Togra for UK producers

The producer's journey

1. A UK company

   The company profile asks for the Companies House number, the registered office, a sterling bank and the UK VAT number. The United Kingdom as home territory sets the credits and the terms used across the slate.

   

2. AVEC and the Independent Film Tax Credit

   The AVEC tracker sets the regime, checks the IFTC conditions and works out the credit from the budget lines tagged as UK spend. The demo qualifies for the IFTC: core expenditure is under £23.5M, the writer and director are British, and a theatrical release is intended.

   £3,651,200

   UK qualifying spend tagged on the budget: £1,455,000 of labour and £2,196,200 of services.

   £3,360,000

   The 80% cap on £4.2M of core expenditure, which binds.

   £1,780,800

   Gross credit at the IFTC's 53%.

   £1,335,600

   Net credit after corporation tax, an effective 39.75%.

   

3. The BFI Cultural Test

   The Cultural Test scores the four sections against the BFI's schedule for the format and tracks the certificate from interim application to final. The demo scores 31 of 35, against a pass mark of 18. The score feeds the AVEC tracker and the BFI application bundles.

   

4. BFI Diversity Standards

   Standards A to D are ticked criterion by criterion, with Standard E's accessibility statement written in place. The pass rule follows the project: a feature at pre-production or later needs Standards C and E and one of A, B or D. The demo meets four of the five and passes.

   

5. BFI applications

   Funder applications open on a UK tab with a bundle for each BFI fund. The Filmmaking Fund bundle for production fills the project, company, writer, director and finance plan; checks that 65% of the budget is financed; carries the Cultural Test score and the Diversity Standards result; and adds the AI-use disclosure, the Set Principles and UK Subsidy Control. Anything Togra does not hold is left as a marked gap for the producer.

   

6. The funder calendar

   The starter set and the UK funders load in two clicks: the BFI and its Global Screen Fund, the BFI Film Hubs, and each nation's own fund, tagged with its nation so a project sees Screen Scotland, Ffilm Cymru Wales or Film London according to where it is made. The rounds matching the demo feature are led by the Global Screen Fund's Slate Development Fund closing on 15 October.

   

7. Company admin

   Cúram starts from a UK starter pack of 19 recurring tasks: the confirmation statement, annual accounts, the Company Tax Return and Corporation Tax payment, VAT, PAYE, P60s, P11Ds and Class 1A, the ICO fee, the three-yearly pension re-declaration, the review of people with significant control, and insurance renewals, each with reminders. Accounts, the Company Tax Return and Corporation Tax are dated from the accounting reference date: with a 31 December year-end, the open return falls due on 31 December 2026 and next year's accounts on 30 September 2027.

   

8. Recoupment to the BFI's terms

   An empty waterfall can start from the BFI's terms, pre-filled from the finance plan. The BFI recoups pari passu with NI Screen, Screen Ireland and the other public funders, with no premium, and shares in net profits. Its Locked Box corridor takes 25% of what reaches the BFI until the BFI has recouped half its award, then 50%: 37.5% of the award in all, for the UK producer, writer and director. With £900,000 of modelled receipts, the £300,000 distribution advance recoups first; the BFI's first half then splits £281,250 to the BFI and £93,750 to the Locked Box, and the second half £112,500 each so far.

   

9. Compliance at a glance

   For a project using AVEC, the compliance view carries a UK credit card: a Cultural Test below the pass mark, IFTC conditions not met, or a Company Tax Return claim filed without a BFI certificate show as gaps. The demo reads OK.