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April 18, 2024: Koncept House: Opening Doors and Spaces for Local Atlanta Entrepreneurs Learn More

Invest Atlanta facilitates economic development within the city limits of Atlanta.

View City Limits

The Latest

April 18, 2024: Koncept House: Opening Doors and Spaces for Local Atlanta Entrepreneurs Learn More

Invest Atlanta facilitates economic development within the city limits of Atlanta.

View City Limits

Bonds, Loans, Grants & Incentives

Invest Atlanta, the City of Atlanta, and the state of Georgia offer an array of tools and programs to assist your business.

Business Programs & Incentives

There are multiple options to help get financial assistance for your business. Explore our incentives below and get in touch with us through the form at the bottom to get started. We're excited to work with you.

501(c)(3) Bonds

Issued to finance property of applicable non-profit organizations, such as schools, charities, and healthcare facilities.

Criteria

  • Typical Structure: Conduit issuer, no recourse, potential for credit enhancement
  • Term of Bond: Matched to the useful life of the assets financed
  • Interest Rate: Below market rate ½ fixed or variable
  • Bond Minimums & Maximums: Determined on a deal-by-deal basis

Requirements

  • Eligible Areas: Citywide
  • Jobs Created/Retained: Company must submit a detailed job creation & retention plan
Industrial Revenue Bond

Long-term, low-interest, below-market financing for construction of or improvements to manufacturing facilities.

Criteria

  • Bond Minimums & Maximums: Minimum of $2 million; $10 million maximum
  • Typical Structure: Conduit issuer, no recourse, credit enhanced
  • Term of Bond: Matched to the useful life of the assets financed
  • Interest Rate: Market rate ½ fixed or variable

Requirements

  • Eligible Areas: Citywide
  • Jobs Created/Retained: Company must submit a detailed job creation & retention plan
Lease Purchase Bonds

Through the issuance of Lease Purchase Bonds, Invest Atlanta holds title to real and personal property for a ten year period. Invest Atlanta enters into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Fulton County Board of Assessors to assess the property under a ramp up schedule starting at 50% in the first year and decreasing by 5% each year for the next 9 years until full taxes are paid in year 11.

Lease Purchase Bond Application 

Criteria

  • Bond Minimums & Maximums: Suggested minimum of $10 million; no maximum
  • Typical Structure: Conduit issuer, no recourse
  • Term of Bond: 10 years
  • Interest Rate: Market rate ½ fixed or variable

Requirements

  • Eligible Areas: Citywide
  • Jobs Created/Retained: Company must submit a detailed job creation & retention plan
Economic Opportunity Fund (EOF)

This discretionary fund is structured on a project by project basis based upon criteria such as job retention and creation in the city of Atlanta, financial strength of the business, and amount of business investment in the project.

Criteria

  • Eligible Activities: Funding of acquisition or construction of land, buildings and equipment, infrastructure or leasehold improvements, parking subsidies, relocation costs, workforce training, etc.
  • Eligible Applicants: Businesses or Non-Profit Organizations
  • Minimums and Maximums: City of Atlanta grant with funding determined on a case-by-case basis

Requirements

  • Eligible Areas: Citywide
  • Jobs Created/Retained: At the discretion of the Mayor and City Council
Opportunity Zone Tax Credit

The City of Atlanta has several areas consisting of “less developed census tracts” and Opportunity Zones. Qualified businesses locating in a less developed census tract are eligible to receive a $3,500 per employee credit against state corporate income taxes for 5 years. Any legal business locating in an Opportunity Zone receives a $3,500 per employee credit against state corporate income taxes for 5 years.

Criteria

  • Eligible Applicants: For-Profit Businesses
  • Minimums and Maximums: State Job Tax Credits against income tax liability and withholding of $3,500 per new job to GA
  • Eligible Activities: Defines business enterprise to include all businesses; Available for up to 5 years

Requirements

  • Eligible Areas: City of Atlanta's 12 approved Opportunity Zones
  • Jobs Created/Retained: At least 2 new jobs
WorkSource Atlanta

WorkSource Atlanta helps businesses recruit qualified employees, develop a workforce equipped with relevant skills through customized job-based training programs, and up-skill their current workforce.

Criteria

  • Minimums and Maximums: Funding determined on a case-by-case basis
  • Eligible Activities: Recruitment, job fairs, customized training, transportation assistance, drug screening, veterans recruitment
  • Eligible Applicants: For-Profit Businesses

Requirements

  • Eligible Areas: Citywide
  • Jobs Created/Retained: Company must submit a detailed job creation and retention plan
Georgia Quick Start

The State of Georgia offers the Quick Start program that develops and delivers customized training at no charge to eligible new, expanding and existing companies. This organization can work together with WorkSource Atlanta to provide a comprehensive workforce development program for the company.

