Incentive
20% Tax Credit
Project Criteria
• Resident ATL: None
• Resident BTL: 20 – 25% (Non-Independent Production)
• Non-Resident ATL: None
• Non-Resident BTL: 20 – 25% (Non-Independent Production)
• Minimum Spend: $1M for film, and TV series; $500k for mini-series, or MOWs.
• Project Cap: $25 million
• Compensation Cap: None
• Minimum Filming Days: 75% of principal photography
Qualified Spend/Bonus
20 – 25% on qualified expenditures including, but not limited to:
• Labor (resident, and non-resident)
• Select Fringes
• Workers Comp/Handling Fees
• Equipment
• Post
• Travel (in-state only)
• Shipping (in-state only)
• Hotel
• Completion Bond
• Insurance
• Legal Fees
• Food/Catering/Entertainment
• Working Meals
Bonus:
• All applicants are eligible to receive “uplifts,” an additional 5%, or 10% tax credit if spending occurs in any, or all of the three categories listed.
• 5% Visual Effects
• Television projects (except relocating TV series), and feature films are eligible to receive an additional 5% tax credit for visual effects.
• 10-20% 10-20% tax credit on payroll for VA residents.
• VFX expenditures in-state must equal at least $10million, or 75% of total worldwide VFX costs.
• Please refer to the qualified expenditure chart (QEC) to determine which VFX expenditures qualify for the uplift, and suggested tagging methodology.
• New Program 3.0 Requirement: VFX vendor costs may be tagged 70% labor, and 30% non-labor.
• 10-20% 10-20% tax credit on payroll for VA residents.
• 5% Out of Zone (OZ) Expenditures
• Television projects (except relocating TV series), and feature films are eligible to receive an additional 5% for filming outside the “Los Angeles Zone.”
• 10-20% 10-20% tax credit on payroll for VA residents.
• Qualified wage, and non-wage expenditures outside the LA zone are eligible for a 5% uplift – for both principal photography, and “second unit” – solely during the “applicable period.”
• Non-wage expenditures for items purchased and/or rented outside the Los Angeles zone, and totally consumed outside the LA zone will be allowed 100% of the items’ cost, as substantiated by proper documentation.
• Estimates for totally consumed items may be included in the estimated OZ qualified calculations in the application. The Budget Tagging, and Tracking Tips contains a list of consumable items.
• Non-consumable expenditures that are purchased and/or rented outside the LA zone, and are used both outside, and inside the LA zone are eligible for an uplift if they fall under a qualified non-wage category. Expenditures are calculated in the online application portal based on the percentage of the OZ principal photography days in relation to the total principal photography days in California.
• The QEC, Budget Tagging, and Tracking Tips, and the Tagging Out of Zone Expenditures video tutorial offer specific tagging methodology, and explain how to track expenditures outside the Los Angeles zone.
• “Local Hire Labor” (New to Program 3.0)
• 10% Uplift: Non-independent productions (feature films, new TV series, recurring TV series, pilots, or miniseries) are eligible to receive an additional 10% tax credit for qualified local hire labor.
• 5% Uplift: Independent films, and relocating TV series are eligible to receive an additional 5% tax credit for qualified local hire labor.
• Documentation is required (CA driver’s license, recent utility bill) to substantiate where local labor is domiciled, and should be requested by production accountants at the time of hire, and provided to the CPA performing the audit.
Program Guidelines
• Annual Cap: $330M
• Sunset Date: June 30, 2020
• Screen Credit: Yes
• CPA Audit: Yes
• Carry Forward: 9 Years
Additional Considerations
Loan-out Registration: No
Income Tax Withholding:
• Individual: Not Required
• Loan-out: Not Required
• Productions must begin principal photography within 180 days. Approved projects with a qualified expenditure budget of $100million, or more have 240 days to begin filming. (New in Program 3.0)
• Applications are ranked within categories (TV project vs. other TV projects, indie project vs. other indie projects, etc.) based upon their 'jobs ratio' score.
• $115.5M (35% of annual budget) will be allocated for non-independent features each fiscal year.
• $132M (40% of annual budget) will be allocated for new TV series, recurring TV, mini-series, and pilots each fiscal year.
Production Resources
• Studios
• Sound Stages
• Post Facilities
• Equipment
• Crew
Contact
California Film Commission
Amy Lemisch, Director
Colleen Bell, Executive Director
7080 Hollywood Blvd, Suite 900
Hollywood, CA 90028
323.860.2960
filmca@film.ca.gov(mailto:filmca@film.ca.gov)
www.film.ca.gov(http://www.film.ca.gov)