# SAG-AFTRA Low Budget Agreements: Which One Fits Your Film

Source: https://storiara.com/blog/sag-aftra-low-budget-agreements
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Nick Harty, Storiara

> SAG-AFTRA offers six agreements for independent projects shot in the US, chosen mainly by total budget: Micro-Budget (up to $20,000), Student Film ($35,000), Short Project ($50,000), Ultra Low Budget ($300,000, $257 a day), Moderate Low Budget ($700,000, $449 a day), and Low Budget Theatrical ($2,000,000, $834 a day). Rates shown are effective July 1, 2026, and pension and health is added on top.

This is a summary of SAG-AFTRA's published terms for independent producers, current as of September 2026. It isn't legal advice, and your SAG-AFTRA business representative decides which agreement applies to your project.

## The six agreements side by side

SAG-AFTRA sorts independent projects by total budget first, then by length and where the film will be shown. The comparison below comes from SAGindie's signatory guide, with rates effective July 1, 2026.

| | Micro-Budget | Student Film | Short Project (SPA) | Ultra Low (UPA) | Moderate Low (MPA) | Low Budget (LBA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum budget | $20,000 per picture or episode | $35,000 | $50,000 | $300,000 | $700,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Length limit | None listed | 35 minutes or less | 40 minutes or less | None | None | None |
| Performer pay | Fully negotiable | Deferred | Negotiable | $257/day | $449/day, $1,560/week | $834/day, $2,896/week |
| Who is covered | All principals | Only professional performers | All principals; first 10 background in zones | Only professional performers | All principals; Taft-Hartley applies | All principals; Taft-Hartley applies; first 30 background in zones |
| Exhibition | Festivals, free new media, Academy screenings, demo, public access, classrooms | Classroom for a grade, festivals, reels, Academy screenings | Festivals, free new media, Academy screenings, demo, public access | Festivals, new media, theatrical | Festivals, new media, theatrical | Requires initial theatrical release |

Day rates are for an 8-hour day and weekly rates for a 5-day week. None of the six require consecutive employment except on overnight locations, so an actor who works Monday and Wednesday is paid for two days, not three. SAG-AFTRA's own help center confirms the Low Budget Agreement's $2,000,000 cap and the $3,000,000 ceiling with the diversity incentive.

## What the rates will be through 2030

The 2026 TV/Theatrical Agreement, approved by members on June 4, 2026, raises minimums 3% every July 1. SAGindie published the schedule:

| Rate | From 7/1/2026 | From 7/1/2027 | From 7/1/2028 | From 7/1/2029 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra Low, day | $257 | $264 | $272 | $280 |
| Moderate Low, day | $449 | $462 | $476 | $491 |
| Moderate Low, week | $1,560 | $1,607 | $1,655 | $1,705 |
| Low Budget, day | $834 | $859 | $885 | $911 |
| Low Budget, week | $2,896 | $2,984 | $3,073 | $3,166 |
| Background actor, day | $231 | $238 | $245 | $252 |

Pension and health went up one point on September 6, 2026, to 22% for principal performers and 21.5% for background actors. If you prepared a budget last spring at 21%, update the [pension and health](https://storiara.com/glossary/pension-and-health) fringe before you submit it.

## Micro, Student, and Short: the small agreements

The Micro-Budget Project Agreement is for projects of $20,000 or less, scripted or unscripted, and it's the only one SAGindie says you can realistically sign the day before you shoot. Salaries and most terms are negotiable. In exchange, hazardous stunts and nudity or sex scenes aren't allowed. Work on a Micro-Budget project also doesn't count toward a non-union actor's SAG-AFTRA eligibility.

The Student Film Agreement requires the producer to be enrolled at an accredited college or university. Pay is deferred, the film has to run 35 minutes or less, and screenings are limited to the classroom, festivals, reels, and Academy consideration.

