Film and television tax credit
Last updated on December 12, 2024The film and television tax credit is for eligible corporations that produce eligible film or video productions in British Columbia (B.C.). The credits are for domestic productions with qualifying levels of Canadian content.
The film and television tax credit program consists of six tax credits with the following tax credit rates:
- Basic tax credit (35%)
- Regional tax credit (12.5%)
- Distant location regional tax credit (6%)
- Film training tax credit (30% of payments made to trainees or 3% of qualifying BC labour expenditures, whichever is less)
- Digital animation, visual effects and post-production (DAVE) tax credit (16%)
- Scriptwriting tax credit (35%)
To calculate the amount of tax credit you are eligible for, multiply your qualified BC labour expenditure by its applicable tax credit rate.
On December 12, 2024, the Ministry of Finance announced, subject to approval of the legislature:
- The basic tax credit will increase from 35% to 36% for productions that start principal photography on or after January 1, 2025; and
- Budget 2025 will restore the regional tax credit and distant location tax credit for animated productions with a bricks-and-mortar presence in a regional or distant location
See the news release for more information.
Budget 2024 has excluded animated productions that start principal photography on or after June 1, 2024 from the regional tax credit and distant location regional tax credit.
If you don’t meet the eligibility requirements for the film and television tax credit, you may qualify for the production services tax credit program.
Claiming the credits
You can claim the credit(s) by:
- Completing the British Columbia Film and Television Tax Credit form (T1196)
- Attaching the certificate you received for your production from Creative BC. This is either the:
- Eligibility certificate (if production is not yet complete), or
- Completion certificate (if production was completed in the tax year)
- Submitting the T1196 and certificate with your T2 Corporation Income Tax Return to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
A separate T1196 and certificate is required for each production. Enter the total amount of credits from all productions you are claiming on line 671 on Schedule 5, Tax Calculation Supplementary - Corporations.
Creative BC may require up to 6 months to process certificate applications.
We strongly encourage you to apply for an eligibility certificate as early as possible in the pre-production or production stage and no later than 12 months from the end of the tax year in which principal photography began.
Creative BC recommends you submit completion certificate applications at least 6 months before the filing deadline.
For applications submitted later, Creative BC cannot guarantee it will be processed in time for you to file with the CRA before the deadline, which may result in denied claims.
For tax years beginning on or after February 19, 2020:
- You must claim the credit no later than 18 months after the end of your corporation's tax year
For tax years beginning before February 19, 2020:
- You must claim the credit no later than 36 months after the end of your corporation’s tax year
Note: The CRA must receive the T1196 form and required certificate (eligibility and/or completion) for each production by the filing deadline for each tax year or your film and television tax credit may be denied.
You can use Creative BC’s FIBC Deadline Calculator to determine your production’s certificate and tax credit claim deadlines.
The credit is fully refundable, but must first be applied against total income tax payable. There are no carry-back or carry-forward provisions.
Legislation
The following legislation applies to the film and television tax credit program:
Contact Creative BC with your questions about eligibility, applications and certificates.
Phone:
604-736-7997 (Vancouver)
Email:
info@creativebc.com
For information about the federal tax credit for Canadian film or video production, see the Canada Revenue Agency website.
Get answers to your questions about the film and television tax credit.
Contact us about policy and legislation questions for film tax credits.
Phone:
250-387-3332 (Victoria)
1-877-387-3332 (Toll free in Canada)
Email:
ITBTaxQuestions@gov.bc.ca
Contact Canada Revenue Agency about B.C. or federal tax credit claims.
Phone:
1-866-317-0473 (Vancouver)