Criteria

  • Minimums and Maximums: Up to $500 credit per full-time employee, per training program; $1,250 maximum per employee
  • Eligible Activities: Costs of instructors and teaching materials, employee wages during retraining, reasonable travel expenses
  • Eligible Applicants: For-Profit Businesses

Requirements

  • Eligible Areas: Citywide
  • Jobs Created/Retained: Training programs must be designed to enhance quality and productivity or teach certain software technologies
Georgia Retraining Tax Credit

All Georgia businesses that file a Georgia income tax return and directly invest in retraining are eligible for tax credits. These can be used to offset up to 50% of a company's state income tax liability, and unused amounts can be carried forward 10 years and combined with other tax credits.

Criteria

  • Eligible Applicants: For-Profit Businesses
  • Eligible Areas: Citywide
  • Eligible Activities: Costs of instructors and teaching materials, employee wages during retraining, and reasonable travel expenses
  • Minimums and Maximums: Up to $500 credit per full-time employee, per training program; $1,250 maximum per employee

Requirements

  • Jobs Created/Retained: Must be for quality, productivity, and/or certain software technologies approved by the Technical College System of Georgia
Georgia Film, Television & Digital Entertainment Tax Credit

Across-the-board 20% flat tax credit on minimum qualified Georgia production investments of $500,000.

Criteria

  • Minimums and Maximums: Companies must spend at least $500,000 on production and post-production either in a single production or on multiple projects
  • Eligible Applicants: For-Profit Businesses
  • Eligible Productions: Feature films, pilots, series, commercials, TV movies, music videos, and certain interactive projects including types of animation, special effects, and video game development
  • Eligible Activities: Both resident and non-resident workers’ payrolls and standard fringes qualify

Requirements

  • Eligible Areas: Statewide. A 10% uplift can be earned for imbedding animated GA logo on approved projects. The minimum threshold can be met with one or more projects aggregated. Tax credit can be applied toward GA income tax liability or withholdings. A one-time sale or transfer of the credit to one or more GA taxpayers is allowed
Georgia Investment Tax Credit

Existing manufacturing or telecommunications support facilities that have operated for at least 3 years and making capital investments of $50,000 are eligible. Taxpayers must choose between this or the Georgia Job Tax Credit. May be applied against 50% of state corp income tax liability and carried forward 10 years.

Criteria

  • Minimums and Maximums: 3 years in operation, capital investments of $50,000
  • Eligible Applicants: For-Profit Businesses
  • Eligible Areas: Statewide
Georgia Optional Investment Tax Credit

This is offered in lieu of the Investment Tax Credit, with a minimum investment range $5-20 million. The taxpayer can use the tax credit up to the calculated amount for a given year, and the credit can be claimed up to 10 years after property was first placed in service, providing it remains in service.

Criteria

  • Minimums and Maximums: Minimum investment range of $5-20 million
  • Eligible Applicants: For-Profit Businesses
  • Eligible Areas: Statewide
Georgia Job Tax Credit

Eligible companies receive $750-3,500 per job, per year, for 5 years (unless a new job creation threshold is reached). Credits can be used against 50-100% of tax liability depending upon the tier and can be carried forward for 10 years.

Criteria

  • Eligible Applicants: For-Profit Businesses
  • Eligible Activities: Companies engaged in strategic industries, Including manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, processing, telecommunications, broadcasting, tourism, and R&D may be eligible

Requirements

  • Eligible Areas: Statewide
  • Jobs Created/Retained: Depending upon the community tier, 5-25 net new full-time jobs would need to be created in the first year. Additional jobs created in years 2-5 may accrue additional credits
Georgia Quality Job Tax Credit

Companies creating new quality jobs within seven years can qualify. Credits total $2,500-5,000 per job, per year, up to 5 years, and can be used to offset payroll withholdings once all other tax liability has been exhausted. Credits can be carried forward 10 years.

Criteria

  • Eligible Applicants: For-Profit Businesses
  • Eligible Areas: Statewide
  • Jobs Created/Retained: Creation of at least 50 job in a 12 month period
Georgia R&D Tax Credit

New and existing businesses performing qualified Research & Development in Georgia are eligible.

The credit is applicable to 50% of the company's net tax liability after all other credits have been applied. Any excess can be applied to state payroll withholdings. Credits can be carried forward 10 years 10% tax credit of increased R&D expenses subject to base amount calculation

For new companies the base amount is 30%. For existing it is 0.300 or the current year GA gross receipts x (the average of the ratios of qualified GA research expenses to GA gross receipts for the preceding 3 taxable years), whichever is less.

Criteria

  • Eligible Applicants: For-Profit Businesses
  • Eligible Areas: Statewide
Georgia Mega Project Tax Credit

Companies that employ at least 1,800 net new employees and either invest at least $450 million or have a minimum annual payroll of $150 million are eligible.

The credit is $5,250 per job, per year, for five years and is applied to tax liability. Any excess can be applied to state payroll withholdings. Credits can be carried forward 10 years.

Criteria

  • Eligible Applicants: For-Profit Businesses
  • Eligible Areas: Statewide
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