WA · Customized

Washington Customized Training Grants: A Practical Employer Guide

Washington offers two college-delivered programs for customized training. The Customized Training Program (CTP) is an interest-free loan: SBCTC pays the training costs first, you repay over 18 months, and you take a B&O tax credit worth 50% of the cost. The Job Skills Program (JSP) is a dollar-for-dollar matching grant. In both, a college or licensed career school applies for you and receives the money.

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State pre-filled: WA
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HOW IT WORKS

Four steps, in this order.

1
Call the training contact at a community or technical college
2
The college submits the application to SBCTC
3
Sign the three-party contract (CTP) or MOU (JSP) before training starts
4
Train, then repay and claim the credit (CTP) or document your match (JSP)

2 VERIFIED PROGRAMS

Where the Washington money comes from.

Run by State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC). Every figure is from an official page, linked on each card.

Customized Training Program (CTP): interest-free training loan with a B&O tax credit

Interest-free loan, 50% B&O credit

OPEN, ROLLING

WHAT YOU GET

In-kind: custom training up front, paid first by SBCTC. You repay the cost interest-free, and a state B&O tax credit returns 50% of each repayment.

HOW MUCH

You repay 100% of the training cost: 25% when training ends, the rest over 18 months. Credit equals 50% of each payment. Per-trainee limit is $3,000 for businesses with 50 or more positions in Washington and $6,000 for fewer than 50.

WHO RECEIVES THE MONEY

The college or licensed private career school receives the training funds from SBCTC. You receive the training, repay SBCTC, and take the tax credit.

WHO QUALIFIES

Private business located in, or newly relocating to, Washington
A Washington B&O taxpayer
An agreement with a public community or technical college, or a licensed Washington private vocational school
Short-term training, less than 12 months
Businesses with fewer than 50 employees get funding priority

Before you start: Yes. The college's concept is cleared with SBCTC staff first, and the approved project becomes a three-party contract (you, the college, SBCTC).

Job Skills Program (JSP): 1-for-1 matching training grant

$1 for $1 match, up to $600,000

ANNUAL ROUND, FY27 DEADLINE PASSED

WHAT YOU GET

In-kind: short-term, job-specific training for new or current workers, with state money covering half the cost.

HOW MUCH

JSP funds half of the training cost. You provide the other half in cash or in-kind. One company can receive up to $600,000 per fiscal year, and no more than two grants in 5 years. Businesses under $500,000 gross income must match at least trainee wages and benefits during training.

WHO RECEIVES THE MONEY

The educational institution receives the grant from SBCTC. The employer provides the match and receives the training.

WHO QUALIFIES

Private business or nonprofit that earns revenue in Washington, or a licensed public or nonprofit hospital
Trainees are Washington employees or work on site in Washington
Training for new hires, retraining, or upgrade of current staff
Government and tribal agencies cannot train their own staff with JSP; tribal profit-seeking enterprises can

Before you start: Yes. The college applies and SBCTC approves before work starts. You and the college sign a written agreement (MOU).

AVOID THESE

What gets Washington Customized claims denied.

Falling behind on CTP repayments: interest runs after 60 days late and the loan can be called due.
SOURCE: SBCTC.EDU
Match you cannot document. JSP match must be shown as spent on the project.
SOURCE: SBCTC.EDU
Government and municipal agencies, including tribal governments, cannot use JSP to train their own staff.
SOURCE: SBCTC.EDU
Going over the JSP frequency limit.
SOURCE: SBCTC.EDU
Starting subcontracted JSP work before signed contracts are in place.
SOURCE: SBCTC.EDU

STRAIGHT ANSWERS

Washington Customized questions.

Do I apply, or does the college?

The college or training school submits the application to SBCTC. You start by calling the college's training contact. The money goes to the school, not to you.

SOURCE: SBCTC.EDU

How does the B&O credit work for CTP?

Each time you repay SBCTC, you can claim a credit equal to 50% of that payment against your B&O tax. Allow a month after repayment for SBCTC to report it to the Department of Revenue. No credit can be earned on payments made on or after July 1, 2031. DOR says credits earned in 2031 may be carried forward and used until Dec 31, 2032.

SOURCE: SBCTC.EDU

Is there a smaller-business rule for JSP?

Yes. The match is dollar-for-dollar, but a business with under $500,000 in annual gross income must match at least the trainees' wages and benefits while in training, and it must pay them during training.

SOURCE: SBCTC.EDU

When does JSP take applications?

SBCTC's FY27 Round 1 deadline was April 30, 2026. Its January 2026 summary says the competitive round usually opens in March or April. Ask SBCTC or your college whether later funds are available.

SOURCE: SBCTC.EDU

How we checked. Every fact on this page comes from a state agency, a local workforce board or federal regulation, read on September 30, 2026. Where a board publishes nothing, we say so instead of guessing. Programs and funding change often; confirm with the program before you commit. Written by Jason Meehl, founder of Reimbursa. Found an error? Email hello@reimbursa.com.

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