Film and audiovisual tax credit: the role of the accountant

An audiovisual production accountant secures the film and audiovisual tax credit (CGI art. 220 sexies), manages CNC approval, ensures payroll compliance for intermittent workers (schedules 8 and 10), and correctly capitalises works on the balance sheet. Their value lies less in bookkeeping than in connecting tax, financing and social compliance, all specific to this sector.

A production company combines features a generalist firm rarely encounters. Revenue is driven by works with long cycles, funded through a blend of contributions, pre-sales, CNC subsidies and tax credits. The payroll is dominated by short contracts (fixed-term contracts of customary use) governed by a specific social regime. And each work follows a capitalised production-cost logic, far removed from the standard invoicing of services.

In the files we support, the friction points always recur in the same places: a poorly calibrated tax credit, a CNC approval filed too late, or non-compliant intermittent payroll. These are precisely the areas where a specialised chartered accountant avoids costly corrections.

The film and audiovisual tax credit (CGI art. 220 sexies, version in force since 21/02/2026) is often the first funding lever. But the exact base and rate must be right.

Watch out: total public aid cannot exceed 50 % of the budget (60 % for difficult and low-budget works). The firm's role is to assess upstream the eligibility of expenses, quantify the expected credit and integrate it into the financing plan presented to partners.

For executive productions of foreign works, the international tax credit (C2I, CGI art. 220 quaterdecies) offers a 30 % rate, raised to 40 % for fiction with at least 15 % of shots in digital processing and more than EUR 2 million in digital spending. The access threshold is EUR 250,000 of spending in France (or 50 % of the budget if it is below EUR 500,000), for expenses incurred until 31 December 2028.

The tax credit is conditional on CNC approval. Provisional approval, requested before completion, opens the right to claim expenses from the date of request. Final approval comes after completion. The underestimated risk is simple: without final approval, the tax credit already claimed must be repaid.

In practice, the firm secures the sequence: filing the provisional request before eligible expenses start, documentary follow-up during production, then assembling the final file. It is as much a matter of timing as of figures.

Technicians (schedule 8) and artists (schedule 10) under the unemployment insurance rules follow distinct rules from ordinary law. Opening rights requires 507 hours over 12 months; for artists, one fee (cachet) equals 12 hours. The occasional employer who is not a live performance operator goes through the GUSO; beyond 6 performances per year, the live performance operator licence becomes mandatory, and payment must occur within 15 days.

Added to this are the specific Audiens contributions (pension and welfare) and Congés Spectacles, whose call rate stands at 15.5 % of gross pay for the period from 1/4/2025 to 31/3/2026. Payroll poorly configured on these points exposes the company to adjustments, which is why a firm experienced with this regime matters.

Since 1/1/2020, the accounting of works follows the PCG. A work in progress is recorded as an intangible asset in progress (account 231). Amortisation is calculated based on the ratio of actual revenue to forecast revenue, and the capitalised cost is taken net of CNC subsidies and aid (market practice, to be confirmed case by case). Approximate treatment distorts the result and complicates the relationship with funders.

The real value of a specialised chartered accountant lies not in reporting figures, but in three trade-offs: setting the CNC approval timeline before committing expenses, securing the tax credit base against the 50 % public-aid cap, and ensuring reliable intermittent payroll where every fee counts. These are areas where a mistake is paid in tax-credit repayment or social adjustment, rarely reversible after the fact.

A company produces a 52-minute documentary. The audiovisual tax credit applies at 25 %, within the EUR 1,450/min cap. The firm checks the eligibility of expenses, quantifies the expected credit, confirms that total public aid stays below 50 % of the budget, and schedules the provisional approval request before the first euro is committed. At completion, the final file is assembled to avoid any repayment.

• File the provisional CNC approval before committing eligible expenses
• Check the rate and per-minute cap applicable to your type of work
• Verify the 50 % (or 60 %) public-aid cap on the budget
• Configure intermittent payroll (schedules 8 and 10, GUSO if occasional)
• Provision Audiens and Congés Spectacles contributions
• Capitalise each work in account 231 and document the amortisation

Every production is a specific case: rates, caps and timeline must be validated against your budget and the nature of the work. To go further, discover our dedicated support for audiovisual production companies, and let's discuss your next project.