SAG-AFTRA

Overview

SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) is the labor union representing approximately 160,000 professional performers, broadcasters, and media professionals in the United States. Formed in 2012 through the merger of the Screen Actors Guild (founded 1933) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (founded 1937), SAG-AFTRA is the primary union covering on-screen talent in American film and television production. If you are producing a film or series in the US and want to hire professional actors, the rates, fees, and agreement tiers below are the numbers you need to budget accurately.

SAG-AFTRA negotiates collective bargaining agreements with studios, networks, streaming platforms, and independent producers, establishing minimum compensation rates (scale), residuals for reuse and streaming, working conditions, health and safety standards, and pension and health contributions. The current president is Sean Astin, elected in September 2025. The national executive director is Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

Notable Members and Leadership

Sean Astin was elected national president on September 12, 2025, with 79.25% of the vote (16,143 votes), succeeding Fran Drescher. Astin is the son of Patty Duke, who served as SAG president from 1985 to 1988, making this the first time a child of a former SAG president has held the office. Michelle Hurd was elected secretary-treasurer with 64.77% of the vote. Voter turnout was 17.34% of approximately 117,000 eligible members.

Past SAG-AFTRA presidents (post-2012 merger):

Notable past SAG presidents (pre-merger) include Patty Duke (1985 to 1988), Melissa Gilbert (2001 to 2005), and William Daniels (1999 to 2001). Fran Drescher led the union through the 118-day strike in 2023 and negotiated the contract that secured AI protections and streaming viewership bonuses.

SAG-AFTRA's membership of approximately 160,000 includes most working on-screen performers in American film and television. The SAG-AFTRA Foundation, a separate nonprofit organization, runs the Conversations interview series featuring prominent members. Recent participants include Viola Davis, Michael B. Jordan, Taraji P. Henson, Ted Danson, and Josh Gad.

Membership Costs

Initiation Fee

The national initiation fee is $3,121.00, payable as a one-time charge upon joining. Initiation fees may be lower in some states. Eligible performers living outside the United States are charged the national fee. Payment must be made by cashier's check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express. Personal checks and cash are not accepted.

The SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union offers initiation loans with terms up to 24 months. Actors Federal Credit Union also offers initiation fee loans with a 5% savings account requirement.

Dues

Dues are billed semiannually and consist of two components:

1. Base dues: $246.14 annually (billed as $123.07 per semiannual period)
2. Work dues: 1.575% of covered earnings up to $1,000,000, calculated based on the previous calendar year's earnings

New members pay the initiation fee plus the first semiannual dues at the time of joining. Members who fail to maintain current dues status lose good standing and may face suspension.

Membership Eligibility

Performers become eligible for SAG-AFTRA membership by completing qualifying work on a SAG-AFTRA signatory production. Principal performers become eligible after being hired as a principal on any SAG-AFTRA production. Background performers become eligible after working a minimum number of days as a covered extra.

The union operates under a Taft-Hartley provision that allows non-union performers to work on union productions for a limited period. After working their first union job, a performer has 30 days before they must either join the union or decline further union work.

How Eligibility Actually Works in Practice

SAG-AFTRA's entry system confuses many performers because there are multiple paths and the rules differ for principals versus background performers. Here is how each path works in reality:

The principal performer path. If a producer hires you as a principal performer (a speaking role, a featured role, or a stunt performer) on a SAG-AFTRA signatory production, you become eligible for membership immediately. The producer files a Taft-Hartley report with the union within 15 days of your first day of work. You then have 30 days from your first day to join SAG-AFTRA. If you do not join within 30 days, you cannot work on any further SAG-AFTRA productions until you do. This is the most common entry path for actors who book a union role.

The background performer path. Background performers (extras) must accumulate a minimum number of days of covered work on SAG-AFTRA productions as a non-union performer before becoming eligible. Each day of background work earns one voucher. Once you accumulate the required number of vouchers, you become eligible to join. This path takes longer and requires persistence, as background work is competitive and the voucher system creates a structural bottleneck.

The sibling union path. Full members of Actors' Equity Association, ACTRA, or other performer unions with reciprocal agreements can apply for SAG-AFTRA membership by providing proof of their sibling union membership and work history.

Must-join versus must-work. A common confusion: "must-join" means you have already worked a union job and must now join to continue working union. "Must-work" (or Taft-Hartley) means a producer can hire a non-union performer for a union job, which then triggers must-join status. You cannot simply walk into the SAG-AFTRA office and pay the initiation fee without first establishing eligibility through one of these paths.

Financial Core. Under federal labor law, performers can elect Financial Core status, paying a reduced fee while working on union productions without full membership. Financial Core non-members cannot vote in union elections, run for office, or use union services like the Foundation's educational programs. Most working performers do not choose this path.

Benefits Breakdown

SAG-AFTRA membership provides three major financial benefits, all funded by employer contributions negotiated in collective bargaining agreements, not by member dues.

