Free Production Incentive Tools Every Producer Should be Using in 2025

In today’s competitive production environment, margins are tight, and investor expectations are high. As a result, incentives are playing an increasingly important role in determining whether a project gets greenlit, the state or country selected for production, and how much budget gets allocated to on-screen value.

But every year, millions of dollars in film and television production incentives go unclaimed. Not because they’re unavailable—but because producers and production finance teams have a hard time comparing options or don’t have the bandwidth to untangle complex requirements.

To help bridge the gap, Entertainment Partners (EP) developed a comprehensive suite of free production incentive tools designed to help productions:

• Find available incentives worldwide
• Compare incentive programs to determine the best locations for your production
• Secure incentives that optimize your production budget

Incentives expertise you can trust

Productions shoot all over the globe. Tax credits and other incentives for film and television projects are available in over 100 countries and counting, giving producers more options than ever before. With all of those locations to choose from, productions can’t afford to miss out.

EP’s senior incentives specialists, on the ground in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia, operate on a global scale, helping clients maximize their returns no matter where they choose to film. Even if your target filming location isn’t one of those four jurisdictions, EP’s network reaches far and wide.

• EP's team tracks and reports on changing legislation worldwide, in partnership with film commissioners, production offices, and government agencies.
• EP's collaborative model ensures you get accurate, timely, and jurisdiction-specific guidance, whether you’re eyeing Georgia, British Columbia, Northern Ireland, Queensland, or other emerging markets.
• Productions can easily navigate incentives with confidence using EP’s advanced incentives toolkit.

Visit our Production Incentives page to explore worldwide incentive offerings to maximize your budget without the headache.

EP’s incentives toolkit: 5 free resources for every production

We understands that knowledge is power. That's why EP provides current, accurate, actionable information and interactive tools to help you compare incentive options, maximize credits, and keep up with legislative changes that can impact your cash flow.

Here’s a detailed look at the powerful incentives tools you have access to on ep.com.

1. Interactive Incentives Map

Identify global incentive opportunities without having to navigate dozens of government websites.

• What it is: An up-to-date, interactive global map that tracks film, television, and digital media incentives worldwide.
• How to use it: Scan by continent and filter by country, state, or province to instantly view incentive percentages, eligibility criteria, and application requirements for programs that match your needs.
• How it helps: Saves hours of manual research and gives you peace of mind knowing you’re making decisions based on the most current information.

EP's interactive incentives map shows you which global territories offer incentive programs.

“Productions are often debating various locations early in the planning phases,” says Vice President of Tax Incentives and Canadian Legal Affairs, Jennifer Liscio. “Whether you’re considering Los Angeles, Vancouver, London, Sydney, or even multiple locations, our interactive incentives map helps you make smarter budgeting decisions.”

2. Incentives Estimator and Jurisdiction Comparison tools

Test-drive your production budget in different markets before you finalize your incentive plans.

• What it is: Budgeting tools that let you run “what-if” scenarios across multiple locations and directly compare multiple incentive programs to analyze budget impact.

• How to use it:
  • To use the Incentives Estimator, enter your project parameters—budget size, spend type, and local hire expectations—and instantly compare potential incentive value and requirements across North America. ⁠As the Incentive Estimator continues to evolve, additional international territories will be added to the tool.
  • To use the Jurisdiction Comparison tool, select up to three jurisdictions from the dropdown menu and click ‘compare’ to see the incentive type, eligible production types, project criteria, qualified spend, program guidelines, and additional considerations for each program.

• How it helps: Before you commit, you can see which jurisdiction has incentives that best support your project and see how your bottom line shifts from state to state, province to province, or country to country.

Review side-by-side breakdowns of incentive programs in up to three locations with EP's Jurisdiction Comparison tool.

“Being able to compare jurisdictions, run numbers, and see what real incentive payouts could look like helps you figure out where to focus and how to prioritize funds,” says Jane Corden, EP’s Managing Director in Australia and New Zealand. “Being able to compare programs also helps you choose the best incentives to support the type of project you’re working on and understand how much budget you really have to work with.”

3. Production Incentives Newsletter

A simple subscription keeps you one step ahead of incentive program and regulatory shifts, all year long.

