What Montana actually pays
No statewide film incentive. City or county programs may still apply.
What qualifies
Competitive grant separate from the MEDIA Act credit. ~$1.5M annual pool. Categories: Feature/TV (uncapped), Resident Filmmaker Feature/TV ($100K max), Short-Form ($50K max), Resident Short-Form ($50K max). Reimbursed after qualified expenses verified.
- Commercial
- Short Film
- Documentary
- Scripted TV
- Feature Film
Uplifts
Rate bumps that stack on the base program, up to its published ceiling. Uplifts are the most commonly missed money in any program, because qualifying for one is usually a location or scheduling decision made long before anyone is thinking about submittal.
- +25%
MEDIA Act Post-Production Credit
Post-production wages/expenditures completed in Montana
Minimum spend: $350K
How to apply
Apply to the Montana Film Office during an open competitive cycle (one application per applicant per cycle). Scored on Montana hiring, local spend, and economic/tourism impact.
The rule to remember
Competitive grant, ~$1.5M/yr pool; resident feature/TV capped $100K; distinct from MEDIA Act credit (MT01)
Common questions
- Does Montana have a film tax incentive?
- Montana has no statewide film incentive as of our last review on 2026-08-31. City or county programs may still apply, and neighbouring states often do offer programs worth structuring around.
Verify before you budget. These figures come from our own incentives database and each shows when it was last reviewed — but programs change between funding cycles and legislative sessions. Confirm with the film office, or ask us, before a number goes into a budget.
Compare with
Programs in a similar rate band. The mechanism matters as much as the percentage — a transferable credit at 30% is not the same money as a cash grant at 30%.
Maine
5%up to 12%RebateIdaho
20%Cash grantColorado
20%up to 22%Cash grantArizona
15%up to 22.5%Transferable credit
STAY CURRENT
Tracking changes to this program?
We re-verify Montana against the film office and the statute, and write when something moves that would change a budget. One email, no cadence you didn't ask for.