High-Impact Jobs Program (HIP)

High-Impact Jobs Program

Invests in job creation in Louisiana through reimbursable wage support for high-impact roles.

The High-Impact Jobs Program (HIP) is a reimbursable cash-grant programme administered by Louisiana Economic Development (LED), created under Act 372 of the 2025 Louisiana legislative session and effective July 1, 2025. It is the direct successor to the Quality Jobs program, which sunset on June 30, 2025. HIP pays a percentage of wages for each new qualifying full-time position a company creates in Louisiana, with the reimbursement rate tied to how far wages exceed parish-average benchmarks: 18% for positions paying at or above 125% of the parish average wage, 22% for positions at or above 150% of the parish average wage, and 8% for positions in designated distressed areas paying at or above 110% of the regional average. Wages above $200,000 per year per position are excluded from the grant calculation, and there is no aggregate cap on awards per company. First grant payments cannot occur before July 1, 2026.

Eligible applicants are for-profit businesses operating in Louisiana; nonprofits, universities, research organisations, and sole proprietors are explicitly excluded. All qualifying positions must be new full-time at-will roles filled by Louisiana residents — pre-existing jobs, seasonal positions, and part-time roles do not qualify. Employers must provide basic health benefits to all qualifying employees. Excluded industry sectors include gaming, retail, professional sports, automobile leasing, telemarketing and call centres, solar farms, and certain professional-services categories. Contracts run for an initial three-year term with an optional two-year renewal, totalling up to five years; the wage thresholds used to calculate the grant are frozen at contract inception.

Applications are submitted directly to LED via HIPapplications@la.gov — there is no FastLane portal for HIP. The process involves an application fee, an expenditure verification report (EVR) deposit, LED review and contract execution, assignment of an independent Louisiana-licensed CPA for the EVR, and grant payment upon approval. Companies considering HIP should apply before the intended hire date, as the contract start date cannot precede application receipt.