Members and non-members earn residuals through their work on SAG-AFTRA contracts. Learn more about these payments, how to track them and their unique history and terminology below.
Residuals include payments made for free TV, basic cable, pay cable, video/DVD, New Media, and theatrical productions. Commercial residuals are not processed by SAG-AFTRA, but are mailed direct from the payroll companies and will not be listed on the Residuals Tracker. If you have a question about commercial residuals, please contact the Commercials Department at (323) 549-6858, or by email: comm.coedinfo@sagaftra.org
Because of the way some productions report payments for multiple markets or runs, all payments for the production may be “rolled up” into one amount.
This amount will show up on a single market line of the production detail, with subsequent markets showing $0.00. This does not mean that you were not paid for the other markets, just that the total aggregated amount is reported in the one market.
In addition, should you choose to view payments currently in process, the net amount will not be available in the check detail. That information is not entered until the payment is fully processed and has a mail date. Members should expect to receive their residuals within 60 days from the date SAG-AFTRA receives the checks and producers’ information.
Want to track your residuals? Click here for the Residuals Portal.
Have a question about your residual payment? Call the Member Care Contact Center at (855) SAG-AFTRA/(855) 724-2387.
For general residuals questions related to specific pictures, please call the Member Care Contact Center at (855) SAG-AFTRA/(855) 724-2387, or click here for the Residuals Inquiry Form.
Looking for information on Foreign Royalties? Click here.
Residuals Terminology
Below is a helpful glossary of the most often used (and sometimes confused) terms in the residuals world.
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The person(s) who are designated by a performer to receive that performer’s residual earnings after his or her death.
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Revenue derived from the license or sale of a project. This formula depends on the type of product, parties to the agreement and market of exploitation. Refer to the Codified Basic Agreement for more information.
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Product licensed to any part of the world outside the United States, its commonwealths, territories, possessions and Canada.
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The performer’s corporation to which he or she would receive residuals using a federal ID#.
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A mult payment is a residual check representing multiple payments for multiple projects from the same production company. For example, if a performer was on several episodes of Friends, all of those payments go on one check instead of a separate check for each episode.
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Evening viewing hours from 8 p.m.–11 p.m. (7 p.m.–11 p.m. on Sundays) on NBC, CBS, ABC and FBC (FOX).
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A unique number assigned by SAG-AFTRA to a TV show or theatrical movie.
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The timeframe by which gross receipts based residuals are paid, with residuals payments due not later than 60 days following the close of a calendar quarter.1st Quarter: January 1st – March 31, residuals due by May 312nd Quarter: April 1 – June 30, residuals due by August 303rd Quarter: July 1 – September 30, residuals due by November 304th Quarter: October 1 – December 31, residuals due by March 1
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The residuals payor is entitled to recover any overpayment made in error or resulting from revenue and air-date adjustments.
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A Made-for Free TV product which has been telecast not more than once in any city in the United States or Canada is considered in its first run.A Made-for Free TV product which has been telecast more than once but not more than twice in any city in the United States and Canada is in its second run.A similar test applies in determining when a Made-for-Free TV product is in its third and succeeding runs.
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Product licensed for telecast over independent stations, local network affiliates, and for non-primetime network exhibition.
Have a question about Residuals? See the FAQs below.
Still have questions?
Residuals Contact Information
In order that we may better respond to inquiries regarding residuals, please select the following scenario that best describes your situation.
| For general residuals questions: | For a residuals history report/printout of past residuals paid and payments that are not fully processed: | For monies held in trust, please contact the Residuals Trust Department: | For changes to your residuals mailing address and updates for loan-out corporations, contact the Residuals Trust Department: | To notify us of a deceased family member or providing beneficiary information, please contact the Residuals Estates Department: | For lost or stale dated residuals checks, please contact Stop Payment/Reissue Department: |
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| (323) 549-6507 | (323) 549-6507 | (323) 549-6535 | (323) 549-6535 | (323) 549-6557 | (323) 549-6567 |
| (323) 549-6505 | residual.trust@sagaftra.org | residual.trust@sagaftra.org | estates@sagaftra.org | stop.payments@sagaftra.org |