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Museums & Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief

Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief (MGETR) is a government funding incentive currently worth up to 40% of core production costs. MGETR helps qualifying production companies offset some of the costs of their exhibitions, supporting new collections reaching wider audiences. 

Museums & Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief

What is Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief?


MGETR is a valuable funding opportunity for museums and galleries, helping them create engaging exhibitions for the public.

MGETR supports museums and galleries to develop new permanent and temporary exhibitions for the benefit of the general public.

Unlike some other creative tax reliefs, there is no requirement for certification via a cultural test. However, MGETR is only available to charities or local authorities.

What is Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief
How Much MGETR can I claim

What is MGETR worth?


Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief is currently worth up to 40% of production costs.

Qualifying companies can claim MGETR on the whichever is lower:

  • 80% of total core expenditure
  • the amount of core expenditure on goods or services that are provided from the UK and/or the EEA

MGETR can be claimed as a reduction in Corporation Tax credit. However, loss-making companies can surrender their losses for a cash credit.

Current cash credit rates:

  • 45% for touring exhibitions (drops to 40% from 1 April 2025)
  • 40% for non-touring exhibitions (drops to 35% from 1 April 2025)

From 1 April 2024, only UK costs are eligible.

Which companies qualify for MGETR?


Primary and secondary production companies can claim for MGETR, so long as they meet the basic requirements.

To qualify, your company must meet the following conditions:

  • You must be a charitable company, or a company wholly owned by a charity or local authority.
  • You must maintain a museum or gallery.
  • You must be responsible for producing and running an exhibition at a venue and actively engaged in the decision-making process.

For more details on primary and secondary production companies, check out our FAQs.

How to Qualify for Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief
What is a Touring Exhibition

Which exhibitions qualify for MGETR?


You’ll need to check that your production qualifies, too.

The first thing to check is that your exhibition is a curated display of a collection (or of a single object) considered to be of scientific, historic, artistic or cultural interest.

The exhibition must be intended to be open to the general public, irrespective of admission charge.

At least 25% of your core production expenditure is within the UK and/or European Economic Area (EEA). From 1 April 2024, a new rule replaces this condition: 10% of expenditure must be in the UK.

What is the MGETR claims process?


Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief is claimed as part of the Company Tax Return (CT600) filed with HMRC. You’ll need to elect to treat all costs related to the exhibition as a separate trade.

You need to submit the following information alongside the CT600:

  • An Additional Information Form (AIF), which must be submitted before the CT600
  • Details about touring (if necessary)
  • Details of the primary production company (if the claim is made by the secondary)
  • Analysis of the trade expenditure, broken down by category and by EEA and non-EEA spending

You’ll need to calculate if your exhibition has made a profit or a loss. This lets you determine whether you can claim MGETR as a reduction in Corporation Tax or if your losses should be surrendered for a cash repayment.

What is the Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief (MGETR) claims process
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Our results

  • Confident in delivering value to our clients, we offer our MGETR services on a success fee-only basis.
  • We handle your MGETR claim from start to finish and aim to take up as little of your time as possible.
  • Our expert consultants can identify your qualifying projects and eligible expenses, including costs often missed by accountants and in-house teams.

Frequently asked questions


To claim the higher rate for touring exhibitions, your exhibition must:

  • Have been intended as a tour at the outset.
  • Be held at two or more venues.
  • Have at least 25% of the objects or works displayed at the first venue also displayed at each following venue.
  • Be de-installed and installed at the next venue in a maximum of six months.
  • Have a Primary Production Company for the first venue, and a Secondary Production Company for all future venues.

The key to when core costs can be claimed is knowing when the project was “green-lit”. Initial concept design is usually undertaken to determine whether the exhibition is commercially feasible. Any expenditure in this stage is speculative in nature.

Once it is clear that the exhibition is going ahead, expenditure can be claimed. Some production companies may have very little conceptual development before proceeding with production, and some may spend more time assessing the commercial viability of an exhibition.

Qualifying costs are referred to as core expenditure. This includes the spending on:

  • producing, de-installing and closing the exhibition
  • storage in certain circumstances

Storage expenditure is allowed as core expenditure for up to 4 months if all of these conditions are met:

  • the exhibition is held at two or more venues
  • the expenditure is incurred between de-installation at one venue and the opening at the next venue
  • the exhibits are not stored at a venue at which the exhibition has been or is to be held

Core expenditure does not include:

  • Speculative development before the project is “green-lit”
  • Non-producing activities (e.g., marketing)
  • Running the exhibition during the period which it is open to the public
  • Expenditure on purchasing exhibits
  • Expenditure on infrastructure

The Primary Production Company (PPC) is responsible for organising an exhibition at the first (if touring) or only venue (if not touring).  It must also be responsible for creative and technical decisions, contractual agreements, and producing, running and closing the exhibition at this venue.

A Secondary Production Company (SPC) is responsible for organising an exhibition at the second or subsequent venues for a touring exhibition.  It must be responsible for producing, running and closing the exhibition at that venue.

A SPC can only make a claim if there is a PPC.

The maximum repayable credit is capped at £100,000 for touring exhibitions and £80,000 for non-touring exhibitions.

There is no cap on the amount that can be claimed as a reduction in Corporation Tax.

Some exhibitions may meet the qualifying criteria, but are not eligible if they meet any of the below conditions:

  • The exhibition is connected with a competition of any kind.
  • One of the primary purposes is to sell anything displayed or to advertise or promote any goods or services.
  • The exhibition includes a live performance by a person.
  • Anything on display is for sale.
  • Anything on display is alive.

Core expenditure must be apportioned on a “fair and reasonable basis". There are multiple ways you can define this, depending on the cost. You may wish to explain your methodology to HMRC to ensure you meet this criterion.

As with core and non-core expenditure, you will need to apportion UK/EEA and non-UK/EEA expenditure. Workers based in a UK/EEA office or working remotely in the UK/EEA can be included, for example, but workers physically outside of the UK/EEA are ineligible. This applies regardless of where the company is based, the worker’s nationality or whether the company is in a group with the claimant.

For some costs that are partly based in the UK/EEA, you can choose how to apportion the cost. For example, a staff member who works partly in the UK/EEA will only be eligible for the number of days they are working there.

For accounting periods beginning before 1 April 2024, you may make your claim up to one year after the company’s filing date.

For accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2024, you may make your claim up to 2 years after the end of the period of account.

Does your business qualify?

Speak to our team today to see if your activities qualify.

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Is your business registered for Corporation Tax in the UK or are you a partnership with corporate owners?

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Have you developed new or improved existing products, processes or services in the last 2 accounting periods?

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Have you incurred any R&D costs on staff, contractors and consumables?

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Does your business have fewer than 500 staff, and either: A turnover of no more than €100 million; or Gross assets of no more than €86 million?

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Sorry, you must be a UK limited company or be a Partnership with corporate owners to be eligible for R&D tax credits.

In order to qualify for R&D tax credits you must be seeking to advance science or technology within your industry. As you’ve not developed any new or improved any existing innovative tools, products or services, and not re-developed any existing products, processes or services in the last 2 years. It is unlikely you have any qualifying activity. If you’re unsure, email or call us and we’ll help clarify.

In order to claim R&D tax credits, you need to either employ staff or spend money on contractors, consumable items and other items. If you’re unsure, email or call us and we’ll help clarify.

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Congrats!! Based on your previous answers, you will qualify for the SME scheme. If you’d like some help maximising and securing your claim, please email or call us.

Congrats!! Based on your previous answers, you will qualify for the RDEC scheme. If you’d like some help maximising and securing your claim, please email or call us.

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