Reimbursement of Expenses for Startups Operating from Leased/Privately Owned Premises Scheme

What is this scheme?

Reimbursement of Expenses for Startups Operating from Leased/Privately Owned Premises Scheme is a working-capital incentive of the Startup and IT Promotion Cell (SITPC) in the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Government of Goa. It is one of the schemes drawn from Goa's Start-up Policy and is currently listed by the Department of IT among its Startup Policy 2025 schemes.

The scheme exists to close a gap. Goa's start-up support system is built largely around subsidised seats in co-working spaces, incubators and accelerators listed by the SITPC. A start-up that works out of its founder's own premises or a small rented office gets none of that. This scheme gives that start-up an equivalent benefit in the form it actually needs: money back on the recurring digital infrastructure that keeps a software business running: internet connectivity, software licence fees and cloud services fees, and, for local start-ups, help with the rent itself.

The scheme is funded from the Working Capital Fund established under the start-up policy.

Who is eligible for this reimbursement?

A start-up can apply if:

• The start-up is certified by the Startup and IT Promotion Cell and holds a valid start-up certificate number.
• The start-up is not using any government-developed co-working space, incubator or accelerator for its operations.
• The bank accounts of the directors of the company are linked to Aadhaar.
• The expenditure was incurred after the notification of the operative start-up policy, falls within its validity, and was paid digitally. Where digital payment was not possible, the SITPC may admit the expenditure at its discretion.

A start-up is not eligible if:

• It operates out of a government-developed co-working space, incubator or accelerator. That start-up should look to the Co-Working Spaces / Incubators / Accelerators Subsidy Scheme instead, which reimburses 50% of the per-seat cost up to Rs 3,000 per seat in co-working spaces, Rs 5,000 in incubators and Rs 6,000 in accelerators, for a maximum of 8 seats.
• It has no valid Goa start-up certificate number.
• It is claiming both the operating-expense benefit and the co-working subsidy for the same period, a start-up can only avail one route at any given time.

For the lease rental subsidy component there is an additional restriction: the start-up must be a local start-up, meaning at least 50% of the equity or shares is held by one or more Goans continuously since inception. A Goan for this purpose is a person born in Goa, a person holding domicile for 10 years or more in the state, or the spouse of such a person through a marriage registered in Goa.

Individuals cannot apply. This is an incentive for a certified start-up entity.

How much does the scheme pay?

There are two distinct components.

Operating expenses. For start-ups operating from privately owned premises, the cost of internet connectivity, software licence fees and cloud services fees is reimbursed subject to an upper limit of Rs 1 lakh per quarter for a period of one year. The same limit applies to start-ups operating from rented premises. Over four quarters that is up to Rs 4 lakh. Each of the two categories is capped at 20 start-ups per year, selected by the SITPC as per its guidelines.

Lease rental subsidy. For local start-ups operating out of rented premises, a lease rental subsidy of up to Rs 20 per square foot per month is reimbursed quarterly for a period of up to two years. This is subject to a cap of Rs 3 lakh per annum and can be availed by 25 start-ups each year.

A concrete example makes the rent component clear: a local start-up renting 800 square feet claims up to Rs 16,000 a month, which is Rs 1.92 lakh a year: inside the Rs 3 lakh ceiling. A start-up renting 1,500 square feet would compute Rs 30,000 a month, or Rs 3.6 lakh a year, and would receive only Rs 3 lakh because the annual cap applies.

The scheme text states that a start-up can only avail the benefits under one of the two premises clauses at any given time, and that the benefits are never an entitlement — the SITPC reserves the sole right to accept or reject applications.

