Relocation and Employment Assistance Program

Businesses that are Corporations or Partnerships must have an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Sole proprietors may use their Social Security Number.

Applicants must be in business at least two years and will be required to file copies of the business' federal tax returns as proof.

The business must move at least one employee from its premises outside the eligible area to premises within the eligible area, which consists of above 96th Street in Manhattan or any of the other four boroughs: Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, or Staten Island. Within the eligible area, there is a revitalization zone. These zones are specifically designated by the City of New York. For further specific information about revitalization zones please refer to the Department of Finance contact listed below.

The property to which the business relocates must be one of the following: Eligible for the City's Industrial and Commercial Incentive Program. (Please note that Industrial and Commercial Abatement Program (ICAP), which replaced the now expired ICIP, does not provide for REAP eligibility.); Leased from the New York City Industrial Development Agency (part of the New York City Economic Development Corporation); Owned by the City; or Leased from the Port Authority or New York State Urban Development Corporation. If the premises are leased, the lease term must extend to a date that is at least three years after the date that the lease commenced or the date of relocation, whichever is later.

Expenditures must be made for improvements to the property in excess of 50% of the assessed value of the property for commercial property or in excess of 25% of the assessed value for industrial property. Expenditures of at least $25 per square foot must be made after July 1, 2003 for improvements to the premises.