A SAG-AFTRA escrow is a contract that specifies an amount of money to be paid to a SAG-AFTRA affiliated worker before any work or travel takes place. These escrows are typically negotiated by the performer's agent or business manager as a condition of employment.
The escrow agreement generally includes guaranteed days or weeks of employment, the production company's obligations for handling the payment, and any additional compensation requirements.
When a SAG escrow is created:
The funds must be held by a third-party or escrow provider, not Wrapbook
Escrow payments are made outside of Wrapbook, but time worked and pay are documented through the platform for payroll purposes
SAG will review escrows to ensure compliance with SAG minimums, overage rates, and payment schedules, however they’re not directly part of any SAG escrow agreements
Supported Escrows
Production companies that use Wrapbook can support the following SAG-AFTRA escrows:
SAG-AFTRA Schedule F escrows
Are used for project-rate performers; typically lead or supporting actors who are needed for the entire run of a project
Allow workers to be paid a flat amount for a project in wages
Enables $0 timecards in Wrapbook, with supplemental payables to document weekly payments
Workers on Schedule F are not paid for overtime, rehearsals, travel and many other overages and penalties
Other Schedule SAG-AFTRA escrows
For SAG workers with other Schedule SAG Escrows, Wrapbook calculates their pay normally, but instead of Wrapbook sending the payment, the worker is paid directly from their escrow amount.
Add a SAG-AFTRA escrow to a worker’s profile
If you have a production worker who’ll be paid from a SAG-AFTRA escrow account, you’ll need to add the escrow when you invite the worker to join the project.
To add the escrow:
In the left-side navigation, click the dropdown menu
In the dropdown menu, select the name of the project that you’re inviting the worker to
In the left-side navigation Payroll menu, click People
At the top of the People page, click the Invite worker button, and begin entering the worker details
Under Guild, click the dropdown menu and select SAG-AFTRA
Under Job title, click the dropdown menu and select the applicable Schedule
In the Job dates & pay section, under Amount and Per, enter the amount paid to the worker and frequency of pay
In the Escrow section, click the box to enable This worker will receive payments up to this amount, paid outside of Wrapbook payroll
Under Guaranteed escrow amount, enter the total escrow amount
Click the box to confirm that payment to this worker for the guaranteed amount will be made outside of Wrapbook
Continue entering information for the worker, being sure to click the Save button at the bottom of the page when you’re finished
See SAG-AFTRA escrow details for a worker
When a worker’s Payment method is Escrow (paid outside of Wrapbook) you’ll be able to see escrow details on their Worker Profile page.
To see:
In the left-side navigation, click the dropdown menu
In the dropdown menu, select the project that includes the worker with a SAG-AFTRA escrow
In the left-side navigation Payroll menu, click People
On the People page, click on the name of the worker that you want to see SAG-AFTRA escrow information for
On the worker’s profile page, you’ll see SAG-AFTRA listed directly under the worker’s name if an escrow account is being used
Scroll down the page until you see the escrow payment tracker. The tracker will show you the total amount owed, the amount paid, and any payments that are pending. When a SAG escrow has been enabled, you can also access the escrow payment tracker from the worker’s timecards.
Record SAG-AFTRA escrow payments
You can use the escrow payment tracker to record payments made from your SAG-AFTRA escrow account.
While SAG-AFTRA escrow payments occur outside of Wrapbook, recording and tracking these payments within Wrapbook enables accurate record keeping, tax computations, and pension and health (P&H) contribution estimations.
To record SAG-AFTRA escrow payments:
In the left-side navigation and click the dropdown menu
In the dropdown menu, select the project that includes the worker who you want to record a SAG escrow payment for
In the left-side navigation Payroll menu, click Timecards & expenses
On the Timecards & Expenses dashboard, click the Union filter and select SAG-AFTRA to show only workers who’re affiliated with the guild
Click on the name of the worker who you’re recording a SAG-AFTRA escrow payment for
On the worker’s profile page, scroll down until you see the escrow payment tracker, and click the Record escrow transaction button
In the popup, enter the Date and Amount of the payment, and then select the Project worker location. You can also add Notes about the transaction.
Under Attachments, click the Select a file button to upload a file from your computer that shows proof of payment. Proof of payment could be a bank statement, transaction confirmation, or transaction detail showing the payment from the escrow account. Proof of payment will be reviewed by a Wrapbook payroll specialist.
Click the search icon under Code to assign a code from your Chart of Accounts (COA) to the transaction
Click the Review button to confirm that the details you entered are correct
Once you’ve reviewed the details, click the Submit button to record the escrow payment
After you’ve successfully recorded the SAG escrow payment, the escrow payment tracker will automatically update to account for the transaction.