided Health Plans, Computer/Data-Processing equipment purchase credit, Recycling credits, and the Business Expansion Incentive Program.
- Notes
- Advisor simplifications corrected against S2 — see vetting log (job tiers 5/10/15, 24-month timing, county-indexed wage, and the unsupported Opportunity-Zone "automatic 5% increase" claim).