Freelance crew
Day rates where status depends on grade, contract and HMRC’s film and TV guidance.
Accountant for the film industry and film tax relief
Crew on day rates, creator documentaries and small production companies claiming the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit.
- ICAEW/ACCA regulated
- Chartered Accountants
- Fixed monthly fees
- MTD-ready
- UK chartered accountants
- Self-employed and company support
- 4.9 on Google
Part of our guide to accountant for content creators UK.
Quick answer
Film Tax Relief has been replaced by the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC). The credit is 34% of qualifying expenditure for films and high-end TV, 39% for animation and children’s TV, and 53% for independent films with core costs of £15 million or less. The production company claims it through its Corporation Tax return after BFI certification.
On this page
Contents
Who this is for
Is this you?
Production companies
A special purpose company per production, claiming AVEC.
Creators making documentaries
Long-form projects commissioned by broadcasters or streamers.
Post-production and VFX houses
Services supplied to productions claiming credits.
Income streams
Everything we handle for you
- Crew day and weekly rates
- Commissioning and licence fees
- Distribution and sales advances
- AVEC credit receipts
- Festival prizes and development grants
- Equipment hire to other productions
Sound familiar?
Problems you face, answered
How we help
The work we do for you
Self Assessment
Your film and TV professionals income, allowable costs and payments on account brought together on one return.
Learn moreLimited company accounts
Company accounts, Corporation Tax and a director pay plan when profits justify incorporating.
Learn moreBookkeeping and VAT
Tidy monthly records and VAT checks against your rolling 12-month taxable turnover.
Learn moreTax explained
How accountant for film industry works
The company makes the claim in its Company Tax Return. Qualifying expenditure is capped at 80% of total core expenditure, and the production must be certified British by the BFI under the cultural test and intended for theatrical release or broadcast.
The credit is a taxable receipt. For example, a credit of £136,000 is itself subject to Corporation Tax, so at the 25% main rate the net benefit is about £102,000 before any loss effects.
Individual crew report freelance income on Self Assessment. VAT registration follows normal VAT rules, and productions often register voluntarily to reclaim input VAT.
Source: Income Tax rates and allowances (gov.uk) · Self Assessment (gov.uk)
Small production company, live-action film
- Total core expenditure
- £500,000
- UK core expenditure
- £420,000
- Qualifying expenditure (lower of 80% of core or UK core)
- £400,000
- AVEC at 34%
- £136,000
- Less Corporation Tax on the credit at 25%
- -£34,000
- Net benefit
- £102,000
Illustrative example, not a client result. If the film qualified as an independent film at 53%, the gross credit would be £212,000. Rates per HMRC CREC061300; eligibility must be checked for each production.
General information only, based on 2026/27 UK rules. Not personal advice. Speak to us about your circumstances.
Action plan
Getting started as one of our film and TV professionals clients
- 1
Book a free call
Tell us how you earn, which platforms or clients pay you and what is due next.
- 2
Choose your structure and package
We compare sole trader and limited company costs and show the matching published package.
- 3
We handle the filings
Records, returns and reminders run on a fixed monthly fee, with a named accountant to ask.
Expenses
Allowable expenses for film and TV professionals
A cost is only allowable when it is incurred wholly and exclusively for the business; split mixed-use items and keep evidence. HMRC guidance on self-employed expenses sets the starting rules — company and director costs can be treated differently.
Usually claimable
- Crew and cast costs for the production
- Equipment hire and purchase
- Locations, permits and studio hire
- Post-production, grading and VFX
- Production insurance
- Travel and accommodation for shoots
- Music and archive licences
Usually not claimable
- Development, distribution and financing costs as core expenditure for the credit
- Non-UK spend above the qualifying limit
- Entertaining
- Personal costs of directors
How HMRC’s rules apply to content creators
If you are self-employed
Self-employed costs must be incurred wholly and exclusively for your trade. If you use the £1,000 trading allowance, you cannot also deduct actual expenses against that same income. Equipment treatment depends on cash basis or traditional accounting.
If you run a limited company
A limited company deducts costs incurred wholly and exclusively for its business. Equipment may need capital allowances rather than an immediate expense deduction. Personal use or company-paid private costs can create a taxable benefit or director’s loan entry; company ownership is not a blanket deduction.
For separable mixed-use costs, such as a phone bill, claim only the identifiable business proportion and keep evidence. This does not make ordinary clothing or every dual-purpose purchase deductible. A receipt alone does not prove a business purpose: retain the brief, invoice or usage record too.
Costs to review for your work
- Business-use cameras, lighting, audio equipment and editing software
- Editors, thumbnail designers, virtual assistants and licensed music
- Travel to business shoots and the evidenced business share of home-working costs
Everyday clothing, ordinary grooming, personal meals, private gaming and fines are generally not deductible. Qualifying costumes or protective clothing and business-travel subsistence have different rules. Client entertaining is generally disallowed. Receiving a product from a brand does not automatically create an expense: record the income treatment separately and deduct only an allowable business cost.
