Every Australian TVC budget starts with the same question — what does a performer actually cost on the day? The answer is not one number. It is a tier ladder, a base contract, a recommended guideline sitting on top of that contract, and a short stack of employer costs the producer carries separately. Get the tier right and most of the arithmetic falls into place.

The two documents that set the rate

Australian TVC performer pricing lives in two places. The MEAA TVC Standard Contract 2024 is the base — the standard-form contract that sets principal base pay, the meal-break rule, minimum turnaround and usage terms. The CGA Recommended Guideline 24 September 2024 sits on top of it with a tier-by-tier dollar ladder for featured extras, extras and walk-ons, plus the 10-hour day and $150 per hour flat overtime rule.

Producers apply both at once. The MEAA TVC 2024 governs the deal structure; the CGA 24 September 2024 provides the recommended dollar figures casting agents hold you to. For a deeper split of which does what, see the CGA vs MEAA guide.

Four tiers cover almost every on-camera role on an Australian TVC. The tier determines the day rate, the usage implication, and the casting brief wording.

Principal

A principal is a named, speaking, identifiable performer — the face of the spot, the hero of the scene, or anyone who delivers a line on camera. The principal day rate comes from the MEAA TVC Standard Contract 2024 base cell and is the reference point every other tier sits below.

A Featured Extra is a non-speaking but individually recognisable performer — singled out in coverage, held on a reaction, featured in a brand-hero moment. The CGA 24 September 2024 sets the adult Featured Extra floor at $1,500 per day. Casting agents enforce this number on the producer side. Full walkthrough in the Featured Extra $1,500 floor guide.

Extra

An extra is a general background performer — crowd, pedestrian, café patron — not singled out in coverage and not speaking. The CGA 24 September 2024 sets an extra day rate beneath the Featured Extra floor.

Walk-on

A walk-on crosses frame or performs a simple silent-action beat without being held on coverage. It is the lowest rung of the CGA tier ladder.

The CGA Recommended Guideline 24 September 2024 sets the adult Featured Extra floor at $1,500 per day for TVC work.

Overtime, meals and the shoot day

The CGA 24 September 2024 sets a 10-hour shoot day. After the 10th hour, overtime is payable at a flat $150 per hour — not a percentage uplift, not a time-and-a-half scale, a flat hourly cash figure. The MEAA TVC Standard Contract 2024 layers the meal-break rule and minimum turnaround on top. Miss the meal-break window and a meal penalty accrues; call tomorrow inside the minimum turnaround and a turnaround breach triggers.

For the full mechanic, see the overtime and meal-penalty guide, or run the numbers in the overtime calculator.

What the producer pays on top

The day rate is only part of the employer cost. Four items sit on top of the performer's gross fee, and each is the producer's responsibility, not the performer's.

  • Super Guarantee — 12% on top of gross for FY25-26 under the Super Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992. It is paid on top of the performer's fee, never deducted from it. Detail: super on TVC deals.
  • Workers compensation is charged per the shoot state's FY25-26 rate. Rates and base vary by state — NSW, VIC, QLD and WA each run different schemes.
  • Agency commission is usually 10% or 20% + GST on the performer fee, depending on the agency and the deal type. This is a line item on the invoice, not a deduction from the performer's gross under AU payroll rules.
  • Payroll tax may apply once the producer's total wage bill crosses the state threshold. Thresholds and rates differ by state and reset each financial year.

From gross to net — the performer's side

On the performer side, PAYG withholding comes off the gross. Most performer agents operate a 20% voluntary flat withholding rate as a practical default, though marginal ATO PAYG Schedule 3 FY 2025-26 rates also apply where the performer is treated as a regular employee. Medicare and any agent commission then come off the net. The take-home calculator runs the full gross-to-net stack.

A quick worked example

Take a Featured Extra booked at the CGA floor of $1,500 for a 10-hour shoot day. No overtime. Employer super at 12% adds $180. State workers comp and agency commission layer on top of that, not on top of the performer. The performer's gross is $1,500; the producer's true cost is higher. Switch to a principal and you swap the CGA Featured Extra cell for the MEAA TVC 2024 principal base rate — the stack above it stays structurally the same.

Build the number

Pick the tier, layer super, workers comp, agency commission and PAYG, and read the true employer cost. The performer day rate calculator walks tier by tier with the source cell cited. For a full TVC budget — multiple performers, voiceover, stills, payroll tax, the lot — use the project cost builder.