What Part of My Pay is Commissionable to My Agent?

In short, performers want to know what is commissionable from their paychecks and what isn’t. SAG-AFTRA is here to help!

For any non-residual-based payments that you receive, there is a list of what is commissionable to your agent (and what isn’t) here: sagaftra.org/what-commissionable.

Additionally, some (but not all) of your residuals may be commissionable to your agents, as well. Unless a performer signs a SAG-AFTRA residuals check authorization for their agent, it is the performer’s responsibility to determine when commissions are owed and to forward appropriate payment to the agent within ten business days of receipt of commissionable monies.

Not sure which set of rules applies to your agency? No problem! Give us a call or reach out via email and we will be happy to provide assistance. The Professional Representatives Department can be reached at (323) 549-6745, or via email at agency@sagaftra.org.

Please note that your agent also has a corresponding obligation to forward your check to you, after they deduct their commissions, within three business days of receipt for TV/Theatrical work or within five business days of receipt for Commercials work.

And finally, a note about personal managers: Your obligation to pay your personal manager is generally not subject to SAG-AFTRA regulations, because there is no manager franchise agreement. We do have a manager affiliation program, should your manager be interested – they just need to contact us for more details. If you are with an unaffiliated manager, any obligations in those relationships will be based on the terms and conditions of your contract with that representative and, of course, any applicable state rules which may limit what managers can legally do.