How to apply for this scheme

1. Get certified as a Goa start-up. Register through startup.goa.gov.in, which routes to the start-up registration login on goaonline.gov.in. The SITPC issues the start-up certificate number that every incentive application requires.
2. Link the directors' bank accounts to Aadhaar and open or confirm a bank account in Goa, because the cancelled cheque submitted with the claim must be for a Goa account.
3. Pay every eligible bill digitally; internet, software licences, cloud services and rent, and file away the invoices from your vendors alongside the payment records. Cash payments risk the claim.
4. Assemble the documents: address proof of the operational office in Goa, the cancelled cheque, the Aadhaar card of the Director or CEO, bills and invoices from company-certified vendors, separate proofs of payment for internet, cloud and software costs, and the software licence details. For the lease rental component add the registered lease deed, the proof of payment towards lease, and the Goan domicile or residence certificate of 10 years.
5. File the application online using the "Apply Now" link against this scheme on the Startup Incentives page at startup.goa.gov.in, which opens the incentive application on goaonline.gov.in. Applications and documents may also be emailed to the cell.
6. Claim the lease rental component quarterly. The scheme text specifies that the lease rental subsidy is reimbursed quarterly, so build the claim into the start-up's quarter-end routine rather than leaving it to the year end.

What documents does the SITPC ask for?

Why claims under this scheme fail

• The start-up uses a government-developed facility. Eligibility clause 1 excludes any start-up using government co-working spaces, incubators or accelerators for its operations.
• Cash payments. Only digitally paid expenditure is considered as of right.
• Directors' bank accounts not Aadhaar-linked.
• A bank account outside Goa on the cancelled cheque.
• No registered lease deed. For the rent component the scheme asks specifically for a valid registered lease deed, not an unregistered agreement.
• Claiming lease rental subsidy without local start-up status. The 50% Goan equity condition must have held continuously since inception, not just at the date of the claim.
• The annual quota is full. With only 20 start-ups a year for operating expenses and 25 for lease rental, the SITPC selects applicants under its own guidelines, and a well-documented claim can still miss out.
• Invoices that do not match payment proofs, since bills and payment evidence are listed as separate documents.

How this scheme has changed

The Start-up Policy 2021 (amended) set the operating-expense reimbursement at a maximum of Rs 1 lakh per quarter and the lease rental subsidy at Rs 20 per square foot per month capped at Rs 3 lakh a year for two years, for local start-ups only. The Goa Startup Policy 2025 repeats both figures in identical terms, Rs 1 lakh per quarter for one year on internet, software licence and cloud costs, and Rs 20 per square foot per month capped at Rs 3 lakh a year for two years on rent. The Department of IT lists this scheme among its current Startup Policy 2025 schemes.

That continuity matters for planning: a start-up signing a two-year lease in Goa today is working with the same published rates that applied under the previous policy.

Where to get help

• Startup and IT Promotion Cell helpline: 1800-233-5060
• Email: spc-dit.goa@gov.in
• Office: IT HUB, 2nd Floor, Altinho, Panaji, Goa 403001, Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 5:30 pm
• Scheme page with the Apply Now link: startup.goa.gov.in/StartupIncentives
• Start-up registration: the start-up login on goaonline.gov.in, reached from the Startup Goa portal

There is no fee to apply. The SITPC decides on the documents filed, and the scheme is explicit that the benefit is not an entitlement.

How to check your application status

Since the claim is filed through the start-up login on goaonline.gov.in (reached from the Startup Goa portal), tracking it follows the same route as filing it, there is no separate tracking page.

1. Log in to goaonline.gov.in with the start-up credentials used to file the claim, and open the application from the applicant's dashboard. The dashboard shows the current stage of the file, for example submitted, under scrutiny with the SITPC, or a query raised for additional documents.
2. Check the registered email and phone for messages from the SITPC. Since the application mode is online through the Startup Goa portal, most status updates and queries on missing documents are communicated to the contact details entered at the time of applying, not through a public tracking number.
3. Call the helpline if the portal shows no movement. The Startup and IT Promotion Cell helpline is 1800-233-5060. Have the start-up certificate number and the application reference number ready before calling, since the cell handles incentive files for the whole Startup Policy, not only this scheme.
4. Write to the cell by email at spc-dit.goa@gov.in if the query needs supporting documents attached, quoting the start-up certificate number and the quarter or year the claim covers.
5. Visit the office in person if a claim has been pending well beyond a normal processing cycle: IT HUB, 2nd Floor, Altinho, Panaji, Goa 403001, open Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 5:30 pm.

Because the lease rental subsidy is claimed quarterly, it helps to check status separately for each quarter's filing rather than assuming one status covers the whole year's claims. There is no SMS-based status alert for this particular scheme, so the portal login and the helpline remain the two reliable channels.