How Much Do Screenwriters Make? WGA Minimums Explained

Quick answer: screenwriter pay varies enormously, and there is no reliable “average.” What can be stated precisely are the Writers Guild of America’s minimums. Under the 2026 WGA Theatrical and Television Basic Agreement, effective May 2, 2026, the minimum for an original screenplay including treatment on a high-budget film is $173,215, and a television staff writer’s week-to-week minimum is $6,024 per week. Many writers earn above minimum, and many writers go long stretches without paid work.

“How much do screenwriters make?” is one of the most searched questions about the job, and one of the hardest to answer honestly. Screenwriting income is uneven. A writer might sell a script one year and earn nothing from writing the next. Pay depends on whether the work is covered by a union contract, the budget of the project, the writer’s track record and how the deal is structured. Deals vary so widely that no single figure describes what a typical screenwriter earns.

This guide sticks to published figures. It explains the WGA minimums from the official 2026 schedule of minimums, how payments are structured, what staff writers earn per week under the contract, and what the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports for writers in general. It is part of the Movie Squirrel series on how to become a screenwriter. Screenwriting pay is set by contracts, so the details of each deal matter more than any headline. All WGA figures below come from the Writers Guild of America’s published “Schedule of Minimums, 2026 Theatrical and Television Basic Agreement, effective May 2, 2026.” The schedule itself says it is not a substitute for the Basic Agreement, which controls if there is any inconsistency.

What the WGA Minimum Basic Agreement Is

The Writers Guild of America negotiates a contract with producers, known as the Minimum Basic Agreement, or MBA. It sets minimum payments, called “scale,” for writing services and for the purchase of literary material by companies that are signatory to the agreement. It also covers residuals, credits, and pension and health contributions. The minimums set a floor for covered script sales, options and writing assignments.

The 2026 schedule covers four yearly periods: May 2, 2026, to May 1, 2027; May 2, 2027, to May 1, 2028; May 2, 2028, to May 1, 2029; and May 2, 2029, to May 1, 2030. Minimums step up in each period. The figures below are for the first period unless noted.

Minimums apply to work for WGA signatory companies. Non-union projects are not covered, and pay on those projects is whatever the parties negotiate.

Feature Film Minimums (2026 MBA)

The schedule splits theatrical minimums into high-budget films, with costs equal to or exceeding $5 million, and low-budget films, with costs under $5 million. A film’s production budget therefore decides which set of minimums applies.

High Budget ($5 Million or More)

For the period May 2, 2026, to May 1, 2027:

• Original screenplay, including treatment: $173,215.
• Non-original screenplay, including treatment: $150,139.
• Original screenplay, excluding treatment, or sale or purchase of an original screenplay: $126,899.
• Rewrite of a screenplay: $46,152.
• Polish of a screenplay: $23,077.
• Page-one rewrite: $57,500, which applies only if the writer’s contract states the writer is being employed for a page-one rewrite.

The original screenplay including treatment minimum rises to $178,411 for May 2, 2027, to May 1, 2028, $183,763 for the following year and $189,275 for May 2, 2029, to May 1, 2030.

Low Budget (Under $5 Million)

For May 2, 2026, to May 1, 2027:

• Original screenplay, including treatment: $92,268.
• Non-original screenplay, including treatment: $80,735.
• Original screenplay, excluding treatment, or sale or purchase of an original screenplay: $61,990.

Paid in Installments

Feature minimums are usually paid in steps, not all at once. On a high-budget original screenplay including treatment, for example, the 2026 schedule lists installments of $69,228 on delivery of the original treatment, $69,228 on delivery of the first draft and $34,759 on delivery of the second draft. Spec script purchases and writing assignments are structured differently, so check which minimum and payment schedule applies to your deal.

The schedule also includes a “guaranteed second step.” When a company employs a writer for a first draft screenplay, or buys a screenplay from a professional writer, at 225 percent or less of the applicable minimum, it must also employ the writer for a rewrite at no less than the rewrite minimum.

