Program Purpose

The New York State Film Production Credit program was established to attract and grow the film and television production industries throughout New York State.

 

Program Highlights

This program is a fully refundable 30% tax credit on qualified production costs incurred in New York State and is funded at $420 million per year for each of the calendar years 2010-2014.  Since its inception in 2004 the New York State Film Production Credit program has attracted 665 film and television projects, generating $10.1 billion in economic activity for New York State.

 

Eligibility

Eligible productions include:

• Feature films
• Episodic television series
• Television pilots and presentations
• Television movies and miniseries

 

“Qualified production costs” are costs for tangible property or services used or performed within New York State directly and predominantly in the production of a qualified film.  Qualified production costs generally include most below-the-line items.  See Form B and Initial Application Instructions for detailed information on specific cost that are eligible for the credit.

There are two types of eligible feature film and television productions, Level 1 and Level 2:

A Level 1 production is a qualified production that:
     a.     has a production budget of no more than $15 million, AND
     b.     is being produced by a company in which NO MORE THAN five percent of the beneficial
             ownership is owned, directly or indirectly, by a publicly traded entity.

A Level 2 production is a qualified production that:
    a.    has a production budget over $15 million, OR
    b.    is being produced by a company in which more than five percent of the beneficial ownership is owned, directly or indirectly, by a publicly traded
           entity.
 
The program also has three separate threshold requirements each of which must be separately met in order to make certain specific types of costs eligible for the credit.  The three threshold requirements are Facility Threshold, Location/Other Threshold and Post Production Threshold.  Full details about all threshold requirements can be found on the website listed below.

 

Application Process

Applications can be submitted up to 180 days but no later than 10 business days prior to the start of principal and ongoing photography. Applications submitted more than 180 days prior to the scheduled start of principal photography will not be accepted.

 

Contact Information
For more information please contact the New York State Governor’s Office for Motion Picture & Television Development at 212-803-2330.

 

Additional Resources
www.nylovesfilm.com