The Short Project Agreement covers shorts under $50,000 and 40 minutes. It allows festivals and free-to-consumer streaming, which suits a short that might end up on YouTube or Vimeo after its festival run. Background actors in a background zone are covered for the first 10 per day. Meal penalties under the Student and Short agreements are a flat $25 per half hour, lower than the $25, $35, and $50 steps on bigger agreements.

SAGindie's warning about the Short and Micro-Budget agreements is worth repeating: screen outside the allowed platforms and the project can be moved to a higher agreement with less forgiving terms.

## Ultra Low, Moderate Low, and Low Budget: the feature tiers

Most narrative features under $2 million sign one of these three. The day rates are 20%, 35%, and 65% of the Basic Agreement's theatrical scale, and the gap between tiers is large. The [SAG-AFTRA tiers](https://storiara.com/glossary/sag-aftra-tiers) entry has the thresholds in one table, and the [Ultra Low](https://storiara.com/glossary/ultra-low-budget-agreement), [Moderate Low](https://storiara.com/glossary/moderate-low-budget-agreement), and [Low Budget](https://storiara.com/glossary/low-budget-agreement) entries cover each one's details.

A few rules are worth knowing before you set a schedule:

- Overtime on the low budget contracts is time and a half for hours 8 through 12 and double time after 12, according to SAGindie, and a sixth consecutive day carries no premium.
- The UPA covers only professional performers, and Taft-Hartley doesn't apply. On the MPA and LBA, every principal is covered, and hiring a non-member means filing a Taft-Hartley report. The [Taft-Hartley guide](https://storiara.com/blog/taft-hartley-explained) walks through that.
- Background actors aren't covered on the UPA, or on the MPA unless you use the Background Performer Incentive. On the LBA, the first 30 background actors per day in a background zone are covered at $231. SAGindie lists the zones as the New York zone (300 air miles from Columbus Circle) and the Western zones of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Hawaii.
- Stunt coordinators are paid Basic Agreement rates on every tier.

## A cast budget on both sides of the $700,000 line

Here's an 18-day feature with two leads on weekly contracts for four weeks, six supporting actors working four days each, and ten day players booked for one day. The only thing that changes is the agreement.

| Line | Moderate Low (MPA) | Low Budget (LBA) |
|---|---|---|
| Leads, 2 x 4 weeks | 8 x $1,560 = $12,480 | 8 x $2,896 = $23,168 |
| Supporting, 6 x 4 days | 24 x $449 = $10,776 | 24 x $834 = $20,016 |
| Day players, 10 x 1 day | 10 x $449 = $4,490 | 10 x $834 = $8,340 |
| Subtotal | $27,746 | $51,524 |
| P&H at 22% | $6,104.12 | $11,335.28 |
| **Cast total before payroll taxes and overtime** | **$33,850.12** | **$62,859.28** |

The difference is $29,009.16, and that's before the LBA's background coverage. A producer with a $690,000 budget who adds a $25,000 drone package in prep has just moved from the left column to the right one, unless the film qualifies for an incentive.

## The two casting incentives

The Diversity-in-Casting Incentive applies to the MPA and LBA. To qualify, at least 50% of speaking roles and 50% of total days of employment must go to performers from the protected groups SAG-AFTRA lists (women, performers over 60, performers with disabilities, and people of color), and at least 20% of total days of employment must go to people of color. Qualifying raises the cap from $700,000 to $950,000 on the MPA and from $2,000,000 to $3,000,000 on the LBA. SAG-AFTRA asks producers to email diversity@sagaftra.org to confirm eligibility.

The Background Performer Incentive applies only to the MPA. If you employ an average of at least three SAG-AFTRA background performers per day of principal photography, you can add $112,000 to the production cost maximum. On an 18-day shoot that's a minimum of 54 background days, or 54 x $231 = $12,474 plus 21.5% P&H ($2,681.91), for $15,155.91. If that background money lets you keep the MPA instead of moving to the LBA, it's a good trade.

Use the [day out of days](https://storiara.com/glossary/day-out-of-days) to count performer days before you pick contract types, because a weekly deal for someone working five days in one week costs less than five day rates.

