The next application period for California’s newly-expanded film/TV tax credit program begins Monday. The California Film Commission will accept applications July 13-25 for non-independent feature films and independent projects. This second allocation round includes $48.3 million for non-independents and $6.9 million for indies.
The online application portal will go live on Monday at 8:00 a.m. PDT. Projects will be selected for tax credits based on their jobs ratio score, which ranks each project according to wages paid to below-the-line workers, as well as qualified spending for vendor payments, equipment, etc., plus other criteria. The top ranked projects (based on jobs ratio score) will be notified on July 27 to begin Phase 2 of the process. In Phase 2, applicants must submit all required documents within three business days. The film commission expects to notify applicants selected to receive tax credits by mid-August.
This second application/allocation round follows the program’s first application period May 11-17 for non-independent TV projects. During that round, a total of $55.2 million in credits was allocated for seven new TV series and pilots, along with $27.6 million for four series relocating to California from out of state. These allocations combined for a total of $82.8 million of the first fiscal-year’s $230 million in funding (another $100 million in fiscal year funding was allocated to the final year of the state’s expiring, first-generation tax credit program).
The online application portal can be accessed at www.taxcredit.film.ca.gov. Detailed information regarding procedures, eligibility and program guidelines is available at www.film.ca.gov/incentives.
