A background extra on an Australian TV commercial is usually paid $350 to $500 for the day. Neither MEAA nor the Casting Guild publishes a day rate for background work, so the legal floor is the Award: $44.94 an hour for an extra in an advertising production from 1 July 2026, with a 4-hour minimum call. A featured extra is a different booking, with a $1,500 day minimum. Super at 12% is paid on top of all of it.
Rates by type of extra
| Booking | Typical pay | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Background extra | $350 to $500 a day | Market rate, no published minimum |
| Walk-on | Around $500 a day | Market rate |
| Featured extra, adult | $1,500 a day minimum | CGA guideline, 24 Sep 2024 |
| Featured extra, child | $750 a day minimum | CGA guideline, 24 Sep 2024 |
| Any extra, legal floor | $44.94 an hour | Award cl. 13.8(a) |
The market ranges come from Australian casting and production rate guides. Our calculators start a background extra at $500 and you replace it with the fee the agency quotes.
The Award floor, hour by hour
An extra employed on a commercial is covered by the Broadcasting, Recorded Entertainment and Cinemas Award 2020. Whatever the day rate, it has to cover the Award for the hours actually worked:
- 4 hours, the minimum call (cl. 64.3(a)): $179.76.
- 6 hours, the minimum call the CGA recommends: $269.64.
- 8 hours, the Award's ordinary day: $359.52.
- 10 hours, with two hours of Award overtime at 150% (cl. 68.3): $494.34.
- 8 hours on a Sunday, when all time is paid at 200% (cl. 69.1): $719.04.
Overtime starts after 8 hours: 150% for the first two hours and 200% after that. A $350 day rate is under the Award for a full 8 hours, and anything under $494.34 is under it for a 10-hour day. The overtime calculator checks the fee against the Award for the hours on your call sheet.
Minimum call: 4 hours or 6
The Award's minimum call for on-camera advertising work is 4 hours, and MEAA works to the same figure. The Casting Guild recommends its members book background extras for at least 6hours (CGA statement, April 2025). If an extra is released after two hours, they're still paid for the full minimum call.
Featured extras and walk-ons
An extra becomes a featured extra when they're auditioned or individually directed on the day and are recognisable in the finished ad, without a lead, solo or speaking role. The CGA floor is $1,500 for an adult and $750 for a child, and it replaces the hourly rate. A walk-on, someone who crosses frame with no action focus, sits between the two and is negotiated. The featured extra guide covers upgrades on the day and the media the floor includes.
Children
Juvenile performers, extras included, are paid 50% of the adult Award rate (cl. 13.5(e)): $22.47 an hour for a child extra on a commercial. State child employment rules set the hours a child can work and override any booking.
Overtime, cancellation and super
- Overtime. An hourly extra is paid for every hour worked. Performers on a day fee, featured extras included, move to $150 an hour after 10 hours under the CGA guideline.
- Cancellation.Cancel within 5 days of the call (or inside half the lead time, if that's longer) and an extra is paid 100% of their minimum call (Award cl. 65.4(a)).
- Super. 12% of the fee, paid by the production into the extra's fund, not taken out of the fee. The super guide explains why.
- Agency commission.An acting agent takes 10% from the extra's fee; a model or commercial agency adds 20% plus GST to the producer's invoice instead. See the agency commission guide.
Worked example: a crowd of 20
An agency quotes $350 a head for 20 background extras on an 8-hour weekday. The Award floor for 8 hours is $359.52, so the fee has to rise to at least that.
- Fees: 20 × $359.52 = $7,190.40.
- Super at 12%: $862.85.
- Talent cost before workers compensation and payroll tax: $8,053.25.
If you're the extra, that's $359.52 for the day, less any agency commission, with $43.14 going to your super fund.
Cost your crowd
The project budget adds extras, featured extras and principals with super and on-costs, and the overtime calculator checks the day against the meal and turnaround rules. For every published MEAA figure in one place, see MEAA rates for 2026.