SAG-AFTRA Health Plan. Provides medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage for participants and qualified dependents. To earn active eligibility for 2026, you must accumulate $28,090 in covered earnings OR 108 eligibility days during a four-quarter base earnings period. The Active Plan is a PPO with a $500 per person / $1,000 per family in-network deductible, $25 office visit copay, 90% coinsurance for most in-network services, and a $2,750 per person / $5,500 per family out-of-pocket limit. Coverage is lost if you fail to meet earnings or days requirements in your next base period.

SAG-AFTRA Pension Plan. A defined benefit pension plan that pays a monthly retirement benefit based on your credited earnings and years of vested service. The Plan is funded entirely by employer contributions, currently 21% of covered earnings for performers and 20.5% for background actors. Vesting requires a minimum number of credited years.

Residuals. SAG-AFTRA collects and distributes residuals for reuse of covered work, including streaming, syndication, home video, and international reuse. The 2023 contract introduced viewership-based streaming bonuses for high-budget SVOD programs viewed by 20% or more of domestic subscribers. The 2026 TV/Theatrical Agreement increased these bonuses from 50% to 75% of the applicable domestic and foreign residual for projects released after January 1, 2027.

SAG-AFTRA Foundation. A separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides educational programs, the Conversations interview series, emergency financial assistance, scholarships, and the Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists in Los Angeles. Foundation services are free to SAG-AFTRA members in good standing.

Contract enforcement and credit protection. The union enforces collective bargaining agreements, pursues unpaid wages and residuals through grievances and arbitration, protects performer credits, and advocates for on-set safety including the use of intimacy coordinators and AI likeness protections.

Current Rate Sheets (2025-2027)

Theatrical Rates (Effective July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026)

Pension and Health (P&H) contributions are required on top of these rates: 21% for performers and 20.5% for background actors.

New Rates Effective July 1, 2026

On June 4, 2026, SAG-AFTRA members approved the 2026 TV/Theatrical Agreement with the AMPTP, which includes 3% annual minimum rate increases through June 30, 2030:

Full rate details are available at the SAG-AFTRA Production Center and at SAGindie. For a comprehensive breakdown, see ABS Payroll's SAG Rates Guide.

Agreement Tiers for Independent Filmmakers

SAG-AFTRA offers multiple agreement tiers that make signatory status accessible at lower budget levels than many producers assume:

• Basic Theatrical Agreement: For films budgeted over $2,000,000. Full scale rates apply. This is the agreement used by major studios and large independent productions.
• Low Budget Agreement: For films budgeted $700,000 to $2,000,000. Rates are 65% of Basic Theatrical scale. This is the most common agreement for independent features.
• Moderate Low Budget Agreement: For films budgeted $300,000 to $700,000. Rates are 35% of Basic Theatrical scale.
• Ultra Low Budget Agreement: For films budgeted under $250,000. Rates are 20% of Basic Theatrical scale.
• Short Film Agreement: For non-commercial short films. Minimal financial requirements.
• Micro Agreement: For projects with extremely limited budgets. Contact SAG-AFTRA directly for eligibility.

Each tier has different minimum rates, P&H contribution requirements, and distribution restrictions. Producers should consult with a SAG-AFTRA representative to determine the correct agreement for their production.

The 2023 Strike and Its Aftermath

In 2023, SAG-AFTRA conducted a 118-day strike against the AMPTP, the longest in the union's history, running concurrently with the WGA strike. The resulting contract secured a $1 billion package including increased residuals for streaming productions, protections against the use of performers' digital likenesses without consent, and improved minimum rates across all agreement types.

The 2026 TV/Theatrical Agreement built on these gains with 3% annual increases and additional AI protections. SAG-AFTRA-supported AI legislation has been implemented in numerous states and at the federal level.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Signing a SAG-AFTRA agreement gives producers access to the full pool of approximately 160,000 professional union members but requires compliance with minimum rates, turnaround provisions, meal penalty rules, and P&H contributions that significantly affect a production budget. A single day of principal performer work under the Basic Theatrical Agreement costs $1,246.00 in wages plus $261.66 in P&H contributions, totaling $1,507.66 before overtime and meal penalties.

Non-union productions can cast non-union performers freely but cannot cast SAG-AFTRA members without signing a SAG-AFTRA agreement. SAG-AFTRA members who work on non-signatory productions can face union discipline including fines or suspension.

For budget-conscious producers, the Ultra Low Budget Agreement at $249/day (or $257/day effective July 1, 2026) makes it possible to hire union talent on micro-budget films. The Moderate Low Budget Agreement at $436/day is accessible for films in the $300K-$700K range.

See Also

For how SAG-AFTRA minimum rates appear in production budgets, see Above the Line vs Below the Line. For the stunt performer community within SAG-AFTRA, see Stunt Players Directory in this directory. For the SAG-AFTRA Foundation's emergency assistance and scholarship programs, see SAG-AFTRA Foundation in this directory. For help calculating your total cast budget including P&H contributions, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator. For the official SAGindie rate guide, see sagindie.org.