O.C.G.A. § 48-7-103 (2019)

quarterly or monthly payments. For any one taxable year the amounts taken as a credit against taxes imposed under this article and against the business enterprise’s quarterly or monthly payments under Code Section 48-7-103 may not in the aggregate exceed $5,250.00 per eligible full-time employee job. Each employee whose employer receives credit against such business enterprise’s quarterly or monthly payment under Code Section 48-7-103 shall receive a credit against his or her income tax liability under Code Section 48-7-20 for the corresponding taxable year for the full amount which would be credited against such liability prior to the application of the credit provided for in this subsection. Credits against quarterly or monthly payments under Code Section 48-7-103 and credits against liability under Code Section 48-7-20 established by this subsection shall not constitute income to the taxpayer. To qualify for a credit under this subsection, the employer must make health insurance coverage available to the employee filling the new full-time job; provided, however, that nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require the employer to pay for all or any part of health insurance coverage for such an employee in order to claim the credit provided for in this subsection if such employer does not pay for all or any part of health insurance coverage for other employees.

(e) The number of new full-time jobs to which this Code section shall be applicable shall be determined by comparing the monthly average number of eligible full-time employees subject to Georgia income tax withholding for the taxable year with the corresponding period for the prior taxable year.

(f) Subject to the requirements of division (a)(4)(B)(iii) of this Code section, the sale, merger, acquisition, or bankruptcy of any business enterprise shall not create new eligibility in any succeeding business entity, but any unused job tax credit may be transferred and continued by any transferee of the business enterprise. (g) To qualify for the credit provided by this Code section, a new full-time job must be created by the close of the seventh taxable year following the business enterprise’s withholding start date, unless the purchase or acquisition of qualified investment property is made as provided in paragraph (5) of subsection (a) of this Code section, in which case a new full-time job must be created by the close of the eighth taxable year following the business enterprise’s withholding start date based on a $600 million qualified investment or the end of the tenth taxable year based on an $800 million qualified investment.

(h) Any credit claimed under this Code section but not fully used in the manner prescribed in subsection (d) of this Code section may be carried forward for ten years from the close of the taxable year in which the qualified job was established.

(i)(1) Except as provided in subsection (g) of this Code section and paragraph (2) of this subsection, a taxpayer who is entitled to and takes credits provided by this Code section for a qualified project shall not be allowed to take any of the credits authorized by Code Section 48-7-40, 48-7-40.1, 48-7-40.2, 48-7-40.3, 48-7-40.4, 48-7-40.6, 48-7-40.7, 48-7-40.8, 48-7-40.9, 48-7-40.10, 48-7-40.15, 48-7-40.17, or 48-7-40.18 for jobs, investments, child care, or ground-water usage shifts created by, arising from, related to, or connected in any way with the same project. Provided such taxpayer otherwise qualifies, such taxpayer may take any credit authorized by Code Section 48-7-40.5 for the costs of retraining an employee located at the site or sites of such project or the facility or facilities resulting therefrom, but only for costs incurred more than five years after the date the facility or facilities first become operational.

(2) On and after July 1, 2021, a taxpayer who is entitled to and takes credits authorized by this Code section for a high-impact aerospace defense project as such term is defined in Code Section 48-7-40.25 may also take the credits authorized by Code Section 48-7-40.17 for such project; provided, however, that the taxpayer may not take the credits authorized by this Code section and Code Section 48-7-40.17 with respect to such project in the same taxable year.

(j) Except under those circumstances described in subsection (k) of this Code section, the taxpayer shall, not more than 60 days after the close of the sixth taxable year following its withholding start date, file a report with the commissioner concerning the number of eligible full-time employee jobs created by such project; the wages of such jobs; the qualified investment property purchased or acquired by the taxpayer for the project; and any other information that the commissioner may reasonably require in order to determine whether the taxpayer has met the job creation requirement and either the payroll requirement or the qualified investment property requirement, as selected by the taxpayer, for such project. If the taxpayer has failed to meet any applicable job creation, payroll, or qualified investment property requirement, the taxpayer shall forfeit the right to claim any credits provided by this Code section for such project. A taxpayer that forfeits the right to claim such credits is liable for all past taxes imposed by this article and all past payments under Code Section 48-7-103 that were foregone by the state as a result of the credits, plus interest at the rate established by Code Section 48-2-40 computed from the date such taxes or payments would have been due if the credits had not been taken. No later than 90 days after notification from the commissioner that any applicable job creation, payroll, or qualified investment property requirement was not met, the taxpayer shall file amended income tax and withholding tax returns for all affected periods that recalculate those liabilities without regard to the forfeited credits and shall pay any additional amounts shown on such returns, with interest as provided by Code Section 48-2-40. On such amended returns the taxpayer may claim any credit to which it would have been entitled under this article but for having taken the credit provided by this Code section.

