# Title 57 — Taxation

## Chapter 57-38.5 — Seed Capital Investment Tax Credit

### § 57-38.5-01. Definitions.

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
1. "Director" means the director of the department of commerce division of economic
development and finance.
2. "Passthrough entity" has the same meaning as in section 57-38-01.
3. "Primary sector business" has the meaning provided in section 1-01-49 but does not
include an agricultural commodity processing facility as defined under section
57-38.6-01.
4. "Qualified business" means a business other than a real estate investment trust which
is a primary sector business that:
a. Is incorporated or its satellite operation is incorporated as a for-profit corporation,
passthrough entity, or joint venture;
b. Is in compliance with the requirements for filings with the insurance commissioner
under the securities laws of this state;
c. Has North Dakota residents as a majority of its employees in the North Dakota
principal office or the North Dakota satellite operation;
d. Has its principal office in this state and has the majority of its business activity
performed in this state, except sales activity, or has a significant operation in
North Dakota that has or is projected to have more than ten employees or one
hundred fifty thousand dollars of sales annually; and
e. Relies on innovation, research, or the development of new products and
processes in its plans for growth and profitability.
5. "Taxpayer" means an individual, estate, or trust or a corporation, passthrough entity, or
an angel fund. The term does not include a real estate investment trust.
### § 57-38.5-02. Certification - Investment reporting by qualified businesses - Maximum

investments in qualified businesses.
1. The director shall certify whether a business that has requested to become a qualified
business meets the requirements of section 57-38.5-01. The director shall establish
the necessary forms and procedures for certifying qualified businesses.
2. A qualified business may apply to the director for a recertification. Only one
recertification is available to a qualified business. The application for recertification
must be filed with the director within ninety days before the original certification expiry
date. The recertification issued by the director must comply with the provisions of
subsection 3.
3. A certification letter must be issued by the director to the qualified business. The
certification letter must include:
a. The certification effective date.
b. The certification expiry date. The expiry date may not be more than four years
from the certification effective date.
4. The maximum aggregate amount of qualified investments a qualified business may
receive for all tax years is limited to five hundred thousand dollars under this chapter.
The tax credit allowed on qualified investments in a qualified business must be allowed
to taxpayers in the chronological order of the taxpayer's qualified investments as
determined from the forms filed under section 57-38.5-07. The limitation on
investments under this subsection may not be interpreted to limit additional investment
by a taxpayer for which that taxpayer is not applying for a credit.
### § 57-38.5-03. Seed capital investment tax credit.

If a taxpayer makes a qualified investment in a qualified business, the taxpayer is entitled to
a credit against state income tax liability under section 57-38-30 or 57-38-30.3.

1. The amount of the credit to which a taxpayer is entitled is forty-five percent of the
amount invested by the taxpayer in qualified businesses during the taxable year.
2. The maximum annual credit a taxpayer may claim under this section is not more than
one hundred twelve thousand five hundred dollars. This subsection may not be
interpreted to limit additional investment by a taxpayer for which that taxpayer is not
applying for a credit.
3. Any amount of credit under subsection 1 not allowed because of the limitation in
subsection 2 may be carried forward for up to four taxable years after the taxable year
in which the investment was made.
4. A passthrough entity that invests in a qualified business must be considered to be the
taxpayer for purposes of the investment limitations in this section and the amount of
the credit allowed with respect to a passthrough entity's investment in a qualified
business must be determined at the passthrough entity level. The amount of the total
credit determined at the passthrough entity level must be allowed to the partners,
shareholders, or members in proportion to their respective interests in the passthrough
entity.
5. An investment made in a qualified business from the assets of a retirement plan is
deemed to be the retirement plan participant's investment for the purpose of this
chapter if a separate account is maintained for the plan participant and the participant
directly controls where the account assets are invested.
6. The investment must be made on or after the certification effective date and must be at
risk in the business to be eligible for the tax credit under this section. An investment for
which a credit is received under this section must remain in the business for at least
three years. Investments placed in escrow do not qualify for the credit.
7. The entire amount of an investment for which a credit is claimed under this section
must be expended by the qualified business for plant, equipment, research and
development, marketing and sales activity, or working capital for the qualified
business.
8. A taxpayer who owns a controlling interest in the qualified business or who receives
more than fifty percent of the taxpayer's gross annual income from the qualified
business is not entitled to a credit under this section. A member of the immediate
family of a taxpayer disqualified by this subsection is not entitled to the credit under
this section. For purposes of this subsection, "immediate family" means the taxpayer's
spouse, parent, sibling, or child or the spouse of any such person.
9. The tax commissioner may disallow any credit otherwise allowed under this section if
any representation by a business in the application for certification as a qualified
business proves to be false or if the taxpayer or qualified business fails to satisfy any
conditions under this section or any conditions consistent with this section otherwise
determined by the tax commissioner. The commissioner has four years after the due
date of the return or after the return was filed, whichever period expires later, to audit
the credit and assess additional tax that may be found due to failure to comply with the
provisions of this chapter. The amount of any credit disallowed by the tax
commissioner that reduced the taxpayer's income tax liability for any or all applicable
tax years, plus penalty and interest as provided under section 57-38-45, must be paid
by the taxpayer.
10. An angel fund that invests in a qualified business must be considered to be the
taxpayer for purposes of the investment limitations in this section. The amount of the
credit allowed with respect to an angel fund's investment in a qualified business must
be determined at the angel fund level. The amount of the total credit determined at the
angel fund level must be allowed to the investors in the angel fund in proportion to the
investor's respective interests in the fund. An angel fund that is subject to the tax
imposed under chapter 57-38 is not eligible for the investment tax credit under this
chapter.

### § 57-38.5-04. Taxable year for seed capital investment tax credit.

The tax credit under section 57-38.5-03 must be credited against the taxpayer's income tax
liability for the taxable year in which the investment in the qualified business was received by
the qualified business.
### § 57-38.5-04.1. Credit for investments made before 2005.

Expired under 2005 S.L., ch. 151, § 25.
### § 57-38.5-05. Seed capital investment tax credit limits.

The aggregate amount of seed capital investment tax credit allowed for investments under
this chapter is limited to three million five hundred thousand dollars for each calendar year. If
investments in qualified businesses reported to the commissioner under section 57-38.5-07
exceed the limits on tax credits for investments imposed by this section, the credit must be
allowed to taxpayers in the chronological order of their investments in qualified businesses as
determined from the forms filed under section 57-38.5-07.
### § 57-38.5-06. Seed capital investment tax credit - Procedure - Rules.

To receive the tax credit provided by section 57-38.5-03, a taxpayer must claim the credit on
the taxpayer's annual state income tax return in the manner prescribed by the tax commissioner
and file with the return a copy of the form issued by the qualified business as to the taxpayer's
investment in the qualified business under section 57-38.5-07.
### § 57-38.5-07. Investment reporting forms.

Within thirty days after the date on which an investment in a qualified business is
purchased, the qualified business shall file with the tax commissioner and the director and
provide to the investor completed forms prescribed by the tax commissioner which show as to
each investment in the qualified business the following:
1. The name, address, and social security number of the taxpayer who made the
investment.
2. The dollar amount paid for the investment by the taxpayer.
3. The date on which full consideration was received by the qualified business for the
investment.
### § 57-38.5-08. Rules and administration.

The tax commissioner is charged with administration of this chapter as it relates to an
income tax credit and has the same powers as provided under section 57-38-56 for purposes of
this chapter. The director is charged with administration of this chapter as it relates to
certification of qualified businesses and the commissioner of commerce may adopt rules for that
purpose.
