Help centre / Glossary
Words we use
Film-finance words in plain English.
- 90% rule
- The next instalment can go out only when at least 90% of all money released so far is proven spend.
- AIF
- Alternative Investment Fund registered with SEBI, such as a film fund.
- CBFC
- Central Board of Film Certification, which certifies films for release.
- Chain of title
- The papers showing who owns the rights to a film: script, music, agreements and NOCs.
- Crew ID
- An artist's or technician's verified number on BucksOffice, like BO-CREW-000123.
- Deal memo
- The short written agreement of a person's role, fee and payment dates on a film.
- Dossier
- One numbered PDF of a film's verified papers, funding and spend, for OTT platforms and buyers.
- Escrow
- A bank account run by a licensed escrow agent, who pays out only on agreed instructions.
- Fee note
- BucksOffice's bill for its own fee. It becomes a tax invoice once GST registration is done.
- Flag
- Something a check found to look at. Amber can be cleared by a reviewer with a reason; red must be fixed.
- Founding member
- Anyone approved by the founding-member date. They get a Founding member badge.
- GSTIN
- The 15-character GST number. Characters 3 to 12 are the business's PAN.
- HOD
- Head of department on a film, such as the director of photography or the music director.
- IFSC
- The 11-character code of a bank branch, used for bank transfers.
- Instalment
- One part of a funder's money, paid at an agreed stage of the film.
- KYC
- Know Your Customer: checking who someone is, with documents and a short video call.
- Member ID
- Your permanent number on BucksOffice, like BO-26-21-000042-58. The last two digits catch typing mistakes.
- NBFC
- Non-Banking Financial Company, a lender registered with the RBI.
- OTT
- Streaming platforms that buy films and shows, such as the big video apps.
- PAN
- Permanent Account Number from the Income Tax Department. The 4th letter tells the holder type (P person, C company, F firm).
- Penny drop
- A tiny test payment to check a bank account exists and the name matches.
- Private mode
- An investor shown to others as a verified investor with a code instead of their name.
- Proven spend
- Money shown to have been spent, with bills and bank lines that passed every check.
- Release
- A payment of an instalment, made bank to bank by the investor, lender or escrow bank.
- Release advice
- The numbered receipt for a release, with its UTR.
- Role ID
- A number for each role you have, like BO-CRW-MUS-000042 for a musician or BO-PRD-000007 for a producer.
- Stage (milestone)
- A point in making the film, such as Signing, Camera rolls, Wrap or Delivery. Instalments are tied to stages.
- TAN
- Tax deduction account number, needed by anyone who deducts TDS.
- TDS
- Tax Deducted at Source: tax the payer keeps back from a payment and deposits with the government.
- UTR
- Unique Transaction Reference: the number your bank gives every NEFT, RTGS or IMPS payment. It proves the payment happened.
- Verify code
- The code on every BucksOffice document. Anyone can check it at bucksoffice.in/verify.