Union rate sheets are written for payroll departments, not for people. They're long, they're in PDF, they assume you already know what a wild spot is, and none of them tells you what a job actually pays once the pieces are added up. So we've done the adding up. Pick the kind of job below, answer two or three questions, and you'll get the current SAG-AFTRA minimum for a voice actor, line by line, with what each line means and what the producer pays on top.
Rate calculator
What does the union minimum come to?
Every figure comes from SAG-AFTRA's own rate sheets for the period in force today, and the calculator shows that period and links to the sheet under every result. The numbers are minimums, called . Plenty of work pays more, and nothing stops anyone from asking for more.
How a union voice over fee is built
Almost every union voice job is made of the same three pieces. Once you can see them, every rate sheet gets a lot less frightening.
Three pieces, every time
- The session feePaid for the recording itself: turning up, performing, the retakes. On most contracts it covers a set length of time, like one hour or four.
- The use feePaid for where the recording runs and for how long. Commercials pay it in cycles: 4 weeks, 13 weeks, a year. Run it longer or wider, pay again.
- P&H on topThe pension and health contribution. The producer pays it to the union plans on top of the fee. It never comes out of the actor's pay.
Two rules trip people up. First, on many commercial uses the session fee can be against the first cycle's use fee, so the actor receives the bigger of the two rather than both. Second, on the audio contract the session is never credited against online-only use, and on the TV contract it can't be credited against online-only use unless TV or streaming use is bought too. The calculator applies both rules for you and shows the credit as its own line.
One read, seven places to run it
Same voice, same thirty seconds, 13 weeks each time. The only thing that changes is where the spot runs, and look at what that does to the minimum.
Minimum pay for one voice, 13 weeks
That spread is the whole reason usage matters. A national cable run pays more than three and a half times what the same read earns as online audio, because far more people hear it and the advertiser gets far more out of it. Non-union work runs on the same logic, which is why a good quote always starts with where the recording will be heard.
The rates, contract by contract
The voice over lines from each current sheet, for one solo performer. Tap a contract to open it. Group rates, singers and on-camera rates are on the official sheets linked under each one.
Radio and audio commercialsAudio Commercials Contract, Year 2: 1 Apr 2026 to 31 Mar 2027
| Actor or announcer | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Audio Standard | |
| Session | $379.60 |
| Traditional Digital, 4 / 8 weeks | $488.72 / $519.99 |
| Traditional Digital, 1 year | $1,368.39 |
| Digital Plus (adds streaming audio), 4 / 8 weeks | $521.92 / $626.31 |
| Digital Plus, 1 year | $1,670.15 |
| Wild spot, 13 weeks, first unit, no major market | $379.60 |
| Wild spot, 13 weeks, New York alone | $568.32 |
| Wild spot, 13 weeks, Chicago or LA alone | $515.44 |
| Wild spot, 13 weeks, two of NY, Chicago, LA | $693.19 |
| Wild spot, 13 weeks, all three | $875.86 |
| Network program, 13 weeks unlimited | $2,059.77 |
| Local program use | $412.54 |
| Dealer, 8 / 26 weeks | $513.21 / $1,026.48 |
| Foreign use, 18 months | $753.05 |
| Single market: 60 minute session and 13 weeks | $261.59 |
| Demos, copy tests, non-air: 1 hour session | $261.59 |
| Audio Flex (session applied to use) | |
| Session | $420.50 |
| Tags, each | $120.12 |
| Digital use, 4 wk / 13 wk / 1 yr | $521.92 / $835.08 / $1,670.15 |
| National terrestrial radio, 4 wk / 13 wk / 1 yr | $840.83 / $1,741.71 / $4,444.37 |
| National radio and digital, 4 wk / 13 wk / 1 yr | $1,051.02 / $2,072.03 / $5,105.02 |
| Regional radio, 13 weeks: South / Northeast / Midwest / West | $1,031.93 / $678.66 / $808.66 / $744.45 |
P&H 23.5% (19.95% discounted). Wild spots add a small amount per extra . Source: SAG-AFTRA Audio Commercials rate sheet, Year 2.
TV commercials, voice overCommercials Contract, Year 2: 1 Apr 2026 to 31 Mar 2027
| Off-camera principal | 4 wk / 13 wk / 52 wk |
|---|---|
| Session (up to 2 hours) | $643.00 |
| Streaming platforms (includes all other digital) | $975.00 / $2,250.00 / $7,500.00 |
| Traditional digital with paid YouTube | $588.00 / $932.40 / $2,856.00 |
| Traditional digital without paid YouTube | $573.30 / $909.10 / $2,784.60 |
| National cable | $1,125.00 / $3,075.00 / $10,125.00 |
| Local cable, up to 1M subscribers | $225.00 / $600.00 / $2,250.00 |
| Wild spot, all broadcast markets | $655.20 / $1,638.00 / $5,896.80 |
| Wild spot, excluding NY, LA and Chicago | $655.20 / $900.90 / $3,276.00 |
| Spanish-language program use | $819.00 / $2,457.00 / $8,190.00 |
| Dealer | $573.30 / $1,310.40 / $5,077.80 |
| Network : 1st use / 13 use guarantee | $588.90 / $1,498.38 |
| Social media (Sideletter 9), 30 day cycle | $96.45 |
| Non-air demo | $321.50 |
P&H 23.5% (19.95% discounted). Source: SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract rate sheet, Year 2.
