Back to the Basics: Residuals

This article pertains only to residuals under the TV/Theatrical/New Media contracts. For Commercials residuals, please see the sidebar.

SAG-AFTRA members know that residuals payments can be critical in keeping them financially solvent between jobs. Composed of more than 55 team members, the Residuals Processing, Trust & Estates Department annually processes and distributes over 4.8 million residuals checks covering worldwide exhibitions of television, new media and theatrical motion pictures for performers and their beneficiaries. During the pandemic, these essential workers continued reporting to the office full time to ensure these payments were distributed.

Residuals are compensation paid to principal performers for use of a theatrical motion picture, television or new media program beyond initial compensation. Residuals are not due at the initial release of a production in the market for which it was produced, but at times of distribution beyond the original market for which it was intended, or reruns beyond the production’s original broadcast date or initial exhibition window. You can track

Direct deposit of residuals is available nationwide to all members. Here’s how: your residuals payments on our website by logging into your SAG-AFTRA account and selecting “Residuals Portal.”

Q Click the Residuals Portal from the left menu of sagaftra.org/residuals-portal.

Q Click on the bottom right tab, Direct Deposit, then accept the terms and conditions. After accepting, you will need to click on the Direct Deposit tab again.

Q Click on the Go to PaymentHub button. This will take you to the secure PaymentHub portal, where you can register deposit and set up bank account routing.

Producers are obligated to send residuals payments to SAG-AFTRA according to a timetable based on where the content was originally released and where it was subsequently released.

After the initial payments, quarterly residuals payments are due 60 days following the end of each calendar quarter as follows:

Q1

JANUARY 1–MARCH 31 residuals due by May 31.

Q2

APRIL 1–JUNE 30 residuals due by Aug. 30

Q3

JULY 1–SEPTEMBER 30 residuals due by Nov. 30.

Q4

OCTOBER 1–DECEMBER 31 residuals due by March 1.

Content made for television then released to: Network TV (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) — 30 days after each re-air date.

Syndication — Quarterly when the producer receives revenue, or if the production is made for syndication or airing in primetime on The CW, then four months after each re-air date.

Basic Cable — Quarterly when the producer receives revenue, or if the production is made for basic cable, then four months after each re-air date.

Foreign free TV — Due within six months of the first foreign telecast.

Other media markets [Pay TV, home video, SVOD (Streaming Video on Demand), digital download] — Quarterly when the producer receives revenue.

Content made for theatrical then released to: Network — 30 days after initial broadcast, then quarterly when revenue is received thereafter.

Free TV, non-network (syndication, basic cable) — Four months after initial broadcast, then quarterly when revenue is received.

Other media markets [Pay TV, home video, SVOD, digital download] – Four months after initial exhibition, then quarterly thereafter when revenue is received.

If you believe that enough time has passed that the producer should have sent a payment to SAG-AFTRA and you suspect you have a potential claim, contact the union, and we will provide guidance regarding if and when a claim may be filed.

You can make it easier for us to file a residuals claim on your behalf if you:

Q Keep all your records (pay stubs, contracts, contractor reports, etc.).

Q Pay attention to when your production is released and contact SAG-AFTRA if you do not receive your residuals payment within six months of release to each new exhibition platform (home video, pay TV, basic cable, etc.).

Q When possible, watch the production when it is released and note details on the scenes you appeared in or can be heard in.

To begin the claims process, call the Residuals Department at (323) 549-6507 or email residualsmail@sagaftra.org

Have a question about your residuals payment? Call the Contact Center at (855) SAG-AFTRA/ (855) 724-2387 l

Commercials residuals are not processed by SAG-AFTRA, but are mailed directly from the payroll companies and will not be listed on the Residuals Tracker. If you have a question about commercials residuals, please contact the Commercials Department at (212) 827-1454, or by email at comm.coedinfo@sagaftra.org.