# Seventh day

Source: https://storiara.com/glossary/seventh-day
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Charles Hirschhorn, Storiara

> A seventh day is the seventh day worked in a single workweek. It carries the highest premiums of any workday: California law requires time and a half for the first eight hours and double time after, and union crew agreements pay double time or more, with golden hour multipliers up to six times the regular rate.

## What it costs, non-union in California

Take a set PA with a regular rate of $20 an hour who has already worked Monday through Saturday. Sunday is a 10-hour day.

| Hours | Rule | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 8 | 1.5x | 8 x $30 = $240 |
| 9 to 10 | 2x | 2 x $40 = $80 |
| **Total** | | **$320** |

The same 10 hours on a Tuesday pay 8 x $20 + 2 x $30 = $220. The seventh day costs $100 more for that one person, or 45% more. Across a 35-person crew averaging $30 an hour, the difference is roughly 35 x ($100 x 1.5) = $5,250 for one day, before fringes.

## Union crews

Under the West Coast IATSE studio agreements, the seventh day in a workweek and holidays are premium days. The golden hour table in the 2024 memorandum makes long seventh days very expensive: 4x the regular rate for time past 12 consecutive hours on a lot or 14 at a studio zone location, and 6x past 15 hours. One crew member at $50 an hour working a 16-hour seventh day at a location gets $200 for hour 15 and $300 for hour 16. [Golden time](https://storiara.com/glossary/golden-time) has the full table.

## How it sneaks onto a schedule

Almost nobody schedules a seventh shoot day on purpose. It shows up in these ways:

1. A [travel day](https://storiara.com/glossary/travel-day) after a six-day week, when travel is paid work time.
2. A weekend prep call for rigging or a tech scout during a six-day shoot week.
3. A pickup or insert day added after the schedule is locked.
4. A workweek definition that doesn't match the calendar. If the payroll week runs Sunday to Saturday and the crew works Sunday through the following Saturday, that's seven days in one week even if the schedule looks like two partial weeks.

The last one is a payroll setup problem, and it's worth confirming the workweek with your [payroll company](https://storiara.com/glossary/payroll-company) before the first check.

## Where it matters in the budget

Most budgets carry no seventh days, so when one happens it goes straight into [hot costs](https://storiara.com/glossary/hot-costs) as an overage. Before approving one, the [UPM](https://storiara.com/roles/unit-production-manager) should compare it with moving the work to the next week, which may cost a day of equipment but avoids the premium and a short [turnaround](https://storiara.com/glossary/turnaround). The [sixth day](https://storiara.com/glossary/sixth-day) entry covers the more common six-day week.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the seventh day rule in California?

Under Labor Code section 510, when a non-exempt employee works seven days in a workweek, the first eight hours on the seventh day are paid at time and a half and any hours beyond eight at double time.

### Does a travel day count toward a seventh day?

It can. Paid travel is work time under most union agreements, so a crew that shoots six days and flies home on the seventh may be on a seventh day. The 2026 SAG-AFTRA agreement specifically addresses background actors traveling to or from an overnight location on a seventh consecutive day.

### How much does a seventh day cost IATSE crew productions?

It's paid as a premium day, and golden hours on a seventh day or holiday are 4x the regular rate after 12 or 14 hours, rising to 6x after 15 hours under the 2024 West Coast studio agreement language.

## Sources

- [California Labor Code section 510](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=510)
- [2024 IATSE Basic Agreement Memorandum of Agreement, item 9](https://iatse.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-IATSE-Basic-Agreement-MOA-FINAL.pdf)
- [SAG-AFTRA 2026 TV/Theatrical Contracts Referendum Booklet (background actors, travel on seventh consecutive day)](https://www.sagaftra.org/sites/default/files/2026-05/2026%20TV-Theatrical%20Contracts%20Tentative%20Agreement%20Referendum%20Booklet.pdf)