Indie Dev’ Guide 9: Video Games Tax Relief Claims
The Guides
- Indie Dev Guides Introduction
- Guide 1: Limited Companies
- Guide 2: Personal Tax
- Guide 3: VAT
- Guide 4: Payroll and Workplace Pensions (Auto Enrolment)
- Guide 5: Digital Tax Accounts and Software
- Guide 6: Funding your Prototype
- Guide 7: Corporation Tax
- Guide 8: R&D Tax Relief
- Guide 9: Video Games Tax Relief Claims
- Guide 10: Understanding your Accounts
- Guide 11: British Film Institute (BFI) certification
- Guide 12: Business Expenses
- Guide 13: Withholding Tax on overseas income
- Guide 14: Benefits of an Audit
- Guide 15: Video Games Expenditure Credit
- Guide 16: Taxation of Non-Cash Benefits for Employees and Directors in the Gaming Sector
- Guide 17: Management Accounts and Forecasting in the Gaming Sector
- Guide 18: Bookkeeping Software for the Gaming Sector
Download the full guide:
Introduction
Video Games Tax Relief (VGTR) is a creative industry tax relief for Video Games Development Companies (VGDC) which was introduced in April 2014. You can claim VGTR up to 2 years after a qualifying accounting period end.
Qualifying Rules
Your company qualifies for and can claim creative industry tax reliefs if it is:
- liable to Corporation Tax
- directly involved in the production and development of video games
Eligibility
Your company will be entitled to claim VGTR if the video game is British and:
- the video game is intended for supply, rather than for a marketing tool, for example
- at least 25% of core expenditure is incurred on goods or services that are provided from within the European Economic Area (EEA)
If your company qualifies to claim VGTR your company is also entitled to:
- an additional deduction in computing its taxable profits
- where that additional deduction results in a loss, to surrender losses for a payable tax credit
The ‘Cultural Test’
To qualify for the creative industry tax reliefs all video games must pass a cultural test with the BFI, certifying that the production is a British video game.
Information you will need:
- Confirmation of the start date and end date of the development of each video game subject to a VGTR claim.
- A copy of the interim or final certificate issued by the British Film Institute for each video game under development during the accounting period, which confirms a game is culturally British.
- Details of estimated and actual income for each video game under development, which is subject to a VGTR claim.
- Details of estimated and actual expenditure incurred on the development of each game.
Download the complete guide
All of the Indie Dev’ Guides in this section are available as a single document to download as a PDF. Simply click the button below to go to the download page.
Want to learn more?
Get in touch with our in house expert Luke Thomas to see how we can help.
See how we can help you...
We believe in being involved with the local business community and that is why we network extensively, host regular business seminars, write blogs and have many trusted, professional contacts