All the low budget union agreements in one place.
SAG-AFTRA, DGA, WGA, IATSE & Teamster, with current rate links so you're not hunting across a bunch of different websites.
WGA
Term: 5/2/26 to 5/1/30WGA Schedule of MinimumsP&H on page 1. Low Budget rates (projects under $5mil) on page 2. Script publication fee on page 4.
DGA
Term: 7/1/26 to 6/30/27DGA Low Budget Theatrical Rate Cards (Directors / ADs / UPM)For rates past 6/30/27 they go up 3% each year until 6/30/30.
SAG-AFTRA
Term: 7/1/26 to 6/30/30SAG Basic Agreement Wage RatesFor projects $2mil+ (or $3mil+ if using the Diversity Casting Incentive).
SAG Low Budget Agreement Wage RatesFor projects $2mil and under (or $3mil and under if using the Diversity Casting Incentive).
SAG Moderate Low Budget Agreement Wage RatesFor projects $700k and under (or $950k and under if using the Diversity Casting Incentive).
SAG Ultra Low Budget Agreement Wage RatesFor projects under $300k.
SAG Ultra Low Budget AgreementFor projects under $300k.
SAG Micro Budget AgreementFor projects under $20k.
SAG 2014 Basic AgreementSee the many MOAs below for specific updates.
IATSE
Term: 7/1/26 to 12/31/28Teamsters Local 399
Term: 8/2/26 to 7/1/27Drivers, Chef Assts, Animal Wranglers
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming
Basic Agreement Feature Driver RatesFor projects over $8mil.
Low Budget Feature Driver & Chef/Chef Asst RatesFor projects under $8mil.
Pension/Health Fringe Benefit SheetThey haven't updated this after 8/6/26, so you will have to estimate.
Location Managers
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming
Basic Agreement Location Manager RatesFor projects over $9mil.
Low Budget Location Manager RatesFor projects under $9mil.
Pension/Health Fringe Benefit SheetThey haven't updated this after 8/6/26, so you will have to estimate.
Casting Directors
Local 399 on the West Coast, Local 817 on the East Coast
Casting Director Agreement10/1/24 to 9/30/27.
Teamsters Local 817
Term: 11/1/25 to 10/31/28Drivers
New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island. Delaware and Eastern Pennsylvania are in talks to join 817.
Teamster Driver RatesUse TV rates for low budget projects.
Location Managers
New York, New Jersey, Connecticut
Location Managers are in the DGA in NY, so use UPM rates to budget them.
Asst Location Managers
New York, New Jersey, Connecticut
Other Teamster locals
For any other Teamster driver unions throughout the US, reach out to them directly for rates. You could use 399 rates as a placeholder.
Want to see these agreements in action?
Our Case Studies page breaks down real budgets from films that used them, including how filmmakers navigated union requirements on a tight budget.
Read the case studies