Production Incentives in Louisiana

Louisiana has a $300,000 minimum in-state spend to qualify. Bundling is possible using certain criteria to hit the $300,000.

To get the full 40% on Louisiana resident payroll, residency forms are required. Payments to artists’ loan-out companies are ineligible for this resident increase.

The state-certified production must participate in a career-based learning and training program approved by LED.

To qualify, a withholding of 4.25% is required on all loan-outs.

Out-of-Zone Bonus: a 5% bump on state-certified productions that have their production office and at least 60% of principal photography occurring outside of the New Orleans Metropolitan Statistical Area. This is a blanket bonus for all in-state expenses as long as the criteria is met. 

The following parishes are within the New Orleans Metro Area: Orleans Parish, Jefferson Parish, Plaquemines Parish, St. Bernard Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. James Parish, and St. Tammany Parish.

All other parishes, including St. John the Baptist Parish, qualify as out-of-zone.

Productions must submit an online application that includes: a detailed preliminary budget (including all hires); a detailed preliminary Louisiana budget; a detailed distribution plan; a script or synopsis; a statement that the project meets the definition of a state-certified production; a notarized statement agreeing to pay all vendors; disclosure of any anticipated related-party transactions.

The fee for filing an application shall be equal to 0.5% of the amount of the incentives or exempted taxes, with a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $15,000. 

At the time of the application, the applicant shall submit a deposit of the production expenditure verification report fee. For productions with budgets under $25,000,000, an advance deposit of $7,500 is required with a possible maximum fee of $15,000. For productions with budgets over $25,000,000, an advance deposit of $15,000 is required with a possible maximum fee of $25,000.

To get the full 40% on Louisiana resident payroll, residency forms are required. Payments to an artist's loan-out companies are ineligible for this credit.

*State-certified features may be granted up to $20,000,000 in credits. State-certified scripted episodic productions may be granted up to $25,000,000 per season. 

*However, no project can receive a credit that exceeds 40% of their overall in-state investment.

Expenditures for above-the-line salaries are capped at 40% of total production expenditures in the state for each project. Above-the-line salaries that are related party transactions cannot exceed 12% of the in-state spend. 

Of the $150,000,000 annual funding cap: $7,500,000 is reserved for Qualified Entertainment Companies; $7,500,000 is reserved for Louisiana screenplay productions; $15,000,000 is reserved for independent film productions; $120,000,000 is unreserved and may be applied to any size production.

While the maximum amount of credits that can be issued each year is $150,000,000, the maximum amount of credits that can be claimed each year is $180,000,000.

Credits are partially refundable—the state of Louisiana can buy back motion picture investor tax credits for 90% of their value. There is a 2% LED fee required for the transfer.