Stunt performers on SAG-AFTRA film and TV jobs earn at least $1,283 a day or $4,785 a week as of November 2026, and stunt doubles are paid on the same scale. On top of that come stunt adjustments negotiated for each stunt, plus overtime. Here are the 2026 union rates for stunt performers and coordinators, how adjustments work and how stunt pay compares with acting pay, checked on sagaftra.org.
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On a SAG-AFTRA film or TV job, the minimum for a stunt performer is $1,283 a day or $4,785 a week from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Those are floors: stunt adjustments, overtime and negotiated rates can take a day well above them. The figures below are from SAG-AFTRA's 2026 theatrical wage table and television wage tables, as of November 2026.
| Role (SAG-AFTRA film and TV) | From 1 July 2026 | From 1 July 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Stunt performer, day | $1,283 | $1,321 |
| Stunt performer, week | $4,785 | $4,929 |
| Stunt performer, TV 3-day (half-hour or one-hour show) | $3,510 | $3,615 |
| Stunt coordinator (below "flat deal"), day / week | $1,283 / $4,785 | $1,321 / $4,929 |
| Stunt coordinator, flat deal, theatrical day / week | $1,996 / $7,872 | $2,056 / $8,108 |
| Stunt coordinator, flat deal, TV day / week | $1,696 / $6,520 | $1,747 / $6,716 |
Minimums as of November 2026 from sagaftra.org wage tables. Rates rise 3% each 1 July to 2030.
A stunt double is paid as a stunt performer, so the same union minimums apply: $1,283 a day or $4,785 a week on SAG-AFTRA film and TV from 1 July 2026.
There's no "stunt double salary" in the usual sense. Most stunt work is booked by the day or the week, so what someone earns in a year depends on how many days they work, the adjustments they negotiate, overtime and any weekly or run-of-show deals. We haven't found a primary source that publishes average yearly earnings for stunt performers, so we don't quote one here. Be wary of salary figures online that don't say where they came from.
"Stunt performer" is the umbrella term. SAG-AFTRA's stunt and safety digest (written for the 2014 to 2017 contracts, so check the current agreement) describes the main types:
All of them are paid at least the stunt performer minimum.
A stunt adjustment is extra pay for a particular stunt, on top of the day or weekly rate. It isn't on the rate sheet, because it's negotiated for each stunt.
The union's stunt digest sets out how it works under the 2014 to 2017 contracts: the adjustment is agreed before the stunt is performed, production can't be held up while the amount is worked out, and you can negotiate more if the stunt turns out bigger than agreed. Its FAQ adds that overtime is calculated on the original contract plus the adjustment.
Ben Whitehair's general advice applies here too: pay terms should be settled before you're on set, usually by your agent, and if the contract in front of you doesn't match what was agreed, call your agent before you sign.
The day rate is the same: a SAG-AFTRA day performer and a stunt performer both start at $1,283 from 1 July 2026. The weekly minimum is higher for stunts, at $4,785 against $4,456 for a weekly performer, per the theatrical wage table.
Remember that these are "scale", the minimum the union has negotiated. As Ben Whitehair explains, scale is the floor, not the ceiling. For the full principal rate sheet, see our SAG-AFTRA rates page, and for pay across job types, how much actors make.
Stunt coordinators plan and run the stunts on a production. Under the 2026 wage tables, a coordinator hired below the "flat deal" level earns the same minimum as a stunt performer ($1,283 a day, $4,785 a week). On a flat deal, the theatrical minimum is $1,996 a day or $7,872 a week, and on TV it's $1,696 a day or $6,520 a week.
The older stunt digest also explains the safety side of the job: a person qualified by training or experience must be on set when stunts are planned, and stunts should be preceded by a safety meeting with a walkthrough and an agreed abort signal.
No. The union's stunt digest says the producer must always get the performer's consent before a stunt or hazardous activity, and a performer can decline and ask for a double. It also says background actors can't be used for scripted stunts on location except in a genuine emergency.
In auditions, Kym's advice for fight scenes is to keep it simple: ask how they'd like the action played, keep a safe distance from the reader, and choose one or two moves rather than the whole sequence.
On a union set, SAG-AFTRA runs a 24-hour on-set emergency line, (844) 723-3773, listed on its contracts page as of November 2026. Ben Whitehair explains that it's for safety emergencies, stunt issues and harassment, and that it's also in the SAG-AFTRA app. For anything less urgent, call the union's main line and they'll route you.
We'll be straight with you: our library doesn't yet have a stunt performer or coordinator talking about breaking into stunts, so we won't guess. What we can say from the union's digest is that stunt coordinators are the people who identify and recruit stunt performers for a production, and that minors doing stunts need a doctor's certificate of fitness.
If stunts are your goal, SAG-AFTRA's Stunts and Safety department is a good first call. This page is general information; check the current agreement and the union for your situation.
Stunt doubles are paid as stunt performers. On SAG-AFTRA film and TV the minimum is $1,283 a day or $4,785 a week from 1 July 2026, plus any negotiated stunt adjustments and overtime.
From 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, the SAG-AFTRA stunt performer minimum is $1,283 a day and $4,785 a week. It rises to $1,321 and $4,929 on 1 July 2027.
Through stunt adjustments, which are negotiated for each stunt before it is performed, plus overtime. Adjustments are not on the rate sheet.
Below the flat deal level, coordinators earn the stunt performer minimum. On a flat deal, the 2026 minimum is $1,996 a day or $7,872 a week on features and $1,696 a day or $6,520 a week on TV.
The SAG-AFTRA day minimum is the same, $1,283 from 1 July 2026, but the weekly stunt minimum of $4,785 is higher than the $4,456 weekly performer minimum.
No. Under SAG-AFTRA rules the producer must get your consent before a stunt, and you can decline and ask for a double.
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All rates current from sagaftra.org as of 3 November 2026.