# How to Negotiate Pay for a Non-Union Acting Job

> There's no standard non-union rate, so you have to build your own. What to ask before you say yes (days, usage, travel, footage), how to use union scale as a yardstick, where minimum-wage law comes in, and the exact words for a calm counteroffer.

- URL: https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-negotiate-pay-non-union-acting
- Published: 2026-10-30
- Last updated: 2026-10-30

The email lands while you're on the bus home. The director loved your callback and wants you for the lead in their indie feature. It's non-union, the budget is tight, and they name one flat fee for "the whole shoot." They'd love an answer by Friday. You're thrilled, and right behind the thrill comes the question: is that number fair, and am I allowed to ask for more?

Most actors handle this moment one of two ways. They say yes on the spot because they're scared the offer will vanish, or they stew for three days and then say yes anyway. Neither one is negotiating, and neither tells you what you actually agreed to.

The short version: there's no standard non-union rate, so your job is to find out what the work really involves before you talk money. Ask how many days, where the footage will be used and for how long, who pays for travel, and when you'll get your scenes. Use union minimums only as a yardstick, know that minimum-wage law still exists, and then make one calm, specific counter in writing. Asking is a normal part of any deal.

## Accept that there's no going rate, then build your own

Union jobs come with a floor. Non-union jobs come with whatever two people agree to. The payroll company Wrapbook's guide to [paying actors](https://www.wrapbook.com/blog/how-to-pay-actors) says non-union rates are "considerably more flexible" than union ones, and that the number comes down to what the budget can afford and what gets negotiated.

That's why the internet's "average non-union day rate" figures are so unhelpful. They're rarely sourced, and they mash together student shorts, regional commercials, corporate videos, and indie features. A number that's generous for a one-day short can be thin for a three-week feature.

So build your number from the job, not from a chart. Three things decide what's fair: how much of your time the project takes, what the production gets to do with your performance afterward, and what you've been paid for similar work before. Keep a note of every offer and booking you take, rate included, so next time you have your own history to point to. Our free [audition tracker](https://www.offbook.com/tools/audition-tracker) keeps that list in your browser; put the rate in the notes.

Count prep as time, too. A lead with dozens of pages is real work before day one, whether you run lines with a friend or with Offbook, which reads every other part aloud and waits for you to finish your line. A day player with two lines is not the same job, even if both get called "one day on set."

## Ask these questions before you say yes

You can't judge a fee until you know what it buys. Before you answer the offer, reply with warm thanks and a short list of questions. It reads as professional, not difficult, and the answers often change the number on their own.

- **Days.** How many shoot days, and are there rehearsals, fittings, or table reads on top? Are any of those unpaid?
- **Hours.** How long is a shoot day, and what happens if it runs long? A flat fee for a 10-hour day and a flat fee for a 16-hour day are different offers.
- **Fee structure.** Is it a day rate, a weekly rate, or one flat fee for everything? If it's flat, what happens if the schedule grows?
- **Usage.** Where will the footage appear (festivals, streaming, social ads, a client's website), in which countries, and for how long?
- **Travel and housing.** If the shoot is out of town, who pays to get you there, and where do you sleep? Are meals provided on set?
- **Footage.** When will you get your scenes for your reel, and in what form?
- **Payment.** When and how will you be paid, and is there a written agreement you can read first?

Write down the answers, even the ones given on a call. They become the terms you negotiate, and later, the terms you check the contract against.

On an unpaid student film, footage and credit are the pay, and our guide to [student films and first credits](https://www.offbook.com/blog/student-films-and-first-credits) covers what to ask for there. This piece is about jobs where money is on the table.

## Read the usage before you read the rate

On commercials and branded work, usage often matters as much as the fee. AllCasting's [guide to beginner actor pay](https://allcasting.com/blog/beginners-guide/beginner-actor-pay-rates-usage-red-flags-2026) says usage "is often more important than the rate per day," and gives a red-flag example worth memorizing: "For a small fee, all media worldwide, forever."

On non-union work, the limits on how your footage is used are whatever you negotiate. Casting director Ramani Leah, CSA, makes the point in her explainer on [buyouts](https://www.thecastingdirectorscut.com/terminology-tuesday-buyout/): non-union projects "can do whatever actors will agree to" in the contract or offer.

A **buyout** is one payment that covers future use instead of paying you each time the spot airs. That isn't bad on its own. A modest buyout for one year of social ads in one region can be fair. The same fee for worldwide use, in all media, forever, is not the same deal.

Leah suggests asking how long the buyout is, and whether the fee or the time is negotiable. If the buyout is low and won't move, ask whether the session fee for the shoot day can go up instead. Read the contract for any exclusivity clause too: Leah notes that a buyout on its own doesn't stop you doing other commercial work.

## Use union scale as a yardstick, not a price tag

Union minimums are public, which makes them a useful point of reference even when you're not in the union. SAGindie, which helps independent filmmakers sign SAG-AFTRA's low-budget agreements, publishes the [current minimum rates](https://www.sagindie.org/sagaftra/tv-theatrical-contract-2026/) (daily, and weekly where they apply) for the Ultra Low Budget, Moderate Low Budget, and Low Budget agreements. Under the 2026 contract they rise 3% each July 1 through June 30, 2030.

