INCENTIVES & GRANTS

Along with Austin's great crews and diverse locations, we also have two competitive incentive programs available to productions that film locally through both The State of Texas and the City of Austin. In addition to incentives, there are a number of money saving tax exemptions available to productions working in the state, as well as a generous grant program for Texas filmmakers.

STATE & CITY INCENTIVES

TEXAS MOVING IMAGE INDUSTRY INCENTIVE PROGRAM
Administered by the Texas Film Commission, the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program is cash grant based on in-state spending on feature film, television and commercial projects that offers up to 22.5% back depending on production spend.

The incentive has three tiers based on spend:

5% for $250,000 - $1 million
10% for $1 million - $3.5 million
20% for $3.5 million & up

An additional 2.5% is available to productions that film in underutilized areas:
A Map of Austin’s Under Utilized Areas

The incentive is based on wages, invoices and petty cash:

70% of paid crew and 70% of paid cast (including extras) must be Texas residents.
60% of total production days must be completed in Texas.

For questions and additional information, please contact:
filmincentive@gov.texas.gov
512-463-9200

AUSTIN CREATIVE CONTENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM
Administered by the City of Austin – Economic Development Department, the Austin Creative Content Incentive Program offers incentives of up to 0.75% to qualifying film and television productions.

0.50% of wages paid to local residents (Austin Metro Area).
0.25% if the project is produced by Austin-based company or promotes Austin.

For questions and additional information, please contact:
Arnie Jacob
Arnie.Jacob@austintexas.gov
512-974-7819

TAX EXEMPTIONS & REFUNDS

SALES TAX EXEMPTIONS
Production companies may use tax exemption on items rented or purchased for direct use in the production of a motion picture, television and commercial project.

HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX EXEMPTIONS
Refund on the hotel occupancy tax for hotel rooms occupied for at least 30 consecutive days. The Hotel must be notified at check-in for the tax to be waived at checkout.

TAX REFUNDS ON FUELS USED OFF ROAD
Refund of taxes paid on gasoline used for off-road machines like generators, boats and tractors.

FILM PRODUCTION GRANTS

AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY GRANT
The Austin Film Society annually awards grants to emerging film and video artists in the state of Texas through the AFS Grant Program. Since 1996, $1.6 million in cash has been given to over 421 film projects. In addition to grants for production, post-production and distribution, AFS also provides stipends to filmmakers traveling to film festivals through their Travel Grant program.

FILM FESTIVAL GRANTS

CITY OF AUSTIN CULTURAL FUNDING GRANT
The City of Austin provides cultural arts programs for the Austin community by contracting with arts organizations for specific services. These contracts are referred to as Cultural Services Agreements, or Cultural Contracts, which can be applied for by events like film festivals.