Week-to-Week Theatrical Employment

Writers employed on features by the week have their own minimums. For May 2, 2026, to May 1, 2027, the schedule lists $7,511 per week for week-to-week employment, with lower weekly rates for longer guaranteed terms, such as $5,925 per week for 40 out of 52 weeks. Development deals follow their own terms, so read each one closely.

Television Minimums (2026 MBA)

Television pay comes in two main forms: fees for writing individual scripts, and weekly pay for writers employed on staff. Most series employ a writers’ room, and many also buy individual episodes from freelance writers.

Script Fees: Network Prime Time

The schedule’s network prime time rates apply to ABC, CBS, Fox (listed as FBC), NBC and pay TV, and also to what it calls Tier 1 SVOD/AVOD streaming programs. For May 2, 2026, to May 1, 2027:

• 30-minute program, story and teleplay: $32,270.
• 60-minute program, story and teleplay: $47,460.

According to the schedule, the minimum for a pilot is 150 percent of these amounts, and a backup script is 115 percent. A footnote explains that the 30-minute rate applies to streaming programs of 20 to 35 minutes that cost $2.1 million or more, and the 60-minute rate to streaming programs of 36 to 65 minutes that cost $3.8 million or more. Other categories, such as basic cable and other-than-prime-time programs, have their own rate tables.

Staff Writer Weekly Minimums

A staff writer is the entry-level writer in a television writers’ room. For May 2, 2026, to May 1, 2027, the schedule lists these weekly minimums:

• Week-to-week: $6,024 per week.
• 14 out of 14 weeks guarantee: $5,597 per week.
• 20 out of 26 weeks guarantee: $5,164 per week.
• 40 out of 52 weeks guarantee: $4,720 per week.

The schedule notes that, effective September 25, 2023, staff writers must be paid separately for formats, bibles, stories and teleplays in addition to weekly pay. It also sets higher weekly minimums for story editors and writer-producers, and specific rates for writers in a development room, including $7,530 per week for a staff writer in a development room for employment up to and including 19 weeks.

Story Editors and Writer-Producers

Writers who move up from staff writer are paid at higher weekly minimums. For May 2, 2026, to May 1, 2027, the schedule lists, for story editors and executive story editors, $11,233 per week for employment up to and including 9 weeks, $9,362 for a 10 to 19 week guarantee and $8,421 for a guarantee of 20 weeks or more. For writer-producers at the co-producer level and above, the figures are $12,304, $10,254 and $9,223 per week for the same terms.

How Minimums Rise Over the Contract

Because the 2026 agreement runs for four periods, the minimums increase each May. The staff writer week-to-week minimum, for example, goes from $6,024 in the first period to $6,205 for May 2, 2027, to May 1, 2028, $6,391 for the following year and $6,583 for May 2, 2029, to May 1, 2030. When you read a minimum, always check which period it belongs to. A figure quoted online without an effective date may come from an older agreement.

Other Money: Residuals, Pension and Health

Initial compensation is only part of the picture. Screen credit matters here too, because residuals generally go to the credited writers.

• Residuals: the WGA describes residuals as compensation paid for the reuse of a credited writer’s work, such as reruns, streaming and home video. The schedule includes detailed residual formulas.
• Pension and health: under the 2026 agreement, employers contribute 11.25 percent of covered compensation to the Producer-Writers Guild of America Pension Plan (9.75 percent for pilots and first seasons of half-hour and one-hour series) and 16.25 percent to the Writers Guild-Industry Health Fund, rising to 16.75 percent effective May 2, 2027, plus 0.25 percent to the Paid Parental Benefit Fund. These contributions are paid by the employer, not deducted from the writer’s pay.
• Script publication fee: credited writers must receive $12,500 in aggregate for a company’s right to publish a theatrical script on a disc or new media platform.

