Utah Economic Development Tax Increment Financing (EDTIF) Tax Credit
Utah Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity (Go Utah)
Up to 30% of new state taxes
Utah's performance tax credit for job creation
Utah's primary business retention and attraction incentive — a post-performance state income tax credit equal to up to 30% of new state tax revenues generated by a qualifying project over a 10–20 year period. Companies must create high-paying jobs (at or above the county average wage), demonstrate a significant 'but for' element, and receive approval from the Utah Legislature's Economic Development Commission. Not a cash grant — a refundable tax credit claimed annually as jobs and revenues materialize.
- Funding type
- Tax Credit
- Level
- State
- Amount
- Up to 30% of new state tax revenues attributable to the qualifying project — including income tax, corporate tax, and sales tax generated by new employees and company operations. Total credit value depends on project size, wages, and years. A company creating 200 jobs at $70,000 average annual salary could generate $12M–$30M+ in total EDTIF credits over 10–20 years depending on the approved credit rate and term.
- Realistic amount
- For a company adding 50–100 high-wage Utah jobs, EDTIF credits typically total $1M–$8M over the credit period. Larger pr…
- Deadline
- Rolling — Utah Legislature's Economic Development Commission meets regularly. Applications reviewed on a rolling basis by Go Utah staff, with Commission approval at scheduled meetings.
- Status
- active
- States
- UT
- Payment model
- tax offset
Who qualifies
- Must be a for-profit company creating or retaining high-paying jobs in Utah
- New jobs must pay wages at or above the county average wage where jobs are located
- Must create a minimum of 50 new jobs (lower thresholds possible in rural counties — verify with Go Utah)
- Must demonstrate the 'but for' test — the company must certify that without EDTIF, the project would not occur in Utah or would locate elsewhere
- Application must be submitted and approved before the company makes a binding Utah commitment
- Company must be financially viable with the ability to fulfill long-term performance commitments (10–20 years)
- Credits are post-performance — company must first pay the taxes before receiving the refundable credit
Hard requirements
- Must be incorporated
- Minimum 50 employees
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- EDTIF is a tax credit — it offsets and refunds Utah income/corporate/sales taxes generated by the project; it is not tied to specific eligible expenses
- Qualifying new full-time W-2 jobs at or above county average wage drive the credit calculation
- Capital investment in Utah real property and equipment contributes to state tax generation
Ineligible expenses
- Part-time jobs do not qualify toward job count
- Jobs paying below county average wage
- Capital investment in states other than Utah
- Credits cannot offset federal tax liability
How to apply
-
1
Engage Go Utah project manager
Contact the Go Utah business development team. Describe the project: job count, wages, capital investment, competing state alternatives. Go Utah will assess preliminary EDTIF fit and credit terms before formal application.
~12 hrs
-
2
Complete EDTIF application
Submit the EDTIF application: company profile, industry, detailed job-creation plan (titles, wages, timeline), 5-year financial projections, capital investment in Utah, 'but for' statement, and competing incentive offers from other states.
~12 hrs
-
3
Go Utah staff review and credit modeling
Go Utah staff model the incremental state tax revenues from the project and calculate the proposed credit rate and term. The analysis takes 4–8 weeks.
~12 hrs
-
4
Economic Development Commission approval
Go Utah presents the project to the Legislature's Economic Development Commission for approval. Projects are reviewed at scheduled Commission meetings (approximately bi-monthly).
~12 hrs
-
5
Execute post-performance credit agreement and annual claiming
Sign the EDTIF credit agreement. Each year, the company reports actual jobs and wages to Go Utah, which certifies the annual credit amount. The company claims the refundable credit on its Utah tax return.
~12 hrs
EDTIF is refundable — if your Utah tax liability is less than the annual credit, the state sends a check for the difference. This is unusual among state jobs credits and makes EDTIF more valuable to smaller companies with limited tax liability than comparable non-refundable credits in other states.
Deadline & timing
Companies should engage Go Utah's project managers well in advance of making a Utah commitment — the 'but for' element requires the application be submitted before the company makes a binding location decision. Process from engagement to Commission approval typically takes 3–6 months.
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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.