Texas Enterprise Zone Program (EZP)
Economic Development Finance — Office of the Texas Governor (refunds administered by the Texas Comptroller)
$2,500–$7,500 per job
Researched for this program: 5 rejection traps · 5 required documentsWhat decides this award ↓
TX sales-tax refund for jobs
The Texas Enterprise Zone Program is a state sales-and-use-tax refund incentive that encourages private investment and job creation in economically distressed areas. A local community nominates a company for an Enterprise Project designation; designated companies can then claim refunds of state sales and use tax they pay on qualified capital expenditures during the designation period. Refund levels scale with the size of the capital investment and the number of jobs created or retained, from $2,500 per job for standard projects up to $7,500 per job for triple-jumbo enterprise projects. Companies must meet hiring requirements (at least 25% of new employees inside a zone, or 35% outside a zone, must be economically disadvantaged, enterprise-zone residents, or veterans). The Comptroller administers the refunds.
- Funding type
- Tax credit
- Level
- State
- Amount range
- $2,500–$7,500 per job
- Realistic amount
- Most small and mid-size enterprise projects fall in the standard or half tier — $2,500 per qualifying job, commonly a few hundred thousand dollars total across the designation rather than the multimillion-dollar jumbo ceilings.
- Deadline
- Rolling within quarterly allocation rounds — communities nominate companies; designations are limited per biennium (6 for communities under 250,000 population, 9 for 250,000+).
- Status
- active
- States
- Texas
- Payment model
- tax-credit-offset
Who qualifies
- Company must be nominated by a local community (city/county) for an Enterprise Project designation
- Must make qualified capital investment and create or retain full-time jobs
- Inside an enterprise zone: at least 25% of new employees must be economically disadvantaged individuals, enterprise-zone residents, or veterans
- Outside an enterprise zone: at least 35% must meet that requirement
- Only full-time jobs paying at or above the county average weekly wage qualify
- Refunds claimed on qualified state sales and use tax paid during the designation period
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- State sales and use tax paid on qualified capital expenditures (construction, building materials, equipment, machinery) at the qualified business site during the designation period
Ineligible expenses
- Local sales tax (program refunds the state portion)
- Expenditures outside the qualified business site
- Purchases outside the designation period
- Non-qualifying operating expenses
How to apply
-
1
Secure a local nomination
Work with the city/county to be nominated as an Enterprise Project. The community must hold a public hearing and pass a resolution/ordinance nominating your company, since designations come out of the community's limited per-biennium allotment.
~20 hrs
-
2
Submit the Enterprise Project application
The community submits the application on the company's behalf through the state portal during a quarterly round, documenting the capital investment, job commitments, and hiring-mix plan.
~25 hrs
-
3
Receive designation and meet commitments
If designated, maintain the investment and qualified jobs (with the required disadvantaged/zone/veteran hiring percentage) over the designation period of up to 5 years.
~10 hrs
-
4
Claim sales/use tax refunds with the Comptroller
File for refunds of qualified state sales and use tax paid during the designation period through the Texas Comptroller, up to your maximum allowable refund.
~15 hrs
The bottleneck is your city's designation slots, not the state — communities get only 6–9 per biennium, so a company competes against other local employers for a scarce nomination. Engage the city/county economic-development office before you publicly commit to the project; line up the public hearing and resolution early, because a 'jumbo' investment level ($150M+) unlocks $5,000–$7,500 per job instead of $2,500, dramatically changing the refund math.
Deadline & timing
Designations are awarded against a limited per-biennium allocation per community. There are quarterly application rounds; a community must pass a resolution/hold a hearing and submit on the company's behalf. Designation period is up to 5 years.
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