SAG-AFTRA Minimum Rates 2026: Theatrical, TV, Low Budget and New Media Scale

From July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 a SAG-AFTRA day performer on a Theatrical or Television show earns at least $1,283 a day, and a weekly performer at least $4,456. The low budget theatrical agreements pay a fixed share of that. Below them, the short, student, micro and new media agreements mostly leave the figure to the producer and performer, or let it be deferred. These are principal performer minimums, what the industry calls scale. Stunt, background and stand-in scales sit on the same rate sheets and are not covered here. Figures last checked September 28, 2026.

Each agreement below has its own table, one row per contract period. The 2023 agreement's first rates took effect on November 9, 2023, after the 118-day strike, so there is no row for July 1 to November 8, 2023. The 2026 agreement published all four of its years up front: 3% on each July 1 through June 30, 2030. TBD means we did not find the figure in a source we could read. Three things cause it. The 2023 rate sheets for the low budget agreements no longer list 2022–23. Two 2026 rate sheets (Short Project, and Special New Media) exist on SAG-AFTRA's site but could not be opened. And every rate from July 1, 2030 depends on an agreement nobody has negotiated yet.

The Basic Agreement covers theatrical features. Day performer is Schedule A and weekly performer is Schedule B. A feature budgeted over $2M works under it. Below that, the producer can apply for one of the low budget agreements further down.

The Television Agreement uses the same day and weekly figures as Theatrical. It also covers High Budget SVOD series, High Budget AVOD, and Special New Media Category D ($1M and up per episode). Two categories are TV-only. A 3-day performer on a half-hour or one-hour show is booked for three days at one rate. A major role performer on a network, CW, pay TV or HB SVOD series gets a rate set 10% above the day rate across 5 days for a half-hour show, or 8 for an hour. The AMPTP tables list separate, slightly higher rates for Legacy Exhibit A and CW series, which are not shown here.

For features budgeted over $700K and up to $2M. Performers get 65% of the Basic rate, day or weekly. SAG-AFTRA's one-sheet sets an 80-minute minimum running time.

For features over $300K and up to $700K, at 35% of the Basic rate, day or weekly. In 2020 it replaced the Modified Low Budget Agreement, which is why the older name still turns up on deal memos and in search results.

For projects up to $300K. The day rate is 20% of the Basic day rate. There is no weekly minimum, so every performer is booked by the day.

For projects under $50K that run 40 minutes or less. Initial pay is negotiated between producer and performer. The figure in the table is the minimum deferred compensation per day: 20% of the Basic day rate, owed only if the project is released to a subsequent use market. SAG-AFTRA published a 2026 SPA rate sheet in June 2026. We could not open it, so every year from July 2026 reads TBD here.

For student films under $35K that run 35 minutes or less. Performer salary is deferrable until the film goes to a commercial market. A few payments cannot be deferred, and the agreement lists them. Read it before the first shoot day.

For projects of $20K or less per picture or per episode, shot in the US and shown at festivals, on free-to-view platforms, public access or in the classroom. Pay and most terms are negotiated between producer and performer. It does not allow nudity or stunts, and it does not make anyone eligible to join the union.

The New Media Agreement covers episodic web and streaming series under $50K per episode. Pay is deferrable. A series budgeted higher moves to the Special New Media Agreement below, and a high budget streaming show works under the Television Agreement.

Episodic projects of $50K to under $300K per episode. The 2023 rate sheet sets every performer at 20% of the TV Agreement day rate and lists no weekly rate. It prints percentages only, so the table does too. Non-episodic projects under $700K are pointed to the Ultra Low Budget or Moderate Low Budget agreements instead.

Episodic projects of $300K to under $700K per episode, at 35% of the TV Agreement day or weekly rate.

Single or episodic projects of $700K to under $1M, at 65% of the TV Agreement day or weekly rate. From $1M up, Category D pays full Television Agreement rates.

Every figure on this page is the performer's base pay before fringe. The producer also owes the SAG-AFTRA Pension & Health contribution on top of it. The 2023 rate sheets list 21% for performers from July 1, 2022. The 2026 agreement raises the principal performer rate to 22% from September 6, 2026. Overtime, meal penalties, per diem, wardrobe allowances and payroll taxes are also extra.

G-Casper Pro ships the current year's figure for every agreement on this page and shows it next to each performer's rate. You decide what each performer is paid.

• Pick the show's agreement in Globals, under SAG & Work Hour Globals. The picker groups every agreement by family and shows its budget band and current minimum
• Once an agreement is picked, the Rate menu on the Cast list and Cast DOOD offers that agreement's minimums alone, marked "(this show)". Leave it unset to see every agreement
• The Performer Minimums table under the picker holds the day and weekly figure per agreement. Edit any cell to keep a negotiated or newer scale. An edited cell turns amber and survives app updates. Reset to latest known rates puts every cell back
• Agreements with no fixed figure (Short Project, Student Film, Micro-Budget, New Media) ship blank. Type the figure your show pays and the Rate menu offers it. Until then the menu says the pay is negotiable or deferrable and asks for the agreed figure. It never offers $0
• A Weekly deal never lists a day-only agreement: Ultra Low Budget, Short Project or Special New Media Category A
• Preferences has the same picker and table under SAG Defaults. What you set there seeds every new show
• If the agreement's minimum later changes (the next July's figures, or an edit in Globals), the performer keeps the rate they were booked at and the chip in their Rate cell turns amber. Hover it to read the new minimum. Re-pick the agreement to take it

Each figure above was read from one of these documents. SAG-AFTRA's website blocks automated access, so its rate sheets were read from Internet Archive copies. Two that have no archived copy are listed as not read, and the years they cover stay TBD. If a figure here disagrees with the union's current rate sheet, the rate sheet governs.

• AMPTP, 2023-26 SAG-AFTRA Agreement Wage Tables
• AMPTP, 2026-30 SAG-AFTRA Agreement Wage Tables (printed May 27, 2026)
• SAG-AFTRA, 2023 Theatrical Wage Tables
• SAG-AFTRA, 2023 Television Agreement Wage Tables
• SAGindie, Theatrical Contract Changes (2023)
• SAGindie, SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Contract Updates (2026), June 24, 2026
• SAGindie, Frequently Asked Questions
• SAGindie, Low Budget Contract Changes (effective 2/1/20)
• SAG-AFTRA, 2023 Low Budget Theatrical Agreement Rate Sheet (Ver 1.24)
• SAG-AFTRA, 2023 Moderate Low Budget Project Agreement Rate Sheet (Ver 1.24)
• SAG-AFTRA, 2020 Moderate Low Budget Project Agreement Rate Sheet (Ver 6.21), which lists 7/1/2022 as TBD
• SAG-AFTRA, 2023 Ultra Low Budget Project Agreement Rate Sheet (Ver 1.24)
• SAG-AFTRA, 2023 Short Project Agreement Minimum Deferred Compensation (Ver 1.24)
• SAG-AFTRA, 2026 Short Project Agreement Minimum Deferred Compensation (Ver 6.26); not read, sagaftra.org refuses automated access and no archived copy exists
• SAG-AFTRA, 2023 Special Agreement for Independent Producers of Dramatic New Media Programs Rate Sheet
• SAG-AFTRA, 2026 Special New Media Category B rate sheet (June 15, 2026); not read, sagaftra.org refuses automated access and no archived copy exists
• SAG-AFTRA, Low Budget Entertainment Contracts One Sheet (November 2024)
• SAG-AFTRA, Micro-Budget Project Agreement contract bulletin (February 2021)
• Last checked: September 28, 2026