Hello fellow MN film/TV production crew,
I made this neat table! The Minnesota Day Rate Table breaks down the different hours per day guarantees (e.g. $250/10 hrs) to their hourly rate equivalencies (e.g. $22.7272). This makes it easier to compare a 10 hour day guarantee offer from a Minnesota company to a 12 hour day guarantee offer from an out-of-town company. The table also calculates overtime rates and half day rates. Below you can download a printable PDF of the table.
Q: Why can’t I simply divide my day rate by my hours per day guarantee?
A: Film/TV production crews are typically paid a day rate (e.g. $250/10 hrs) but it’s not as simple as dividing $250 by 10 to figure out your hourly rate. This is because the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) says “unless exempt, employees covered by the Act must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek at a rate not less than time and one-half their regular rates of pay.” (Source: www.dol.gov/whd/overtime_pay.htm). In the film/TV industry, we frequently work more than 8 hours in a day so the x1.5 OT is built into our day rate to avoid a hassle.
Technical Details
The Minnesota Day Rate Table uses the formula that most Minnesota entertainment payroll companies use to calculate hourly rates. California payroll companies most likely use a different formula so this table wouldn’t be useful for them. The one thing I have learned while making this table is nothing is black and white or universal. Every state, production company, and project is different. Therefore, it is best to ask the Production Coordinator, Production Manager, or Producer about payment before starting the job.
This post and the table were last updated on December 25, 2021 so the minimum wage dashes (e.g. -) will not be current starting in 2023 and external webpage links may be broken. I am not a payroll professional. Use this table at your own risk. If you’d like to review my calculations for errors, below is the working Google Sheet document. (Google Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UbQsfn09iBjL_EjgH97_DOFLdFoODhLSL3pEarZ5a-I/edit?usp=sharing). To report an error, broken link, or to suggest an improvement, please contact me through email.
Special thanks to Jinny, Kevin, Grace, Charlotte, Meighan, Nathan, Patti, Anne, and everyone in the MN Film and Media Production Facebook group for answering my questions and providing feedback.
Further Resources
- US Department of Labor (FLSA): https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/flsa
- Minnesota Payday Requirements 2020: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/payday#foot11
- Minnesota Minimum Wage: http://www.dli.mn.gov/business/employment-practices/minimum-wage-minnesota
- Minneapolis Minimum Wage: http://minimumwage.minneapolismn.gov/
- IRS Standard Mileage Reimbursement Rates: https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/standard-mileage-rates