Why producers sign
SAG-AFTRA members can't work for you unless you're signatory. The union's Global Rule One says no member shall render services for an employer who hasn't executed a basic minimum agreement with the union where a national agreement is in place, and that covers independent and student films as well as studio work. If the actors you want are members, you're signing.
The broader union picture, with DGA and IATSE, is in the film unions guide. This post sticks to what a producer has to do to hire SAG-AFTRA performers and keep the production in good standing.
The signatory timeline
SAG-AFTRA's theatrical and television production checklist lays out what the union expects before anyone steps on set. Working back from a first shoot day of Monday, March 2:
| When | What's due |
|---|---|
| As early as you can | Apply and submit company documents: articles of incorporation or organization and operating agreement for an LLC |
| 15 working days before start (about Feb. 9) | Signed Information Sheet, signatory agreement, and pension and health adherence letters |
| 15 working days before start | Financial assurances: chain of title, the copyright PA Form application and proof of receipt, and the documents for the security deposit |
| With the above | Pre-production cast list, script, and day out of days, so the business representative can size the security deposit |
| At least one week before each performer works | Clear the performer through Station 12 |
| Before employment, by the start date | Performer contracts and tax forms |
"Start date" means the first day any performer is needed, including rehearsals or fittings, so a table read with union actors two weeks before shooting moves the whole timeline up. The checklist also says clearance won't be issued until the pre-production obligations are met.
The security deposit matters for cash flow. The union holds it through production and returns it once the business representative confirms the producer has met its obligations, less any deductions for claims. On a small film that deposit is money you won't see again until post, and unresolved penalties come out of it.
The step-by-step application process is in how to become a SAG-AFTRA signatory.
Picking the agreement
SAG-AFTRA assigns the agreement based on budget and distribution. For theatrical features shot in the US, the choice is mostly between the basic agreement and three low-budget tiers. All rates below are from SAG-AFTRA's 2026 rate sheets, effective July 1, 2026, and rise 3% each July 1 through 2029.
| Agreement | Total budget | Day performer | Weekly performer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra Low Budget | No more than $300,000 | $257 | Not available |
| Moderate Low Budget | Less than $700,000 | $449 | $1,560 |
| Low Budget Theatrical | Less than $2,000,000 | $834 | $2,896 |
| Basic theatrical | Above those limits | $1,283 | $4,456 |
Budget means all above-the-line and below-the-line costs, including deferred compensation, and SAG-AFTRA asks for a detailed budget, the shooting script, and the day out of days before it signs off. Casting incentives can raise the caps, as the low-budget agreements guide explains.
Budget the pension and health contribution on top of wages. The Ultra Low Budget rate sheet lists a 22% P&H rate for performers effective September 6, 2026. On a UPA film with 40 performer days, that's 40 x $257 = $10,280 in wages, plus $2,261.60 in P&H, for $12,541.60 before payroll fees.
Consecutive employment
This is the rule that surprises producers most, and it's the one that shapes the schedule. SAG-AFTRA's theatrical FAQ says performers are paid on a consecutive basis from the first day they're instructed to report for work.
Say a day performer works Monday on a scene in the diner and comes back Thursday for the parking garage. Unless you gave them a firm pickup date more than 10 calendar days after their initial work ended, they're paid for Tuesday and Wednesday too. At the $1,283 basic day rate, two unscheduled days cost $2,566 in wages before P&H.
A few details help:
- A day performer can be given one break in employment per production, with that firm pickup date, and the callback can be "on or after" a date, giving the producer 24 hours of leeway.
- Performers can be recalled for retakes, added scenes, process shots, looping, or trailers after their principal photography work is done, without pay for the time between.
- With proper notice, there's no consecutive employment between rehearsal and photography, though there is during a run of rehearsal days. Rehearsal pays the same rate as photography.
The low-budget agreements have exceptions to these rules, and the FAQ points producers to a business representative for the details. The practical move is scheduling. When a 1st AD builds the stripboard, cast availability drives the order of scenes because every gap in an actor's run is a paid hold. The day out of days template makes those gaps visible as H (hold) days.
Travel, meals, and rest
The rest of the daily rules land on the 2nd AD and the call sheet.
Travel: a theatrical day performer who travels to or from a location on a day they don't work is paid a full day, and overtime caused by travel time is paid at time and a half. Overnight location terms vary, and the FAQ refers producers to the union for specifics.
Meals: the first meal is due within six hours of first call, with penalties of $25, $35, and then $50 per half hour. The 2026 TV/Theatrical agreement adds a $75 tier from the fifth half hour for principal performers. It also requires producers to tell performers the night before if a meal will be a walkaway, with no food provided.
Rest: 12 hours from dismissal to next call in the studio zone, with location exceptions. A forced call costs a day performer's daily rate or $900, whichever is less.
Those numbers are the reason the meal penalty calculator and turnaround calculator exist, and the full comparison with crew rules is in turnaround rules compared.
Getting people paid on time
The checklist sets payment deadlines. Day performers are paid no later than five working days after each day of work. Three-day and weekly performers are paid by the Thursday of the week after the work week, or the Friday on an overnight location. Pay stubs have to show the production title, employment period, and a breakdown of overtime, meal penalties, and other liquidated damages.
Late pay has a price. Under the 2026 agreement, the $10-per-day late payment liquidated damage can run for up to 25 business days, a maximum of $250 per violation. Ten day players paid a week late is real money on a film with no contingency left, and the claim will show up at the end when the deposit is released.
Hiring non-members
If casting wants someone who has never worked under SAG-AFTRA's jurisdiction, the producer files a Taft-Hartley report within 15 days of that performer's first day, or 25 days on an overnight location. The report has to be specific about why the producer chose that person, and missing it can bring liquidated damages. If Station 12 comes back saying a performer isn't in good standing, the producer is responsible for telling them to contact the union before they work. Employing someone who isn't in good standing can lead to a union security violation claim.
What's due during the shoot and after wrap
Every week of shooting, the production sends SAG-AFTRA the Production Time Reports, better known as Exhibit G, signed by each performer, no later than the Friday of the week after each work week. They must be legible, in ink or typed. The Exhibit G guide covers how to fill one out.
After the shoot:
- Casting data reports, one for performers and one for stunt performers, within 20 days after the end of the calendar quarter in which principal photography finished.
- A final cast list within 120 days after principal photography ends or 90 days after the picture is completed, whichever comes first. If ADR, looping, or singing happens later, send an amended list.
- Music cue sheets when post-production is done.
Then the producer asks for the security deposit back. Residuals come later if the film is exhibited in markets beyond its initial release, so keep the cast list and contracts where the distributor can find them.
Newer rules to watch
The 2026 TV/Theatrical agreement runs July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030, and several changes touch independent producers. Casting notices can't charge performers a fee to submit a headshot or reel, and audition recordings, including self-tapes, can only be used for casting unless the performer gives written consent at the time of use. On digital replicas, the union's summary says producers must have an articulable business reason to scan a performer, and it adds protections for minors. If your film involves scanning, replicas, or synthetic performers, talk to the union in prep.
Building the cast plan in Storiara
Storiara generates a cast day out of days from the stripboard, filling in SW, W, WF, SWF, H, and I codes automatically, with other codes like travel and rehearsal set by hand. Paid days are counted from those codes, and the budget module uses them for cast lines. That makes consecutive employment holds show up as paid days in the budget as soon as a scene is moved on the board.