Tax Credits

Denver's business owners can apply for a business personal property tax credit offered through the Business Investment Program, designed to encourage start-ups and to reward existing businesses of all sizes that expand their operations in our city.

This program incentivizes qualified businesses to expand their facilities, add new employees, and buy new equipment.

Existing businesses, before you start an application remember that you must meet at least one of the following expansion requirements in 2022 to qualify:

• Your increased investment was at least $1 million in business expansion;
• Your increased investment was at least 100% of your prior business capital level;
• You increased by at least 10 employees over your preceding 12‐month average; or
• You increased by at least 10 percent in employment over your preceding 12‐month average

More information

• Business Investment Program  flyer
• Applications are open and we invite you to submit yours 
• The deadline to apply is Monday, June 26, 2023.

The Business Incentive Fund (BIF) is a significant and unique tool for the City and County of Denver to support a competitive relocation to or expansion within Denver. Denver Economic Development & Opportunity (DEDO) is able to support only a handful of projects every year through the BIF program.

Projects under consideration are evaluated on a number of factors, including the direct fiscal benefit of the project to the city, creation/retention of quality jobs across industries, and demonstrated alignment with the City’s economic development goals and its values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Funds are dispersed only on performance. Every negotiated incentive offer is unique and each has a defined criteria and payout terms, which link directly both to the business decisions and the direct fiscal benefit to the city. While job creation is a primary goal of such incentives, the nature of the business may dictate a different measurable factor upon which incentive funds are dispersed. 

The Denver Enterprise Zone Program is a State of Colorado tax credit program that allows businesses located within a specific geographic area to receive tax credits against their state income tax liability for qualifying activities, such as job creation, employee training and investment in business personal property. Denver's designated Enterprise Zone (EZ) includes over 30 square miles of commercially zoned real estate.

There are ten different state tax credits available to businesses within the Zone. If your business will perform an activity that will earn an EZ tax credit, the State requires that you pre-certify annually prior to beginning the activity that will earn the credit. Pre-certification can be requested year-round and must be approved prior to the commencement of the activity.

Resources

• Start by referring to the Denver Enterprise Zone brochure - in English(PDF, 4MB)  o en español(PDF, 4MB)  - to see a list of available EZ tax credits
• Consult the Colorado Enterprise Zone Income Tax Credit Guide for detailed information on each tax credit
• Confirm the Zone status of an exact business location
• Access instructions on how to file for Enterprise Zone pre-certification and certification
• Enterprise Zone Contribution Projects (EZCP) provide a tax credit to Colorado taxpayers that contribute to designated economic development programs. When taxpayers make a certified contribution, they can claim: 25% of a cash donation as a state income tax credit or 12.5% of an in-kind donation as a state income tax credit.