Video gamesInteractive Media Agreement: 1 Nov 2025 to 31 Oct 2026, then 1 Nov 2026
| Off-camera performer | Now / from 1 Nov 2026 |
|---|---|
| 1 hour, 1 voice | $567.62 / $584.65 |
| 4 hour day, up to 3 voices | $1,134.95 / $1,169.00 |
| Each additional voice | $378.41 / $389.76 |
| 6 hour day, 6 to 10 voices | $2,270.78 / $2,338.90 |
| Up to 20 atmospheric voices, 4 hour day | $1,134.95 / $1,169.00 |
| , by sessions worked | |
| 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 sessions | $75 / $200 / $375 / $550 / $775 |
| 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 or more | $1,000 / $1,285 / $1,570 / $1,855 / $2,140 |
P&H 17% of gross, rising to 17.5% on 31 October 2026. Sources: IMA wage table, 2025 IMA summary.
On AI: the 2025 agreement requires clear written consent, with a reasonably specific description of use, before a performer's is made or used, and work generated from a replica is paid.
Corporate, e-learning and phone systemsCorporate/Educational & Non-Broadcast: from 15 Dec 2025
| Off-camera principal | / Cat II |
|---|---|
| First hour | $550.00 / $614.00 |
| Each additional half hour | $161.00 / $161.00 |
| Audio-only program, 3 minutes (half hour session) | $329.00 / $363.00 |
| Retakes, part of script within 60 days (30 minutes) | $299.00 / $299.00 |
| Phone prompts (IVR): engagement fee, includes 5 prompts | $327.00 |
| Phone prompts: each prompt after 5 | $8.00 |
P&H 20.25%. Source: SAG-AFTRA Corporate/Educational rate sheet.
DubbingModified Dubbing Agreement: 1 Jul 2026 to 30 Jun 2027
| Performer | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Per hour, 2 hour minimum | $106.00 |
| Category I: all rights in perpetuity | +50% |
| Category II: all rights included in the fee | no extra |
P&H 22% from 6 September 2026. Source: SAG-AFTRA Modified Dubbing wage table.
Promos and trailersNetwork Code promos and TV Agreement trailers, current sheet
| Voice over | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Network TV promo, per announcement, 13 weeks | $276.00 |
| Radio promo, per announcement, 8 days / 13 weeks | $270.00 / $350.00 |
| Promo tags, each | $93.00 |
| Independent TV trailer, per announcement, 13 weeks | $1,283.00 |
TV promos add 50% of the fee for concurrent online use. The promo rate rises to $282 on 4 July 2027 and the trailer rate to $1,321 on 1 July 2027. Source: SAG-AFTRA promo and trailer rate sheet.
TV animationLast published rates, 1 Jul 2025. New deal agreed, rates not out yet
| Series performer | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Per episode or segment over 10 minutes (up to 3 voices) | $1,246.00 |
| Per episode or segment 10 minutes or less (up to 3 voices) | $1,130.00 |
| Each voice after the third, 10 minutes or less | $365.00 |
The agreement these come from expired on 30 June 2026. SAG-AFTRA and the studios reached a tentative deal on 17 September 2026; we'll update this the day the new rates are published. Source: SAG-AFTRA TV animation rate sheet.
AudiobooksNo single rate: set publisher by publisher
There's no one union audiobook contract. SAG-AFTRA has more than 90 separate agreements with publishers and producers, each with its own minimum per , and it asks narrators to check the rate for a particular publisher with its audiobook staff. Anyone quoting you a single "union audiobook rate" is guessing. Source: SAG-AFTRA audiobooks page.
The words, decoded
Tap any dotted word on this page and its meaning pops up. Here they all are in one place.
- Scale
- The minimum a union contract allows for a job. Paying more is called overscale, and it's normal for experienced actors.
- Session fee
- What the performer is paid for the recording itself, for a set length of time. Going over that time costs more.
- Use fee
- What the producer pays for where a commercial runs and for how long. Paid per cycle, and paid again to keep running it.
- Cycle
- A block of time a use fee buys: 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 13 weeks, 6 months or a year, depending on the use.