• What it is: Never miss an incentives update! EP's regular incentives roundup delivers legislative changes, upcoming deadlines, and newly launched incentive programs straight to your inbox.
• How to use it: Subscribe, then forward the newsletter to your line producer, production accountant, or finance lead so your whole team stays in sync.
• How it helps: Keeps you informed of changes that could impact your project’s eligibility or payout timing.

“Production incentive rules are changing constantly, and new incentive jurisdictions are being added all the time, so it’s a lot to keep track of,” says Joseph Chianese, EP’s SVP and Production Incentives Practice Leader. “We created the production incentives newsletter to serve as a comprehensive source of truth so you can keep up with changes, effortlessly.”

4. Global Incentive Expert Blogs

Insider knowledge gets translated into actionable strategy—without the legalese headache.

Turn to the experts at EP for the latest news and analysis of incentive programs worldwide.

• What it is: Articles and analysis from EP’s global incentives leaders, including Joseph Chianese (United States), Jennifer Liscio (Canada), Lloyd Gunton (United Kingdom), and Jane Corden (Australia).
• How to use it: Select “Production Incentives” from the dropdown menu to filter posts, use the search bar to find articles that are relevant to your target jurisdiction, or scroll the blog feed and dive into broader strategy pieces on budgeting and compliance.
• Why it’s valuable: EP’s incentive experts offer real-world, jurisdiction-specific advice you can apply immediately and break down complex legislative changes to help you understand the impact on your production.

“With incentives, you don’t want to leave things open to interpretation,” explains Incentives Practice Leader, Joseph Chianese. “Our thought leadership blogs provide perspective from incentive experts who are connecting directly with government regulators and program leaders.”

5. Master Series Webinars

This series brings together a panel of experts to tackle a specific topic, including common questions we get about the best way to leverage various global incentive programs.

Tune in or catch the replay of EP's free Master Series webinars featuring experts from across the industry.

• What it is: A live and on-demand webinar series that unpacks new legislation, regional incentives, and practical budgeting strategies.
• How to use it: Attend live to ask questions in real time or watch past episodes on demand (select Production Incentives in the dropdown menu to filter content) to learn about specific topics of interest.
• How it helps: Learn about new programs, get tips on how to maximize payouts, and get clarity on how changes may affect your project from our team of global experts.

“Recent webinars cover everything from how to take advantage of independent film tax credits, ways to maximize Australia’s 30% location offset, and even tips on how to pass the UK Cultural Test,” says Lloyd Gunton, UK-based VP of Incentives. "No matter where you’re filming or which incentives program you’re considering, there’s always something new to learn.”

Your one-stop destination for full-service incentive administration

Incentive strategy is just the beginning. Managing the process from application to payout is a full-time job—and a risky one if you’re not experienced. EP’s incentives team takes on the heavy lifting so you can focus on production.

EP’s administration services include:

• Applications: We help you build complete, compliant, and competitive submissions.
• Deadline and milestone tracking: Stay ahead of every requirement.
• Compliance: Maintain meticulous documents and records to reduce disallowment risk.
• Final payout and reconciliation: Secure every eligible dollar, faster.

With decades of combined experience, EP’s incentive experts understand the nuances that can expedite payments, prevent costly mistakes, and optimize your incentive recovery.

Put EP’s film and TV incentive experts to work for you! Learn more about EP’s incentive administration solutions.

Free and fast: Get started with EP’s incentives tools today!

You don’t have to overhaul your workflow to start benefiting from EP’s film incentive resources.

Here’s a zero-cost action plan you can implement right now:

• Visit the Interactive Incentives Map (and bookmark it for quick reference)
• Run a location scenario through the Incentives Estimator tool
• Compare multiple jurisdictions to rule incentives programs in or out
• Subscribe to the Production Incentives Newsletter
• Read a blog post from one of EP’s incentives leaders in your target region
• Watch and on-demand Master Series Webinar

These tools will help you analyze and optimize every incentive opportunity—but if you ever need more help, we’ve got you covered.

Ready to get started? Reach out to your account manager today or click the green Contact Us button to discuss your project goals.

This article contains general information we are providing on a subject that may be of interest to you. Nothing in this article should be considered tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult with your own tax, accounting, or legal advisors regarding the applicability of this information to your specific circumstances.