Tax Credit
Provincial
Active
Saskatchewan Small and Medium Enterprise Investment Tax Credit (SMEITC)
Government of Saskatchewan — Ministry of Finance (administered with the Ministry of Trade and Export Development)
Maximum Credit
Investor receives a 45% non-refundable tax credit — maximum tax...
Program runs July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028; $7M annual cap first-come fi...
Difficulty
Hard
Payment
Tax Credit Offset
Trend
New Program
First-Timers
—
Credit rate
45%
Saskatchewan Small and Medium Enterprise Investment Tax Credit (SMEITC) provides up to Investor receives a 45% non-refundable tax credit — maximum tax credit of $225,000 per annual investment, with a claim cap of $140,000 in credits per year per eligible investment (unused amounts carry forward up to 7 years). Qualified companies can raise up to $4,000,000 cumulative in eligible investments. A 45% non-refundable tax credit awarded to INVESTORS (not the company) who purchase newly-issued equity in Saskatchewan small and medium manufacturing enterprises. Program runs July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028; $7M annual cap first-come first-served.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
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Program Description
A 45% non-refundable tax credit awarded to INVESTORS (not the company) who purchase newly-issued equity in Saskatchewan small and medium manufacturing enterprises. Three-year pilot running July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028. Companies in food & beverage manufacturing, machinery manufacturing, or transportation equipment manufacturing can raise up to $4M in eligible investments; the $7M annual cap on total credits across the province is first-come first-served. Program opened to applications on November 21, 2025.
Eligibility Requirements
- Company must be Saskatchewan-based with a permanent establishment in the province
- Company must have between 5 and 49 employees
- At least 50% of company employees must reside in Saskatchewan
- Company must operate in one of three sectors: food & beverage manufacturing, machinery manufacturing, or transportation equipment manufacturing
- Company must apply for and receive eligibility certification before raising investment capital
- Each investor must separately create an account on the SMEITC Online Application Portal, register as an investor, and receive their own notification of eligibility from the Ministry of Trade and Export Development
- Investors: minimum $25,000 investment (individuals) or $50,000 (corporations)
- Investors: must hold the investment for a minimum of 3 years
- Investors must be purchasing newly-issued equity (not secondary-market shares)
Provinces
Industries
Business Stage
Quick Assessment
Difficulty
Hard
Competition
Low
First-Timer
Not rated
Funding Details
- Amount
- Investor receives a 45% non-refundable tax credit — maximum tax credit of $225,000 per annual investment, with a claim cap of $140,000 in credits per year per eligible investment (unused amounts carry forward up to 7 years). Qualified companies can raise up to $4,000,000 cumulative in eligible investments.
- Type
- Tax Credit
- Level
- Provincial
- Credit rate
- Up to 45% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Program runs July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028; $7M annual cap first-come first-served
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Competition
Low
Deadline
Jun 30, 2028
Approval
Entitlement
Accessibility
--/5
Competition
--/5
Approval Rate
--%
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How to claim
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
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Insider TipApply for eligibility certification BEFORE you begin fundraising conversations with investors — the certificate is what makes your offering attractive to investors (they need it to claim the credit).
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Success Profile
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Evaluation Criteria
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The pitfalls, the checklist and the reviewer notes are in the Playbook below. See what it includes ↓
What's in this Playbook
Everything you need to claim SMEITC
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 9-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 8-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 5-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what the program administrators check
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Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
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8 steps
9 docs
Application Steps
1
Confirm sector and operational eligibility Verify that primary revenue activity falls within food & beverage manufacturing, machinery manufacturing, or transportation equipment manufacturing (NAICS-aligned). Confirm employee count (5-49), Saskatchewan residency (50%+), and permanent SK establishment. If any test fails, SMEITC is not available.
Required Documents 9
✓ Company eligibility application with ownership/control documentation
✓ Employee roster demonstrating 5-49 employees with 50%+ Saskatchewan residency
Eligible Expenses 6
Ineligible Expenses 6
Claim timing
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
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Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
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5 partners
Compatible Programs
Saskatchewan Technology Startup Incentive (STSI)
Federal SR&ED Tax Credit
Saskatchewan Manufacturing and Processing Profits Tax Reduction
Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP)
SaskPower CEOP (for non-manufacturing energy projects)
Combined Funding Potential
See your total funding potential
Clawback Risk
High Risk
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How SMEITC Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saskatchewan Small and Medium Enterpr... | up to $4,000,000 | Hard | Tax Credit Offset | Program runs July 1,... |
| Canada Small Business Financing Program | Up to $1.15 million | Easy | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing |
| Strategic Response Fund (formerly Str... | Minimum $10 million contribution | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing — continuous... |
| CanExport SMEs | Up to $50,000 | Moderate | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Between intakes — the... |
| Ontario Innovation Tax Credit | Up to 8% tax credit | Moderate | Tax Credit Offset | Ongoing |
Related Programs
Other programs you might be eligible for
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about SMEITC
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Can my company apply if we have 50 employees?
No — SMEITC requires 5-49 employees. Companies with 50+ employees are ineligible. Verify your headcount before applying for certification.
What's the minimum investment per investor?
Individuals must invest $25,000 minimum; corporations $50,000 minimum. Investors must be accredited and hold shares for 3+ years to qualify for the credit.
How does the annual $7M cap work?
Saskatchewan publishes a yearly limit of $7 million on the total non-refundable tax credits awarded, processed first-come, first-served. It does not publish a reset date, so treat the envelope as something that can run out and get your certification and raise moving as early as you can rather than timing it to a particular month.
Can I stack SMEITC with SR&ED?
Yes — SMEITC is an investor-side credit; SR&ED is company-side. They're fully compatible. Use SR&ED for R&D expenses and SMEITC to attract investors.
Why do applications get rejected?
Common rejections: company outside eligible sectors (food, machinery, transport equipment), employee count outside 5-49 range, or applying for certification AFTER raising capital.
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Full Playbook: SMEITC
8 steps · 9 docs · reviewer insights