Texas Reality TV Incentive Calculator — 10% TMIIIP Rebate 2026

Reality television, unscripted series, docu-series, talk formats, and competition shows qualify for TMIIIP at a 10% base rate on qualifying Texas spend — with a $250,000 minimum.

Why the Lower Rate?

The 10% tier reflects the generally lower Texas-resident labor intensity of unscripted productions relative to scripted film and TV. Scripted productions employ larger Texas crew bases per dollar of spend; the rate difference is designed to proportionally reward in-state labor investment.

Still Significant for Large-Scale Reality

A reality series with $5M in qualifying Texas spend earns $500,000 back at the base 10% rate. Stack the rural filming bonus and veteran crew bonus, and the effective rate climbs to 17.5% — a $875,000 rebate on the same spend.

Eligible Uplifts for Reality TV

All five bonus uplifts apply to reality productions at 2.5% each:

• Rural filming — 35%+ principal photography days in counties ≤300K population
• Texas veteran crew — 5%+ of paid cast/crew are Texas-resident veterans
• Texas Heritage — designated Texas Heritage project
• Faith-based — designated faith-based content
• Historic sites — primary filming at a Texas Historic Commission site

Maximum combined rate: 17.5% (10% + five 2.5% uplifts), though the 31% combined cap doesn't constrain reality productions in practice.

$250K Minimum

Reality formats qualify at a lower minimum ($250,000) than scripted formats ($500,000). This opens the program to mid-scale unscripted productions that wouldn't reach the scripted threshold.