Film Tax Credit Program

The Film Tax Credit Program provides incentives to qualified production companies that produce feature films, television series, relocated television series, television pilots, films for television, and/or incur post-production costs associated with the original creation of these productions.

Eligible production can receive refundable credit of up to 30% of production costs incurred in New York State.

Additional credit may be available for productions with budgets over $500,000 in select NYS Counties. 

Eligibility:

The following guidelines are required to qualify for NYS Film Tax Credit Program: 

• Production must be a feature length film, television series, or television pilot
• Productions with budgets of $15 million or more and owned by a publically traded entity must shoot 10% of principal photography shooting days at a qualified production facility. (Television Pilots, and independent productions with budgets of $15 million or less are exempt from this rule)
• Television Pilots must film a minimum of one day of principal photography at a QPF.
• Productions with budgets of $15 million or less and independently operated must film a minimum of one day at qualified production facility.
•  If a production will be filming at multiple production facilities, then 75% of total incurred costs related to filming at production facilities must be incurred at qualified production facility. 

If QPF requirements are met the following requirements must be met to qualify for pre-production, production, and post-production credit:

• If expenditures at QPF total $3 million or less, then 75% of location shoot days (shoot days not filmed in a production facility) must be filmed in New York State.
• If expenditures at QPF total more than $3millon then all qualified expenditures incurred during production in New York State are eligible for credit.

Detailed information and applications can be located here