HMRC: self-employed expensesHMRC: business travelHMRC: clothingHMRC: company deductionsHMRC: capital allowancesHMRC: creator income and gifts
Keep records alongside our creator expenses checklist, or discuss your costs with our bookkeeping team.
General UK guidance, not personal advice. The deduction depends on your facts and accounting basis.
General information only, based on 2026/27 UK rules. Not personal advice. Speak to us about your circumstances.
Avoid these
Common mistakes
- Assuming old Film Tax Relief still applies.
- Applying for BFI certification too late.
- Including non-core costs in qualifying expenditure.
- Forgetting the credit is taxable when budgeting.
- Getting crew status wrong on payroll.
Your action plan
What to do next
- 1Gather last year's income statements and receipts.
- 2Compare monthly packages for your structure.
- 3Book a free consultation to agree scope and deadlines.
Structure
Sole trader or limited company?
£
Sole trader£46,111
Limited company£46,091
Illustrative estimate only. Uses the published 2026/27 tax configuration. Assumes a single-director company drawing all profit, with no Employment Allowance. Excludes expenses, student loans, pensions, other income, Scottish rates and individual circumstances. Not tax advice.
Diary
Key deadlines
5 October
Register for Self Assessment for the previous tax year
31 October
Paper tax return deadline
31 January
Online return, balancing payment and first payment on account
31 July
Second payment on account
Monthly accounting packages
Accountant packages for content creators
Self-employed or limited company, choose the support that fits how you trade. We review income such as Crew day and weekly rates, Commissioning and licence fees, Distribution and sales advances as part of agreeing your scope.
Self-employed accountant packages for content creators
Trading in your own name? Choose support for your personal tax return and, where included, bookkeeping and MTD Income Tax updates.
Annual fees use the upper limit of your selected band: Starter 1%, Complete 0.75%. Monthly payments are the annual fee divided by 12, excluding VAT. Starter does not include bookkeeping. Turnover above £1 million is quoted individually.
Self Employed Starter
For sole trader creators who just need their tax return done properly
£20.83
per month + VAT
£250.00 per year + VAT · Bookkeeping not included
- Your annual Self Assessment tax return, prepared and filed
- All your creator income streams covered: AdSense, brand deals, affiliates, tips and subscriptions
- Gifted products, PR trips and freebies declared correctly
- Allowable expense review so you claim everything you are entitled to
- Deadline reminders ahead of every filing and payment date
- Free basic tax advice by email through the year*
Self Employed Complete
For full-time self-employed creators who want their books kept for them
£39.99
per month + VAT
£479.88 per year + VAT · Bookkeeping included
- Everything in Self Employed Starter
- Monthly bookkeeping across YouTube, TikTok, brand deal and affiliate income
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax quarterly updates, where required
- Payment on account planning so January never surprises you
- Sole trader vs limited company review as your income grows
- Quarterly check-in on your numbers and tax position
Limited company accountant packages for content creators
Trading through a company? Choose support for company accounts, Corporation Tax and the director services included below.
Essential/Compliance
For creators who have just set up a limited company
From £45.83
per month + VAT
- Year-end company accounts for your creator business
- Corporation Tax return (CT600) and tax computation
- Confirmation statement preparation and filing support (excludes the Companies House filing fee)
- One director Self Assessment return (salary and dividends from the same company)
- Deadline reminders ahead of every filing date
- Free basic tax advice by email through the year*
Core/Complete
For full-time creators with brand deals and platform income
From £62.50
per month + VAT
- Everything in Essential/Compliance
- Monthly bookkeeping across YouTube, TikTok, brand deal and affiliate income
- Quarterly Making Tax Digital VAT returns
- Director payroll with RTI filing and pension submissions
- Quarterly review call on your numbers and tax position
- Gifted items, overseas payouts and payment platform reconciliation
Growth
For creator businesses with editors, managers or a team
From £75.00
per month + VAT
- Everything in Core/Complete
- Payroll for up to five team members, such as editors or assistants
Starting fees exclude VAT. Your turnover, records and agreed work determine the final quote. *Basic tax advice is free; technical work is quoted separately. MTD support applies where required.
See all fees and one-off servicesWant this off your plate?
Talk through your platform income, allowable expenses and next steps with a creator accountant.
Book your free creator tax callWritten and reviewed by
Waqas Sagar ACA FCCA FMAAT
Chartered Accountant with 18+ years' experience and founder of Accotax. Has served over 5,000 clients across London and the UK.
About Waqas SagarAccotax on LinkedIn Last reviewed: 2026-10-22
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
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