Goa Land/Built-Up Area Rebate Scheme — Up to ₹1.5 Cr for IT Units

This is a capital support measure run by the Department of Information Technology, Government of Goa, notified in 2018 as one of the state's Information Technology Policy Schemes. It pays a one-time rebate to IT units that buy property in Goa — either land on which they will create their own office space, or ready built-up office space to operate from.

The purpose is to bring down the upfront cost of putting down roots in the state. Premises are usually the heaviest line item for a growing technology company, so a rebate against that bill makes Goa a more workable base both for firms already operating there and for firms weighing a move. In return, the state gains technology investment, employment and wider economic activity.

A unit must pick one of two routes, because the scheme funds either the purchase of land for IT offices or the purchase of ready office space, not both together. The land route carries the higher ceiling of ₹1.5 crore; the built-up route tops out at ₹1 crore. What a unit finally receives also depends on its payroll, including how many of its people are of Goan origin or are Goan graduates. Applications run on a rolling basis, so there is no closing date to plan around.

• One-time rebate of up to ₹1.5 crore where an IT unit buys land to create office space in Goa
• Up to ₹1 crore where the unit buys ready built-up office space instead — only one route can be chosen
• Land rebate computed at ₹40,000 per male employee and ₹50,000 per female employee, capped at 60% of land cost
• Payout scaled pro-rata between 50% and 100% by the share of Goan origin or Goan graduate employees
• Applications accepted year-round, and can be filed quarterly, half-yearly or annually after the expenditure is incurred
• Approval timeline: scrutiny in 30 days, Empowered Committee decision in 60 days, disbursal within 90 days

The basic test is location and business form. Your unit must carry out IT operations in Goa, and it must be one of the recognised entity types the scheme accepts:

• Proprietorship firms
• Private limited companies
• Public limited companies
• Registered partnership firms
• Limited liability partnerships (LLPs)

Paperwork that must be in place. The bank accounts of the unit and/or its partners or directors must be linked to Aadhaar, and the applicant unit must produce Udyog Aadhaar registration.

Track record on the premises and the payroll. The unit needs to have run its operations from that office space for more than one year before the rebate can be claimed, and the employees counted towards the incentive must have been on the company's rolls for a minimum of one year. Direct employment should be proportionate to the built-up area, at up to 80 sq ft per employee.

Delivery against your own plan. The unit is expected to achieve the investment and employment targets set out in its business plan.

Goa Land/Built-Up Area Rebate Scheme — Up to ₹1.5 Cr for IT Units is open to startups at any stage. It is open to startups registered anywhere in India.

Goa Land/Built-Up Area Rebate Scheme — Up to ₹1.5 Cr for IT Units accepts applications on a rolling basis — there is no fixed cut-off date, so eligible startups can apply at any time. Because rolling programmes can pause without notice, confirm the window is still open on the official site before you start.

Land purchase — up to ₹1.5 crore. A unit that buys land to create IT office space can claim a one-time rebate calculated at ₹40,000 per male employee and ₹50,000 per female employee, subject to a ceiling of 60% of the land cost as determined by the Consideration Amount.

Built-up office space — up to ₹1 crore. Where the unit instead buys ready built-up office space, the one-time rebate is capped at ₹1 crore and is further limited to 20% of the cost of that space as determined by the Consideration Amount.

Goan employee loading. The portion of the rebate actually disbursed moves on a pro-rata scale between 50% and 100%, set by the proportion of employees of Goan origin or Goan graduates on the company's rolls.

Only one of the two rebates can be taken by a single unit, and the amount is released in three tranches. Because this is a subsidy rather than an investment, no equity or ownership stake changes hands.

Goa Land/Built-Up Area Rebate Scheme — Up to ₹1.5 Cr for IT Units is offered by Department of Information Technology, Government of Goa, a government body. As a government-backed subsidy, it is publicly funded and open to eligible startups across India.

Once an application is filed, it moves through a defined approval chain:

• Scrutiny — within 30 days. The application is checked against a checklist within 30 days of receipt.
• Empowered Committee — within 60 days. The reviewed application is examined and approved by an Empowered Committee within 60 days.
• Sanction and disbursal — within 90 days. Sanction orders are issued, and disbursement begins within 90 days of the original application being received.
• Installment review. At the end of each installment period the unit is evaluated again to confirm it still qualifies for the following tranche of the rebate.

Before you apply to Goa Land/Built-Up Area Rebate Scheme — Up to ₹1.5 Cr for IT Units, keep the following documents ready:

• A pitch deck or short business plan describing the problem, product and traction
• Company registration documents and PAN
• Founder identification (PAN / Aadhaar) and brief profiles
• Recent financial statements or projections
• Product details — a demo, prototype or working link if available

Exact requirements are confirmed on the official application portal — treat this as a preparation checklist.

Goa Land/Built-Up Area Rebate Scheme — Up to ₹1.5 Cr for IT Units is best suited for startups in India seeking non-dilutive funding of ₹15Cr. If that describes your startup, review the eligibility criteria above before applying.