Montana Economic Development Industry Advancement (MEDIA) Act

---

On July 1, 2019, the MEDIA Act came into affect. It offers a 20% transferable income tax credit on production expenditures in the state with additional amounts that can increase the credit up to 35% of the production company’s base investment in the tax year. These per production, additional incentives include:

• • • 25% of compensation for MT resident crew
    • 15% of compensation for non-MT resident crew
    • 20% of above-the-line compensation (actor, director, producer, writer)
    • 30% of compensation paid to a student enrolled in a MT college/university who works on the production for college credit
    • 10% of payments to MT colleges/universities for stage, equipment, rentals, or location fees for filming on campus
    • 10% of all in-studio facility/equipment expenditures that rents a studio for 20 days or more
    • 5% of expenditures in an underserved county
    • 5% for using “Film MONTANA” screen credit
    • 25% of post-production wages (Not effective until 2021)

---

Read HB 293, the MEDIA Act, HERE

Read the MEDIA Act Administrative Rules  HERE

Read the The Economic Impact of Montana Film Production Report HERE

---

Helpful Documents When Applying

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS & RECORD KEEPING TIPS
These instructions assist you with applying, the process of certification with the Montana Film Office, tips on record keeping, and submission of costs.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

---

INCENTIVE CALCULATOR ESTIMATOR
Enter potential expenditures, labor costs, and incentive percentages and calculate a possible credit total.
CREDIT CALCULATOR

---

MONTANA SECRETARY OF STATE FILING TIPS
7-10 days BEFORE applying, register your company with the Montana Secretary of State (SOS). Your online application will ask you to attach the MT SOS certification.
TIPS

---

POVERTY RATE & UNDERSERVED COUNTIES MAP
This map shows the poverty rate and underserved counties of Montana. Filming in these counties qualifies for claiming 5% of expenditures in an underserved county.
MAP

---

BUSINESS STARTUP CHECKLIST
Steps to take when starting a Montana business. (pdf)

---

MONTANA COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
30% of compensation paid to students enrolled in these Montana colleges and universities can be applied to the tax incentive if they receive college credit for working on your production. (pdf)

---

MEDIA Act Production & Post-Production Applications

MEDIA ACT APPLICATION for PRODUCTIONS
The Montana Film Office uses Submittable (cloud-based application manager) for applying to the MEDIA Act. We urge all applicants to apply to the incentive via Submittable. You will have to establish a user name and password. Apply via the Submittable button below.

A PDF version of the application is available forMEDIA Act Production Application planning purposes. You may access HERE. We discourage against applying via paper/mail applications.

---

MEDIA ACT APPLICATION for POST-PRODUCTION
The Montana Film Office uses Submittable (cloud-based application manager) for applying to the MEDIA Act. We urge all applicants to apply to the incentive via Submittable. You will have to establish a user name and password. Apply via the Submittable button below.

A PDF version of the application is available for planning purposes. You may access HERE. We discourage against applying via paper/mail applications.

---

Please call or email our office with additional questions, 406.841.2876, montanafilm@mt.gov