- Credit (session applied)
- On many commercial uses the session fee counts toward the first cycle's use fee, so the actor gets whichever is larger, not both. Only one credit per cycle.
- P&H (or H&R)
- Pension and health, or health and retirement. A percentage of the performer's pay that the producer sends to the union plans on top of the fee.
- Discounted P&H
- The 19.95% commercials rate, instead of 23.5%, available to producers who qualify under the contract's authorizer program.
- Wild spot
- A commercial bought market by market on local stations rather than on a network. Priced by which markets and how many.
- Unit
- How wild spot markets are weighted. Each market counts as at least one unit and bigger markets count as more. New York, Chicago and LA are priced separately.
- Class A
- Network TV use, paid per airing. The 13 use guarantee buys 13 airings in 13 weeks at one price.
- Traditional Digital
- Online use like websites and social media. On the audio contract it excludes streaming audio services; Digital Plus adds them.
- Audio Flex
- A newer way to buy radio and online audio use in national or regional packages, with the session fee applied against the use payment.
- Tag
- A short changed ending on a spot, like a different store address or date. Each tag is paid separately.
- Additional compensation
- The video game bonus paid by the game's release, based on how many sessions a principal performer worked, up to $2,140.
- Category I and II
- Corporate work is split by audience: Category I is training and education, Category II adds wider, public-facing uses like trade shows and point of sale, and pays more.
- Digital replica
- An AI copy of a performer's voice or likeness. The union agreements require informed consent and payment for its use.
- Per finished hour
- How audiobooks are paid: per hour of the finished book, not per hour in the booth, which can be two or three times longer.
- Signatory
- A producer that has signed the union agreement. Union members can only work for signatories, so it's the first thing to check.
- Global Rule One
- The union rule that members only work under a union contract, wherever in the world the job is.
Before you say yes to a union job
- Check the Call SAG-AFTRA and confirm the producer is signed to the right agreement before the session, not after.
- Get the usage in writingWhich contract, which media, which markets, how long. That's what sets the use fee.
- Know your minimumRun it through the calculator above. If the offer is below scale, it isn't a union job.
- Keep everythingThe booking email, the contract, the pay stubs. Use fees arrive later and you'll want to match them.
Questions people ask
What is the SAG-AFTRA minimum for a voice over session?
It depends on the contract. Right now a radio or audio commercial session is $379.60 ($420.50 under Audio Flex), a TV commercial voice over session is $643.00, a video game session is $567.62 for an hour and one voice or $1,134.95 for a four hour day, and corporate work is $550 or $614 for the first hour.
Is the session fee all a union voice actor gets for a commercial?
No, and this is the part most people miss. The session pays for the recording. Every cycle the commercial runs pays a use fee as well, and on a national campaign the use fees are where the real money is.
What is P&H and who pays it?
Pension and health. The producer pays it to the union plans on top of the performer's fee: 23.5% on commercials, 17% on games until 30 October 2026, 20.25% on corporate work, 22% on dubbing. It's never deducted from the actor's pay.
How much does a union audiobook pay?
There's no single number. Each of SAG-AFTRA's 90 plus publisher agreements has its own per finished hour minimum, so the only reliable answer comes from SAG-AFTRA's audiobook staff for that publisher.
Can a union member take non-union work?
Under Global Rule One, members only work for producers signed to a union agreement, anywhere in the world. Always check the producer's signatory status with SAG-AFTRA before the session.
47:12 clean, from 1h 23m of raw takes
VoiceEditSuite
You know the rate. Now get your hours back.
Clean a session in ninety seconds, not three hours.
Talking to SAG-AFTRA
For anything about a specific contract, the union's own staff are the final word. The main numbers, from SAG-AFTRA's contact page:
| National headquarters, Los Angeles | (855) 724-2387 |
| New York office | (212) 944-1030 |
| 24 hour safety hotline | (844) 723-3773 |
| Commercials and corporate/educational | (323) 549-6858 |
| Interactive (video games) | (323) 549-6815 |
The small print. SAG-AFTRA and its logo are trademarks of the Screen Actors Guild‑American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. The Voice Realm isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or speaking for SAG-AFTRA. The collective bargaining agreements, rate sheets and related documents are SAG-AFTRA's property; this page summarizes figures from the publicly posted rate sheets, in our own words and layout, for education and general information only, and links to the official documents instead of reproducing them.
Figures are minimums for one solo voice performer, checked against SAG-AFTRA's sheets on 30 September 2026. Rates change, contracts have conditions and exceptions this page can't cover, and payroll companies can apply some rules differently. The official agreements and SAG-AFTRA's staff always govern. Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice, and no calculation on this page is a quote, an offer or a waiver of any contract term. If you spot a figure that's out of date, please tell us and we'll fix it.
End of read 20 of 20