Background Actor Pay: How Much Extras Make in the US and How They Get Paid

Do all extras on a union set get union pay?

Under Schedule X, only some of them. The union terms apply up to a daily limit: the first 26 background actors on a television production and the first 85 on a theatrical film, not counting swimmers, skaters, dancers and stand-ins (2026 memorandum of agreement). A producer can hire more, and the agreement calls those extras “non-covered” or “waiver” background actors who fall outside its terms. Two extras on the same set can therefore be on different terms, so ask your casting company whether you are booked as a covered background actor. Covered days also matter for your career: SAG-AFTRA’s help center says background actors need three days of covered work to become eligible to join (eligibility answer), and how to join SAG-AFTRA walks through the steps.

What do overtime, meal penalties and adjustments add?

• Overtime. In Schedule X, Part I, hours beyond eight in a day are paid at time and a half at first and at double time later, and hours beyond 40 in a workweek at time and a half (the 2017 memorandum amended this section).
• Meal penalties. The first meal has to be called within six hours of your call time. After that, the 2026 agreement pays $7.50 for the first half hour of delay, $10 for the second, $12.50 for the third and fourth and $15 for the fifth and each later half hour.
• Fittings and allowances. A wardrobe fitting on a day before work has a three-hour minimum. If you bring formal attire at the producer’s request, the allowance is $27 a day (rising to $30 on July 1, 2027). Furnishing your car for filming pays $37.50 a day.
• Hair and makeup. The agreement lists $21.50 a day for body makeup or hair goods such as wigs and beards, $35 for extensive self-styled hair or makeup and $21.50 for a corset.
• Upgrades. A background actor rigged with a squib or other explosive charge is upgraded to the day performer rate for that day, which the same wage tables list as $1,283 for 2026-27. The agreement adds $150 for the day when a photo double has to memorize and deliver scripted dialogue on camera.
• Benefits. Union producers also pay pension and health contributions on top of your pay. Wrapbook, a production payroll company, lists 21.5% for background actors beginning September 6, 2026 (Wrapbook).

How and when do background actors get paid?

• The voucher. Central Casting says all your pay information is in your voucher, which is your timecard for the day. You complete your forms on a digital SmartVoucher or a paper voucher, a production member records your work details and at wrap you review and approve it. The union agreement says you should get a contract or voucher when you report and keep a copy of the completed voucher when you are dismissed.
• The payroll company. In most cases Entertainment Partners, Central Casting’s parent company, pays you by check or direct deposit. EP says payroll begins processing from the minute vouchers are submitted, but the pages we read from both companies give no standard pay date, so ask.
• Union timing. In the Part I zones, the regular payday is Thursday, or Friday on overnight locations, for the previous Saturday-to-Saturday payroll week. In the New York zone, a check that is not postmarked within 72 hours of the end of a studio or nearby workday, or 120 hours for an overnight location, triggers a late charge.
• Late charges. The 2026 agreement sets the Part I late charge at $5 a day for up to 25 days, to a maximum of $125 per violation. It does not apply if you did not return completed paperwork such as an I-9, a W-4 or a voucher after the producer supplied the forms.

Fill out every form completely and keep your own notes on call time, meals and dismissal. If something looks wrong on your voucher, ask while you are still on set. On union jobs in the Part I zones, the agreement says a pay dispute must be raised with the employer, in writing or orally, within 30 days of when you knew or should have known about it, and a claim for damaged wardrobe or property before you leave the set that day.

How do you avoid background acting scams?

• Never pay to see casting notices. The union agreement says a producer or its designated casting agency may not charge a registered background actor a fee to access any casting notice, breakdown or other casting-call information. The FTC adds that honest employers never ask you to pay to get a job (job scams).
• Never pay a casting agency fee. Schedule X says the producer, not the background actor, bears the agency fee for obtaining employment, and a background actor cannot be required to pay it directly or indirectly.
• Refuse fake checks. The FTC says an offer to deposit a check and send some of the money back is a scam.
• Watch for red flags. Casting Networks lists vague details, a push to leave the platform for private messaging and offers that sound too good to be true among its scam red flags.
• Check the source. Confirm a call on the official channels of the casting company or production, and read how to spot a fake casting call.

If you paid and got nothing, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Frequently asked questions

How much do background actors make per day?

On SAG-AFTRA jobs in the Codified Basic Agreement zones, the general minimum is $231 for an eight-hour day from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, rising to $238 on July 1, 2027. Non-union rates are set by the production, and other union contracts have their own tables.

How much do non-union extras make?

There is no union scale, so it depends on the production and the place. Ask for the day rate, the guaranteed hours and the overtime rule in writing before you accept.

Do background actors get overtime?

On union jobs, yes. Schedule X pays more for hours beyond eight in a day and beyond 40 in a week. On non-union jobs, ask the production and check your state’s overtime rules.

How long does it take to get paid?

Under the union agreement in the Part I zones, payday is Thursday for the previous payroll week, or Friday on overnight locations. For other jobs, the Central Casting and Entertainment Partners pages we read give no standard date, so ask your payroll contact.

What is a background actor’s annual salary?

There is no salary. Background actors are paid by the day, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics says in its profile of actors that many actors struggle to find steady work, so yearly income depends on how often you are booked.

Do I have to pay to sign up as an extra?

Never. On union productions, the agreement bars producers and their casting agencies from charging registered background actors to access casting notices, and the FTC says honest employers never ask you to pay for a job.

Reviewed in October 2026.