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Watch a video about how creative industry tax reliefs work.

If you鈥檙e a company claiming tax relief you can claim Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC) on expenditure incurred from 1 January 2024 on:

• film
• high-end TV programmes
• children鈥檚 TV programmes
• animation

Who can claim

Your company must be responsible for:

• pre-production
• principal photography
• post-production
• delivery of the completed film or programme

You company must also:

• be actively engaged in planning and decision-making
• directly negotiate, contract and pay for rights, goods and services

Check if your company qualifies as the production company before claiming the relief.

Cultural test

To qualify for creative industry tax reliefs, all films and TV programmes must be certified as British. The film and TV programme must pass a cultural test or qualify through an internationally agreed co-production treaty.听

The British Film Institute manages certification and qualification on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The British Film Institute will issue:聽

• an interim certificate for uncompleted work聽

• a final certificate where production has finished聽

You can .

Check if the production qualifies for the expenditure credit

Your company can claim the expenditure credit on a film if:

• it is certified as British by the British Film Institute

• it is intended for theatrical release聽

• at least 10% of the 鈥榗ore costs鈥� are related to activities in the UK聽

A film is an animation if at least 51% of the 鈥榗ore costs鈥� are spent on animation.听

A film is an independent film if it is certified as a low-budget film by the British Film Institute. To be certified, your film must:

• begin principal photography on or after 1 April 2024
• have a UK writer or director or be an official co-production
• have 鈥榗ore costs鈥� less than 拢23.5 million

Your company can claim the expenditure credit on a TV programme if:聽

• it is certified as British by the British Film Institute

• it is intended for broadcast to the general public 鈥� this includes streaming online聽

• at least 10% of the 鈥榗ore costs鈥� relate to activities in the UK聽

• the programme is a drama, comedy, documentary, animation or children鈥檚 programme聽

A TV programme is:聽

• a children鈥檚 programme if the primary audience for the programme is expected to be under the age of 15聽

• an animation if at least 51% of the 鈥榗ore costs鈥� are spent on animation聽

Your company can claim the expenditure credit on dramas, comedies and documentaries if they:

• have average 鈥榗ore costs鈥� of at least 拢1 million for each hour of slot length聽

• have a slot length in relation to the programme which is greater than 20 minutes for each episode聽

TV programmes commissioned together are treated as one programme.听

Core costs are what is spent on pre-production, principal photography and post-production聽

You can .听

What you can claim

You can claim an expenditure credit based on a percentage of your qualifying costs. Qualifying costs will be the lower of either:

• 80% of total core costs
• the amount of UK core costs

You can claim the following expenditure credit rates:

• 39% of qualifying expenditure for children鈥檚 TV programmes, animated films and animated TV programmes
• 53% on independent films
• 34% on all other films and TV programmes

The higher rate for independent films can be claimed from 1 April 2025. It applies to costs incurred from 1 April 2024. Independent films may only claim relief on up to 拢15 million core costs.

From 1 April 2025 films and TV programmes with a rate of 34% can claim further credit for visual effects costs. Costs incurred from 1 January 2025 are eligible. Visual effects costs have a rate of 39% and are exempt from the 80% cap on total core costs.

Your company鈥檚 total expenditure credits for a period are taxed at the main rate of Corporation Tax.

They are then used to pay off your Corporation Tax liability.

They can also be used to pay off other tax liabilities if you have them, or surrendered to group companies.

If you have credit remaining after this, you will receive a payable credit for that amount.

When you can claim聽

You may make, amend or withdraw a claim for creative industry tax reliefs up to 2 years after the end of the period of account the claim relates to.

HMRC may agree to accept late claims in some circumstances.

How to claim聽

Watch a video about how to claim creative industry tax relief.

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Claim expenditure credits on your Company Tax Return.

You will need to work out the amount of expenditure credit:聽

• due to your company聽
• used to pay off your tax liabilities聽
• surrendered to group companies
• due as a payable credit聽

From 1 April 2024, all claims must be accompanied by an additional information form. You must use this form to submit the necessary evidence to support your claim.

For each production you must provide:

• a British cultural certificate from the British Film Institute 鈥� if you send an interim certificate, you must send the final certificate after the film is complete and the certificate must be in date when you submit it

• statements of the amount of core costs 鈥� split between UK and non-UK costs聽

• a breakdown of costs by category聽

• details of connected party transactions

Get more information

You can find more information, including examples of how the expenditure credit is calculated, in the creative industries expenditure credit manual.