The Working Actor: Three Guilds, Three Fees

Great story...but wouldn't that mean she's getting taxed at almost 60%?games

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I was raised up in a Union family,UMWA. I understand the importance of unions. I also understand required dues and fees. They are set up to keep workers from being exploited and keeps them safe from unhealthy and overly dangerous conditions. As well as protecting them from being paid less than a living wage for what they do. What I don't understand is why do actors, writers, directors, etc. need unions?
I know that these talents should be compensates fairly but I do not see the top 1% of those craftspeople being protected from being exploited, etc. Those that do not make the big bucks should have some representation but if they have difficulty getting or continually staying in work should possibly look for some other work that would provide them with a living.
I also understand passion for the work but I also understand passion to the point of foolishness.

Ben,

Unless this girl is living under the 101 overpass, she's got a survival job. This will be taken into consideration at tax time. Although all union dues are tax deductible, that only means she will not pay taxes on the dues.

Do you know how much a decent headshot session costs? Or reproductions of those headshots? Do you know how much it costs Kimberly to mail even one headshot? Do you know that it cost $35 to post a primary photo on your IMDB profile? $50 to post a primary photo on LA Casting, used by all commercial agents and casting personnel for commercial talent submissions? Do you know how much it costs to purchase and maintain every wardrobe item imaginable from a lab coat to an evening gown?

Like "A Working Actress" says, no one but an actor can understand our struggle.

Why should an actor need to belong to any union to work? What do all these dues go to support? I know where the agent's % goes. Pretty soon you will have to be a Party member to get a job.

Yes, the union initation fees are steep indeed. As are the dues, and it doesn't get much better. The more you earn, the more your dues increase.
I know that there were years that I worked as an actor, and got a decent amount of work. That meant that the FOLLOWING year, my dues were way higher, whether or not I had worked that year that I was required to pay the higher amount. Dues are based on percentage of income from the dues period prior...

An actor CAN join AFTRA without having a job as an actor, unlike SAG. Anyone can join AFTRA, if they have the bucks. With the proper planning, an actor can save the AFTRA initiation pay over time, and then join AFTRA.

However, an actor can't just walk in and buy into SAG. There are professional working requirements to do so.

I suggest planning and saving so that when an actor can join SAG, he / she is able to.

SAG is the big kid on the block, and it's higher standard of entry (professional work requirements) is only one of the reasons. AFTRA was always for the "other" types of acting work: voiceover, soap opera ...It was for all stuff that was recorded on "tape".

SAG was for work that was done on film. Now, with AFTRA having gone and accepted such meager terms of the AMPTP offering, AFTRA is gaining ground as a more visible and viable "player".

But, at whose cost? Yes, AFTRA actors can work and get paid less than SAG has been insisting isn't enough.

What a great example, right here. This actresses story is the same as every other union actor. And this is only a tiny slice of "the life".

And, am I off-base? But didn't AFTRA agree to NO residuals on internet, with the AMPTP? Is that why 90210 is an AFTRA show?

As an actor, there is never enough money to pay for anything. Most of the time, for most of the actors in this city. In this country.

This is not news to any working actor. Not celebrities, I don't mean. Actors: the novices, and the many more who are people you may recognize, but aren't household names.

The household name actors aren't worrying about paying their dues, not usually.

That's how I knew that the journalists who called Alan Rosenberg crazy, just hadn't done their homework. It really takes an actor to know an actor's life. And the nigh impossibility. It really is. Especially, about money.

Pay the union fees? How about the impossibility of paying rent, or food? If you think there is time for another job, again, I urge you to do some homework. And the math. In both cases, and more. It never adds up. In any economy.

Certainly won't, with what appears to lie ahead, if the "Moderates of SAG" do win. If they do, actors lose so big, that they all may be forced to forget the career.

Hey Ben who says Dilts will get any tax refunds, federal or state?

I am assuming that she either works other acting jobs and has one or more survival jobs. So it's hard to say from what limited info we have here what tax brackets she falls into and what if any refunds she will be entitled to.

Moreover last I checked the Governator of CA is not handing out CA state tax refunds as cash but as IOU's against the state treasury. Will AFTRA or anyone accept those as payment of Dilts's bills instead of cash? I seriously doubt it.

Moreover all those deductions taken out of her paycheck (Federal taxes, State taxes, FICA, Social Security, etc) aren't necessarily coming back to her any time soon if at all. Not helpful to have a refund coming someday if the rent/mortgage & other bills are due now.

Finally if she's never worked AFTRA jobs before, that's actually $1300 in initiation fees plus $63.90 in annual base dues plus $22.78 for this job for a total of $1611.82 owed to just AFTRA, leaving Dilts with $1386.18 after just AFTRA takes its share and *not* taking out $127.80 for her agent's 10%, $191.70 for her manager's 15% or any taxes/paycheck deductions. And that doesn't include residual payments and/or whatever pittance she might get from new media residuals.

Granted this is a one time payment of $1300 in AFTRA initiation fees, but who's to say Dilts will ever work another AFTRA job? And as an AFTRA member she's now on the hook for annual dues of $63.90 if she keeps up her membership. The more interesting question is how many AFTRA jobs would she have to book to recoup the $1300 outlay considering that for every AFTRA job she books a percentage of that is taken as earnings not to mention the yearly requirement to pay at least $63.90 to be a member of AFTRA in good standing? And how long will it take her to book the AFTRA jobs to pay off just the initiation fees.

God forbid you put the $1300 AFTRA initiation fees on a credit card charging interest of up to 30% APR and can only make minimum payments to pay it off.

This is not as rosy a picture as many would have working actors believe. Very sad.

Wouldn't that also mean she doesn't have to pay the AFTRA initiation fee ever again, and so this would hardly be typical of her future work?

Great story...but wouldn't that mean she's getting taxed at almost 60%? That doesn't make sense, even in the highest tax bracket. With a refund, she should get almost all of that back when the government sees she doesn't make $1500 a day for the whole year.