Why "scale" alone isn't a number
People say "we're paying scale" as if there's one figure. There isn't. Scale depends on the union, the agreement, the job classification, whether the person is hired by the day or the week, and the effective date. A SAG-AFTRA day performer on a studio feature, a day performer under a low-budget theatrical agreement, and a principal in a national commercial are all "scale" jobs with different minimums. For crew, IATSE rates differ by local, agreement, and budget tier.
Always pull the current rate sheet from the union or the agreement itself. The crew rate lookup is a starting point for crew, and the low-budget agreements guide covers how performer minimums step down by budget.
Scale plus ten, worked out
Agents usually take 10% of a performer's pay. If the performer is paid exactly scale, the commission takes them below the minimum. Scale plus ten covers that.
Using a placeholder scale rate of $1,000 per day for the arithmetic:
| Line | Scale | Scale plus ten |
|---|---|---|
| Gross wage | $1,000 | $1,100 |
| Agent commission (10%) | $100 | $110 |
| Performer keeps before tax | $900 | $990 |
It doesn't land exactly at scale, but it's close, and it's the industry convention. Depending on the agreement, pension and health contributions may be calculated on the full $1,100.
What the production actually pays
Scale is the wage. The budget needs more. For a union performer, add the union's pension and health percentage, plus employer payroll taxes and the payroll company's handling fee. Those fringes are often a large percentage on top of wages. The fringes post shows how to set them up by account.
Common mistakes
Quoting last year's scale. Union agreements have raises built in on set dates, so a budget built from an old rate sheet will come up short.
Treating "scale" as a promise of a specific amount in a deal memo. Write the dollar figure and the agreement it's based on, like "SAG-AFTRA Low Budget Theatrical scale, day performer, plus 10%."
Forgetting overtime and penalties. Scale covers a defined workday. Overtime, meal penalties, and turnaround violations are extra, and on long shoot days they add up. Use the meal penalty calculator and turnaround calculator when estimating days that will run long.