InvestOhio provides a non-refundable personal income tax credit to investors that provide new equity (cash) into Ohio small businesses to acquire an ownership interest in the company. The small business is required to reinvest that infusion of cash into one of five categories of allowable expenses within six months of its receipt.

The investor must retain his or her ownership interest for a two-year holding period before the tax credit may be claimed. The small business must similarly retain the property that it purchased from the cash infusion for the entire two-year holding period.