Tax Credits and Incentives

LOCAL
Clean Technology Payroll Tax Exclusion
The City of San Francisco provides a payroll tax exclusion for up to 10 years to clean technology companies located in the City. Any business that employs less than 100 employees is eligible for the payroll tax exclusion.

SF Enterprise Zone (EZ) Payroll Tax Credit
The local Enterprise Zone program enables businesses located in targeted locations of the City to reduce their payroll tax expense for qualified employees. The tax credit is for new jobs created on or after January 1, 1992.

Biotechnology Payroll Tax Exclusion
San Francisco’s Mission Bay community is at the center of the biotechnology revolution. To support the expansion of this flourishing industry and the creation of new jobs, the City of San Francisco offers a payroll tax exclusion for up to 7.5 years to San Francisco-based businesses engaged in biotechnology pursuits.

Film Production Incentives
The SF Film Office offers a the "Scene in San Francisco" rebate program, in which qualifying productions are eligible for a refund of all payroll tax and city fees up to $600,000 per production.

STATE
California Enterprise Zone (EZ) Tax Credits & Incentives 
The State of California EZ program helps businesses reduce their state income tax liability through hiring tax credits, business expense deductions, accelerated depreciation, and a 15-year carry-over of up to 100% of net operating losses. Eligible businesses must be located in designated Enterprise Zone areas.

California New Jobs Tax Credit
Effective January 1, 2009, any small businesses (20 employees or less) not located in the Enterprise Zone that adds one or more full time positions in 2009 receives a $3,000 tax credit per position.

FEDERAL
Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is an income tax credit for employers who hire employees from eligible groups including youth, ex-offenders, and public assistance recipients.

Historic Preservation Tax Credit
The US Department of the Interior supports the preservation of historic buildings through federal tax incentives, including a 20% tax credit for the certified rehabilitation of historic structures, and a 10% tax credit for the rehabilitation of non-historic buildings built before 1936.

HIRE (Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment) Act
Two new tax benefits are now available to employers hiring workers who were previuosly unemployed or only working part time.  Employers who hire unemployed workers this year (after Feb. 3, 2010 and before Jan. 1, 2011) may qualify for a 6.2-percent payroll tax incentive, in effect exempting them from their share of Social Security taxes on wages paid to these workers after March 18, 2010.  In addition, for each worker retained for at least a year, businesses may claim an additional general business tax credit, up to $1,000 per worker, when they file their 2011 income tax returns.