How to Use This Calculator
- Add each crew member with their name or role.
- Enter the negotiated day rate and the hours basis it was negotiated for (e.g., $750/10h → enter 750 and 10).
- Enter actual hours worked on the shoot day. If they worked longer, overtime is automatically calculated.
- Add a kit fee if the person is bringing their own equipment (camera, sound gear, lighting rig, etc.).
- Enter meal penalty violations — the number of 6-hour windows where no meal break was given — and select the penalty type (non-union flat or SAG-AFTRA escalating).
- Set your day budget at the bottom of the results panel to see overage or savings at a glance.
- Print, copy CSV, or share using the action bar.
The Prepaid Overtime Formula Explained
The most common mistake in indie film payroll is dividing the day rate straight by the negotiated hours. That's wrong because California labor law requires overtime to start at hour 9, which means a 10-hour or 12-hour rate already contains prepaid overtime.
Note: if the crew member works fewer hours than the basis, they still receive the full day rate (it's a guaranteed minimum). The tool handles this correctly.
Meal Penalty Methods
Non-union flat rate
For non-union crew in California, a missed meal break (first break due within 6 hours of call) typically costs one hour of the crew member's straight-time hourly rate per violation. This is the default "Non-union flat" setting.
SAG-AFTRA escalating
Under SAG-AFTRA contracts, meal penalties escalate per half-hour late: $25 for the first 30 minutes, $35 for the second 30 minutes, and $50 for every subsequent 30-minute increment. This tool calculates SAG penalties as per violation (each violation = first half-hour of that violation window = $25 as a simplified estimate). Select "SAG escalating" for SAG performers on your call sheet.
What is a Kit Fee?
A kit fee (also called a box rental) is a daily equipment rental paid to the crew member for use of their personal gear on set — cameras, lenses, sound equipment, lighting, expendables kits, and so on. Kit fees are not wages and are not subject to overtime multipliers. They are added directly to the daily cost.
When to Use This Tool
- Producers and UPMs running numbers before committing to extra setup hours late in the day.
- Crew members checking that start paperwork correctly reflects their negotiated rate and hours basis.
- Line producers estimating the true cost of a shoot day for budget actuals.
- AD teams deciding whether going to hour 13 is worth the double-time bill across 15 crew.
- New producers learning the prepaid OT math before they accidentally underpay or misbill a freelancer.
FAQ
Because overtime is already baked in. A $750/10h rate covers 8 straight hours and 2 hours at 1.5×. If you divide $750 by 10 you get $75/h — but that inflates your stated hourly, making OT beyond hour 10 cheaper than it should be. The correct hourly is $750 ÷ 11 = $68.18, where 11 is the equivalent straight-time pay-hours for a 10-hour workday (8 straight + 2×1.5). Your 1.5× OT rate for any hours beyond hour 10 is then $68.18 × 1.5 = $102.27/h, not $112.50.
Under California Labor Code §510: 1× for the first 8 hours; 1.5× for hours 9–12; 2× for every hour beyond 12. The 6th day worked in a workweek starts at 1.5× for the first 12 hours, then 2×. The 7th consecutive day starts at 1.5× and escalates to 2× after 8 hours. These tiers apply to all non-exempt employees regardless of what was negotiated — the negotiated day rate implicitly covers whatever OT falls within the agreed-upon hours basis.
A missed-meal penalty is owed when production fails to release crew for a meal within 6 hours of their call time, or within 6 hours of the last meal break. For non-union crew in California, each violation is typically worth one hour of the crew member's straight-time pay. SAG-AFTRA performers receive escalating penalties ($25/$35/$50 per half-hour increment). This calculator lets you select the penalty method per crew member.
No. IATSE, SAG-AFTRA, DGA, and Teamsters each have their own minimum scale rates, overtime structures, rest-period requirements, and P&H contribution obligations defined by collective bargaining agreements. This tool applies California non-union labor law as a baseline. For any union production, always use a qualified entertainment payroll service (e.g., Wrapbook, Cast & Crew, Media Services, Topsheet) and/or a production accountant.
Yes. Day rates in film production are a minimum guarantee — if you call someone to set, you owe them the full negotiated day rate even if you wrap them after 4 hours. The crew member booked out your production and was unavailable for other work that day. Early wrap saves you OT but does not reduce the base pay owed.