## Costs that sit outside the rate sheet

SAGindie says the union can take a security deposit of 40% to 100% of covered performer payroll, calculated by your representative and returned after principal photography. Put it in your cash flow even though it isn't a budget cost.

Union actors are employees, not contractors. You can't pay them on a 1099, so budget an entertainment [payroll company](https://storiara.com/glossary/payroll-company) and employer taxes.

If you don't feed covered actors, you owe a meal per diem of $70 a day ($14 breakfast, $21 lunch, $35 dinner), rising to $80 on July 1, 2028. On larger agreements, late meals cost $25 for the first half hour, $35 for the second, and $50 after that, and the 2026 agreement added a $75 step for principals from the fifth half hour. The [meal penalties guide](https://storiara.com/blog/meal-penalties-explained) compares these with crew rules.

For scenes with intimacy, SAGindie lists SAG-AFTRA's intimacy coordinator minimum at $1,175 a day or $4,113 a week through December 15, 2026.

If the film is distributed beyond the theatrical market, residuals are owed to principal performers. A distributor will ask about this in any deal.

## Picking the agreement in practice

Start with a full budget, including post and every deferral, then read down the table's first row. If you're within about 5% of a cap, either cut the budget before you apply or plan for the next tier up. Count background days by zone, because that can make the LBA far more expensive than its day rate suggests. Then check your release plan against the exhibition row, since a film that only fits the Short Project Agreement on budget but needs a paid streaming release is on the wrong agreement.

When you're ready, [how to become a SAG-AFTRA signatory](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-become-a-sag-aftra-signatory) covers the application, and the [cast deal memo template](https://storiara.com/templates/cast-deal-memo) has fields for agreement, rate, and guaranteed days.

## Tracking this in Storiara

Storiara's Budget setup wizard asks for the union tier along with shoot days and prep and post weeks, and the Cast & Crew module lets you choose a union and contract for each performer and fills in a rate. Because the day out of days is generated from the schedule, you can check performer days against a weekly versus daily decision before the budget goes to SAG-AFTRA. Check any rate against the current SAG-AFTRA rate sheet before you rely on it.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the cheapest SAG-AFTRA agreement for a feature film?

The Micro-Budget Project Agreement, if the whole picture costs $20,000 or less. Salaries and most terms are negotiable, but stunts and nudity aren't allowed and the release options are limited. Above that, most features land on the Ultra Low Budget Agreement at $257 a day from July 1, 2026.

### Do deferred salaries count toward the SAG-AFTRA budget cap?

Yes. For the Ultra Low and Moderate Low Budget agreements, total production cost includes above-the-line and below-the-line costs and deferred compensation. Post-production costs count too, so budget the whole film before you apply.

### Can I shoot a SAG-AFTRA low budget film outside the United States?

No. The low budget agreements require principal photography entirely in US states and territories. SAGindie notes that a film shooting abroad will likely fall under the Theatrical Basic Agreement.

### How much overtime do actors get on a low budget SAG film?

SAGindie summarizes the low budget overtime as time and a half for hours 8 through 12 and double time after 12. Low budget agreements also don't pay a premium for a sixth consecutive day of work.

### What happens if my SAG-AFTRA low budget film gets distributed?

Each agreement has an allowed exhibition list. If the film is distributed beyond what its agreement allows, residuals are due to principal performers, and a short or micro-budget project can be moved to a higher agreement.

## Sources

- [SAGindie: Become a Signatory (agreement comparison and incentives)](https://www.sagindie.org/signatory/)
- [SAGindie: Frequently Asked Questions](https://www.sagindie.org/resources/faq/)
- [SAGindie: SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Contract Updates (2026)](https://www.sagindie.org/sagaftra/tv-theatrical-contract-2026/)
- [SAG-AFTRA: What is Low Budget?](https://servicesagaftra.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1004)
- [SAG-AFTRA: How do Theatrical meal periods work?](https://servicesagaftra.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/999)