(k) If the recapture period applicable to a qualified project begins with or before the sixth taxable year following the taxpayer’s withholding start date, or with or before the eighth taxable year following the taxpayer’s withholding start date if the project falls within the $600 million in qualified investment property category, or within the tenth taxable year following the taxpayer’s withholding start date if the project falls within the $800 million in qualified investment property category, the taxpayer shall, not later than 60 days after the close of the taxable year immediately preceding the recapture period, file a report with the commissioner concerning the number of eligible full-time employee jobs created by such project; the wages of such jobs; the qualified investment property purchased or acquired by the taxpayer for the project; and any other information that the commissioner may reasonably require in order to verify that the taxpayer met the job creation requirement and either the payroll requirement or the qualified investment property requirement in such preceding year.

(l) Not more than 60 days after the close of each taxable year within the recapture period, the taxpayer shall file a report, using such form and providing such information as the commissioner may reasonably require, concerning whether it met the job maintenance requirement and, if applicable, the payroll maintenance requirement for such year. For purposes of this subsection, whether such job maintenance requirement has been satisfied shall be determined by comparing the monthly average number of eligible full-time employees subject to Georgia income tax withholding for the taxable year with 1,800. For purposes of this subsection, whether such payroll maintenance requirement has been satisfied shall be determined by comparing the total annual Georgia W-2 reported payroll with respect to a qualified project for the taxable year with $150 million. If the taxpayer has failed to meet the job maintenance requirement or payroll maintenance requirement, or both, for such year, the taxpayer shall forfeit the right to 20 percent of all credits provided by this Code section for such project. A taxpayer that forfeits such right is liable for 20 percent of all past taxes imposed by this article and all past payments under Code Section 48-7-103 that were foregone by the state as a result of the credits provided by this Code section, plus interest at the rate established by Code Section 48-2-40 computed from the date such taxes or payments would have been due if the credits had not been taken. No later than 90 days after notification by the commissioner that the taxpayer has failed to meet the job maintenance requirement or payroll maintenance requirement, or both, for such year, the taxpayer shall file amended income tax and withholding tax returns for all affected periods that recalculate those liabilities without regard to the forfeited credits and shall pay any additional amounts shown on such returns, with interest as provided by Code Section 48-2-40.

(m) A taxpayer that fails to meet the job maintenance requirement or payroll maintenance requirement, or both, for any taxable year within the recapture period because of force majeure may petition the commissioner for relief from such requirement. Such a petition must be made with and at the same time as the report required by subsection (l) of this Code section. If the commissioner determines that force majeure materially affected the taxpayer’s ability to meet the job maintenance requirement or payroll maintenance requirement, or both, for such year, but that the portion of the year so affected was six months or less, for purposes of the job maintenance requirement the commissioner shall calculate the taxpayer’s monthly average number of eligible full-time employees for purposes of subsection (l) of this Code section by disregarding the affected months and for purposes of the payroll maintenance requirement the commissioner shall annualize the total Georgia W-2 reported payroll with respect to a qualified project for the portion of the year not so affected. If the commissioner determines that the affected portion of the year was more than six months, the taxable year shall be disregarded in its entirety for purposes of the job maintenance requirement or payroll maintenance requirement, or both, and the recapture period applicable to the qualified project shall be extended for an additional year.

(n) Unless more time is allowed therefor by Code Section 48-7-82 or 48-2-49, the commissioner may make any assessment attributable to the forfeiture of credits claimed under this Code section for the periods covered by any amended returns filed by a taxpayer pursuant to subsection (j) or (l) of this Code section within one year from the date such returns are filed. If the taxpayer fails to file the reports or any amended return required by subsection (j) or (l) of this Code section, the commissioner may assess additional tax or other amounts attributable to the forfeiture of credits claimed under this Code section at any time.

(o) Projects certified by the panel pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection (b) of this Code section before January 1, 2009, shall be governed by this Code section as it was in effect for the taxable year the project was certified.

(p) Any taxpayer whose qualified project is certified on or after June 30, 2021, pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection (b) of this Code section that subsequently claims the tax credit available under subsection (d) of this Code section in connection with the qualified project shall report annually to a panel composed of the commissioner of community affairs, the commissioner of economic development, and the director of the Office of Planning and Budget, the total number of such taxpayer’s full-time employees working at the qualified project and the total amount of qualified investment property made into the qualified project. Such reports shall be due by December 31 of each year. This annual reporting requirement will extend through the end of the recapture period as defined in paragraph (13) of subsection (a) of this Code section.

(q) Notwithstanding Code Sections 48-2-15, 48-7-60, and 48-7-61, such panel shall compile the annual reports provided pursuant to paragraph (p) of this Code section, and beginning June 30, 2026, and every two years thereafter, shall furnish a compiled report to the chairperson of the House Committee on Ways and Means and the chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee. Such compiled report shall aggregate the annual reports supplied by taxpayers whose qualified projects are subject to the reporting requirement in subsection (p) of this Code section.

(r) The commissioner shall promulgate any rules and regulations necessary to implement and administer this Code section.