What Comes Out of a Writer's Pay

The headline figure is not what a writer takes home. The 2026 schedule notes that initial compensation for writing services and for an option or purchase of literary material is generally subject to a 10 percent agent commission, while residuals and certain other MBA payments are not commissionable. Managers and attorneys are paid under their own agreements. Writers also pay taxes and, if they are Guild members, dues. Net profit shares, production bonus payments and backend points are separate, and they are only paid if a contract provides for them. The guide to getting a screenwriting agent explains how representation works.

What the BLS Reports for Writers

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a separate wage figure for screenwriters. Screenwriters are included in its broader “writers and authors” occupation, which also includes novelists, copywriters, content writers and others. That is one reason published WGA minimums are a more reliable reference point for screenwriting pay.

According to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median annual wage for writers and authors was $76,910 in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $44,310, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $139,870. The BLS notes that its wage data come from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, which does not include self-employed workers, and it reports that 65 percent of writers and authors were self-employed in 2025. Because many screenwriters are freelancers, these figures say little about screenwriting income specifically.

Why There Is No Honest "Average Screenwriter Salary"

Many websites publish an average screenwriter salary. Treat those numbers with caution. Most writers are paid per project rather than by salary, income can swing from year to year, and many people who write screenplays earn most of their living from other work. A minimum on a single script also does not mean a writer earns that amount every year. Headlines about big script sales and box office hits can make an average look bigger than it is.

What you can rely on are published minimums for covered work, the terms of your own contracts and, for broad context, government data that clearly states what it measures.

How New Writers Actually Get Paid

For most new screenwriters, early paid work comes from a few places:

1. Selling or optioning a spec script, sometimes to a non-signatory company for less than WGA scale.
2. Being hired to write or rewrite a script, often after a strong sample gets attention.
3. Getting staffed on a television series, frequently through studio writing programs or a representative.
4. Fellowships and contest prizes, which can bring cash and visibility. The guide to screenwriting contests covers the main ones.

Before signing any deal, have an entertainment attorney or your representative review it, and protect your script by registering it, as covered in the guide to copyrighting a screenplay. Negotiation matters too, and legal advice helps you understand an option agreement before you sign it.

Tools That Help

These books and desk tools help with the business side of a writing career.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Screenwriter’s Bible by David Trottier (paid link): Includes a section on the business side of screenwriting.

Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman (paid link): William Goldman’s account of working as a screenwriter in the film business.

A5 Accounting Ledger Book, 5.8 x 8.4 inches (paid link): For tracking freelance writing income and expenses.

Amazon Basics Expanding Accordion File Organizer, Letter Size (13 pockets) (paid link): Keeps contracts, payment records and tax documents in one place.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the WGA minimum for a feature screenplay?

Under the 2026 schedule of minimums, effective May 2, 2026, the high-budget minimum for an original screenplay including treatment is $173,215 for the first year. For low-budget films under $5 million, it is $92,268.

How much does a TV staff writer make?

The 2026 schedule lists a staff writer week-to-week minimum of $6,024 per week for May 2, 2026, to May 1, 2027, with lower weekly rates for longer guaranteed terms.

Do all screenwriters get WGA minimums?

No. Minimums apply to work for WGA signatory companies. Non-union projects are negotiated freely.

How much does an episode of TV pay a writer?

For network prime time and Tier 1 streaming, the 2026 schedule lists $32,270 for story and teleplay on a 30-minute program and $47,460 for a 60-minute program, for the first year of the agreement.

Do screenwriters get royalties?

Writers on covered projects can receive residuals for reuse of their work, under formulas in the MBA. These differ from book-style royalties. Residual payments for streaming distributions follow their own formulas.

Where can I see the full WGA minimums?

The WGA publishes its schedule of minimums on wga.org. The Basic Agreement controls if there is any inconsistency.

Sources and Further Reading

• WGA Schedule of Minimums, covering the entire term of the 2026 Basic Agreement.
• 2026 WGA Schedule of Minimums (PDF), effective May 2, 2026.
• WGA West FAQ, including residuals basics.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Writers and Authors, Occupational Outlook Handbook.