Voice actors are paid by the job, not a salary. On union work the minimum is set by the contract: $643.00 for a two-hour TV or online commercial session and $1,169 for a four-hour video game session, as of November 2026, with use fees on top for commercials. Non-union and audiobook pay is negotiated job by job. Here are the current SAG-AFTRA figures and what David H. Lawrence XVII told us about how the money comes in.
On this page
Every voice job is priced differently. Commercials pay a session fee plus use fees while the ad runs. Video games pay per session. Audiobooks pay per finished hour or a share of sales. That's why there isn't one honest "average".
When Kym asked David what a working voice actor earns, he said he didn't think he had a meaningful number. Some make a very good living from voice alone, he told us, and others earn very little because they don't go after the work well or worry more about gear than performance. He also said voice work is easier to get than on-camera work, because there's so much of it.
A union voice-over principal on a TV or online commercial earns a session fee of $643.00 for two hours, per SAG-AFTRA's 2026-2027 commercials cheat sheet (Year 2 rates, 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027). Use fees follow, from the off-camera column of the Year 2 rate sheet:
| Commercial voice-over use (off-camera principal) | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Session, TV and online commercials | $643.00 |
| Network TV (Class A), first use | $588.90 |
| National cable, 13 weeks | $3,075.00 |
| Streaming platforms, 52 weeks | $7,500.00 |
| Radio session, Audio Standard rates | $379.60 |
| Radio session, Audio Flex rates | $420.50 |
Radio figures are from the Audio Commercials Contract Year 2 rate sheet. Our commercial pay page explains how use fees and holding fees work.
Video games are covered by SAG-AFTRA's Interactive Media Agreement. Its 2025-2028 wage table sets these off-camera minimums from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027:
| Video game session | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Up to 3 voices, 4-hour day | $1,169.00 |
| 1 voice, 1 hour | $584.50 |
| Each additional voice | $389.75 |
| 6 to 10 voices, 6-hour day | $2,339.25 |
The rates rise again each 1 November until 2028. David told us union sessions now have strict safety rules around "efforts", the screams and grunts that strain your voice in games and animation. Ask for a break before you need one.
Only some union work is priced by the hour. The closest figures are the one-hour video game rate of $584.50 for a single voice and the two-hour commercial voice session of $643.00. Audiobooks are the opposite: you're paid per finished hour of audio, not per hour in the booth.
David said you generally can't bill an audiobook for your studio time. Your choices are per finished hour, a share of royalties, or a mix of the two. Per ACX's own help pages, it takes most producers five to seven hours to produce one finished hour, which is worth knowing before you accept a per-finished-hour rate.
US TV animation made under SAG-AFTRA is covered by the union's TV Animation and Basic Cable Animation agreements. The union's TV animation page doesn't publish a rate sheet, and the 2023 agreements it describes ran to 30 June 2026, so we haven't printed a per-episode figure here. Ask SAG-AFTRA for the current minimums. Anime dubbing is often done under separate deals, so pay varies by studio and contract.
Don't assume the roles all go to celebrities. David told us he has booked animation roles himself that the producers could have given to anyone, and that every big name started with a small part. His advice: audition anyway.
Audiobooks pay in three ways. Big publishers pay per finished hour, a one-time fee with no royalties. On ACX, Audible's marketplace, a narrator can instead take Royalty Share or Royalty Share Plus.
Per ACX's help page on royalties (as of November 2026), Royalty Share pays the narrator 20% of sales under the legacy model and 25% under its new model, for 7 years. Royalty Share Plus adds a reduced upfront fee, and can include AFTRA retirement and health contributions if the rate is at least $100 per finished hour.
SAG-AFTRA has no single audiobook rate. Its audiobooks page says it has separate agreements with dozens of publishers, with minimums tailored to each. David's view: many ACX titles sell almost nothing, but a few of his royalty-share books have paid well for years. Picking the right projects is the skill.
Usually. David told us union voice work tends to pay better, often carries residuals, and comes with better working conditions, so joining SAG-AFTRA should be a goal even if you're not ready yet.
Non-union voice work is priced job by job on casting sites and marketplaces such as Voice123, Bodalgo and ACX, and David said you can audition for clients all over the world. There's no minimum, so check the usage before you quote. Our guide to union vs non-union actors covers the trade-off.
David calls it your "portfolio of opportunity": several agents, past clients, referrals, casting sites, ACX and your own content, all feeding work in. He said voice agents are usually tied to geographic markets, so it's normal to have more than one. He has several.
He was also clear that there are no managers in voice-over, and that while some big advertisers and studios only cast through agents, most voice work doesn't need one. The more categories you can work in, from promos to games, narration and phone systems, the more income streams you have. Start with our guide to becoming a voice actor.
General information only, checked November 2026. Union rates change every year; check the current rate sheet for your contract.
It depends on the job. On SAG-AFTRA work a TV or online commercial voice session pays at least $643.00 for two hours plus use fees, and a four-hour video game session pays at least $1,169 from 1 November 2026.
Union video game work pays at least $584.50 for a one-hour, one-voice session from 1 November 2026. Audiobooks are paid per finished hour of audio, not per hour in the booth.
Under the SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement, a four-hour session for up to three voices pays at least $1,169 from 1 November 2026, and each extra voice adds $389.75.
SAG-AFTRA does not publish a current animation rate sheet on its site, so ask the union for the minimum on your contract. Non-union anime dubbing pay is set by each studio.
Publishers pay per finished hour. On ACX a narrator can instead take Royalty Share, which pays 20% of sales under the legacy model or 25% under the new model, for 7 years.
On union commercials, yes: use fees are paid for each cycle or platform the ad runs on. Most audiobooks pay a one-time fee unless you take a royalty share.
Kym's free class: the ten steps, in order, from first class to first booking. Free, just pop in your email.
Get the free classKym's free class for actors who've been at it a while and want things moving again. Free, just pop in your email.
Get the free classWant the whole library? Start your 7-day free trial and watch every voice-over answer on this page.
All rates current from sagaftra.org, jointpolicycommittee.org and help.acx.com as of 3 November 2026.