Buying Ohio tax credits: which Ohio credits can be transferred and which are refundable
By the Tax Field Guide editorial team. Published 2026-11-04. Facts checked 2026-11-04. Related strategies: Purchased Energy Credits.
Education only; not tax, legal or investment advice. Tax rules change, and how they apply depends on your facts. No outcome is guaranteed.
People with Ohio tax liability sometimes look for state credits they can buy at a discount. In Ohio, only a few credits can change hands, and the two best known (film and historic preservation) are refundable instead. This guide sorts Ohio's credits by what the statutes allow. For every Ohio incentive we track, see the Ohio state page.
Ohio credits the statute lets you transfer
Transformational mixed use development (TMUD) credit
The TMUD credit is up to 10% of eligible expenditures on large mixed-use projects certified by the Department of Development, capped at $20 million per project. The Department may preliminarily approve up to $125 million of new credits in each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027, with no more than $85 million for projects within ten miles of a major city.1 An applicant that is preliminarily approved may sell or transfer all or part of the credit to one or more persons and must notify the director, identifying each buyer and the amount transferred; a credit may be divided among several purchasers.1 The application may also ask that part of the credit be issued to an insurance company or financial institution.1
Ohio opportunity zone investment credit
Investors in Ohio qualified opportunity funds can apply for a nonrefundable credit of 10% of the amount the fund invested in Ohio opportunity zones, up to $2 million per applicant per biennium, within an annual program limit.2 The statute allows the original certificate holder to transfer the credit.2
Ohio low-income housing tax credit (allocation, not open sale)
Ohio's housing credit is a nonrefundable credit for qualified low-income buildings that also receive the federal credit, with reservations capped at $100 million per fiscal year and none after June 30, 2027.3 The project owner can allocate the credit among equity owners identified to the Department, but the statute bars assigning a carryforward once the annual credit is claimed.3 In practice this is invested in through a project partnership, not bought as a loose certificate.
Ohio credits that are refundable instead
- Motion picture and Broadway theatrical production credit: 30% of eligible spend over $300,000, refundable, no transfer provision. See the Ohio film tax credit guide.4
- Historic preservation credit: 25% of qualified rehabilitation expenditures (35% in smaller communities), refunded above the tax owed within annual limits; ORC 149.311 has no transfer provision.5
Before you buy
Ask for the Department of Development certificate or preliminary approval, the notice of transfer filed with the director, and the years in which the credit can be claimed. Review the questions to ask a tax credit broker, and see firms in the advisor directory whose own sites describe Ohio TMUD and opportunity zone credit work.
Common questions
Can I buy Ohio historic tax credits?
ORC 149.311 does not provide for transfers; the credit is refundable to the owner instead, so there is no certificate to buy.
Which Ohio tax credits are transferable?
The transformational mixed use development credit and the Ohio opportunity zone investment credit; housing credits can be allocated among a project's equity owners.
Education only; not tax, legal or investment advice. Talk to a qualified professional before acting.
Sources
- Ohio Revised Code 122.09, https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-122.09
- Ohio Revised Code 122.84, https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-122.84
- Ohio Revised Code 175.16, https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-175.16
- Ohio Revised Code 122.85, https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-122.85
- Ohio Revised Code 149.311, https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-149.311