Look those numbers up for the size of production you've been offered. If a well-funded non-union feature is paying far below the union's lowest film minimum for a day of work, you know the gap is a choice the producer made, not a law of nature. For how scale works on bigger union jobs, our guide to the [SAG-AFTRA day rate](https://www.offbook.com/blog/sag-aftra-day-rate-explained) walks through the official wage tables.

Don't overplay this, though. A non-union producer has no obligation to match scale, and quoting union rates at a student director with a tiny budget won't get you hired. Use the reference to calibrate your ask, then talk about this job, these days, and this footage.

## Know where minimum-wage law comes in

Non-union doesn't mean no rules. The U.S. Department of Labor's [minimum wage page](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage) sets the federal minimum at $7.25 an hour, and notes that some states provide greater protections and employers must comply with both. Many states set a higher minimum than the federal one.

Wrapbook's guide is blunt for producers: paying an actor only minimum wage is not ideal, but "paying them below is illegal." It also notes that even SAG-AFTRA's micro-budget agreement, which sets no union minimum, is still subject to federal and state minimum wage laws.

Whether the law covers you on a given job depends on whether you're working as an employee and on your state's rules, and volunteer and school projects can be treated differently. But it's worth doing the math. Divide a flat fee by the real hours, including fittings and a long shoot day. If a paid job comes out below your local minimum wage, that's a fair thing to raise, and a question for your state labor office if the producer brushes it off.

## Make the counter, in writing, without apologizing

The fear that stops most actors is that asking will cost them the part. Actor Wyatt Andrew Brownell, writing about his own contracts in [a non-union actor's guide to negotiation](https://wyattandrewbrownell.substack.com/p/a-non-union-actors-guide-to-contract), puts it plainly: "Companies RARELY rescind an offer over a negotiation." They offered you the role because they want you.

He also shares a real example. A theater offered him $400 a week. He thought $500 was fair, asked for $600, and the theater countered at $500. His takeaway is that most companies will raise your pay if you're willing to ask, and if they can't, the worst they say is that this is the most they can offer.

Here's a counter you can adapt. Keep it short, warm, and specific:

- **On the rate:** "Thank you so much, I'd love to do this. Given the eight shoot days plus the fitting and the read-through, I was hoping for [your number]. Is there room to get closer to that?"
- **When the budget is fixed:** "I understand the budget's set. Could we limit the usage to one year online, and could the production cover my travel from the city?"
- **On footage:** "Could we agree that I'll get my scenes within three months of the shoot? That would make this work for me."
- **When it doesn't work:** "I really appreciate the offer. At that rate I can't make the dates work, but I'd love to be considered for future projects."

Ask for one clear thing at a time, and give a reason tied to the job, not to your rent. Then stop typing. Don't stack three apologies on top of the request, and don't negotiate against yourself by offering a lower number before they've replied.

If money truly won't move, trade for terms. Brownell lists housing near the venue and travel costs as basics to ask about when you're working away from home. He describes a friend cast as Buddy Holly who secured housing and travel, instrument and equipment rental fees, and one performance off every week, when his understudy went on.

## Get it in writing and know when to walk

Whatever you agree, put it in an email or a contract before the first shoot day: fee, days, what counts as overtime, usage, travel, footage date, and payment date. Brownell's advice is to read the final contract against what you agreed, because mistakes happen and they're easier to fix before you sign.

Some offers aren't worth negotiating. AllCasting's red flags include no written agreement, unclear usage terms, unpaid rehearsal requests, and "exposure instead of pay" deals. Treat a promise of a share of profits or deferred pay as worth nothing until it's in writing, and even then, plan as if it never arrives.

And any job where money flows from you to the production isn't a job. If an offer asks you to pay a fee to be cast, or to hand over bank details before you've signed anything, read our guide on [how to spot an acting scam](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-spot-an-acting-scam) before you reply.

## Questions actors ask

### How much should I charge as a non-union actor?

There's no standard figure, so build it from the job: the number of days including fittings and rehearsals, how long and where the footage will be used, travel, and what you've been paid before. Check the union's published low-budget minimums as a reference point, and make sure a paid job doesn't work out below your local minimum wage per hour.

### How do I negotiate my rate for an indie film?

Thank them, ask your questions about days, hours, travel, and footage, then make one specific counter by email with a reason tied to the job. If the budget is fixed, negotiate terms instead: travel, meals, a footage delivery date, or fewer days. Get the final terms in writing.

### Is it okay to ask for more money on a non-union job?

Yes. Negotiating is a normal part of any deal, and experienced actors say a polite counter rarely costs you the offer. Ask once, clearly, and accept a "this is the most we can do" gracefully. Then decide whether the job is worth it to you at that rate.

### Should I take a buyout on a non-union commercial?

A buyout can be fair when the usage is limited: a set length of time, a defined region, and specific media. Be wary of a small fee for all media, worldwide, forever. Ask how long the buyout lasts and whether the fee or the term can change.

### Does a non-union job have to pay minimum wage?

If you're working as an employee, federal and state minimum wage laws generally apply, and where your state sets a higher minimum, the employer has to meet it. Volunteer and school projects can be treated differently. If you're unsure, your state's labor office can tell you how the rules apply where you live.