The Writers' Deal Hub
Screen Compensation Guide
(August 2025)
This Screen Compensation Guide—updating the 2021 edition—synthesizes data from nearly 800 screen deals for high-budget features (i.e. projects with budgets of $5 million or more) made during the term of the 2023 MBA. The Guide analyzes screen compensation for several different types of deals, for studio employers, and at various writer experience levels.
First Drafts
First draft screenplays account for more than half of screen deals analyzed. This includes deals with one guaranteed step as well as deals with multiple guaranteed steps.
The 2023 MBA requires employers to guarantee a second step—i.e., a rewrite—if the writer is hired for a first draft screenplay (with or without a treatment) for 200% of the applicable screenplay minimum or less. The same requirement applies to spec scripts purchased for 200% of the screenplay minimum or less.
The chart below lists the applicable earnings caps for different screenplay deal types for the guaranteed second step provision as of May 2, 2025. Writers earning these amounts or less must be guaranteed a rewrite.
| Earnings Caps for Guaranteed Second Step | ||
| Screenplay Type | Treatment included? | Earnings Cap (200% of minimum, rates as of May 2, 2025) |
| Original Screenplay | Yes | $341,310 |
| Non-Original Screenplay | Yes | $295,840 |
| Original Screenplay, or Sale/Purchase | No | $250,046 |
| Non-Original Screenplay, or Sale/Purchase | No | $204,576 |
For example, if a writer is hired to write an original first draft with a treatment for $341,310 or less, or a non-original first draft without a treatment for $204,576 or less, the company is obligated to guarantee additional compensation for a rewrite to that writer. Writers who sell spec scripts are also guaranteed compensation for second steps if the purchases were made within the above-listed earnings caps.
One-Step Deals
One-step deals are now a minority of screenplay deals, accounting for about 3 in 10 of the first draft deals analyzed for this guide. The median guaranteed compensation for one-step first draft deals increased $200,000 since the 2021 guide, to $450,000 across all companies and to $500,000 for writers working at the major studios and streaming services—Disney/Fox, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros., Sony, Netflix, Amazon, and Apple.1 Major studio and streamer projects typically have higher budgets than the entire market, which includes projects from independent studios and mini-majors. The maximum reported amount for a one-step first draft deal was $2,250,000.
| One-Step First Draft Deals | |||
| Median | Change vs. 2021 | Maximum Reported | |
| All Companies | $450,000 | +$200,000 | $2,250,000 |
| Major Studios and Streamers | $500,000 | +$206,250 | $2,250,000 |
As newer writers who work closer to minimum now must be guaranteed a second step, one-step deals are concentrated among writers with more experience who are paid higher compensation. For WGA members with no WGA screen credits, the median compensation was $300,000, with the maximum reported at $700,000. Writers who have been credited on one WGA-covered film had a median one-step first draft deal of $400,000, which increased to $600,000 for writers with two or more screen credits. The maximums for credited screenwriters was from $1,000,000 for those with a screen credit and $2,250,000 for those with two or more screen credits. Since the 2021 guide, one-step first draft deal medians increased by $160,000 for members with no screen credits and by $150,000 for members with two or more screen credits, and did not change for members with one screen credit.
| One-Step First Draft Deals by Member Experience Level | |||
| Member Experience Level2 | Median | Change vs. 2021 | Maximum Reported |
| Members with No Screen Credits | $300,000 | +$160,000 | $700,000 |
| Members with 1 Screen Credit | $400,000 | $0 | $1,000,000 |
| Members with 2+ Screen Credits | $600,000 | +$150,000 | $2,250,000 |
While experience is only one of many factors that affect how overscale compensation is determined on any given project, this analysis offers helpful benchmarks.
Additionally, many one-step deals have optional steps that can be exercised after the guaranteed first step—meaning writers may be earning more money on these deals even if only one step is guaranteed.
Deals with Multiple Guaranteed Steps
Most first draft deals with multiple guaranteed steps are two-step deals with a rewrite as the second step. Among these deals, the median for the total guaranteed compensation is lower than for one-step deals, which reflects the fact that many one-step deals are significantly above MBA minimums. Since the 2021 guide, medians for multi-step first draft deals rose by $140,000 across all companies and by $287,500 at the major studios and streamers.
| Multi-Step First Draft Deals | |||
| Median | Change vs. 2021 | Maximum Reported | |
| All Companies | $375,000 | +$140,000 | $3,850,000 |
| Major Studios and Streamers | $550,000 | +$287,500 | $3,850,000 |
The table below shows median and maximum compensation reported for screenplay deals with multiple guaranteed steps. For members at all experience levels, these medians have increased since the 2021 guide was released.
| Multi-Step First Draft Deals by Member Experience Level | |||
| Member Experience Level | Median | Change vs. 2021 | Maximum Reported |
| New Members (2020-present) | $200,000 | +$25,000 | $700,000 |
| Members with No Screen Credits | $250,000 | +$25,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Members with 1 Screen Credit | $375,000 | +$75,000 | $1,500,000 |
| Members with 2+ Screen Credits | $550,000 | +$100,000 | $3,850,000 |
Rewrites
Rewrites are the second most common type of screen deal after first draft deals, and are largely one-step deals. The median for a one-step rewrite across all companies was $200,000, a $50,000 increase from the 2021 guide, while the maximum reported compensation was $1,000,000.
| One-Step Rewrite Deals | |||
| Median | Change vs. 2021 | Maximum Reported | |
| All Companies | $200,000 | +$50,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Major Studios and Streamers | $250,000 | +$100,000 | $1,000,000 |
Rewrite compensation also increases with experience level. The median guaranteed compensation for new members with one-step rewrite deals was $100,000, with the maximum reported at $350,000. For writers without a screen credit, the median was the same—$100,000—with a maximum reported amount of $500,000. The median for writers with one screen credit was $200,000; this increased to $350,000 for screenwriters with two or more credits, who also saw the greatest increase in guaranteed compensation since the 2021 deal guide.
| One-Step Rewrite Deals by Member Experience Level | |||
| Member Experience Level | Median | Change vs. 2021 | Maximum Reported |
| New Members (2020-present) | $100,000 | +$25,000 | $350,000 |
| Members with No Screen Credits | $100,000 | +$15,000 | $500,000 |
| Members with 1 Screen Credit | $200,000 | $0 | $750,000 |
| Members with 2+ Screen Credits | $350,000 | +$100,000 | $1,000,000 |
Additional Resources
- Are you negotiating a deal, or party to an existing deal, where the company didn’t include a guaranteed rewrite but you think they should have? Contact the Contracts Department.
- Are you negotiating a deal with a particular studio and looking for more specific information on comparable screen deals with that studio? Contact the Agency Department. This information can be helpful when a studio claims that it does not compensate writers above a specified amount.
- Have you been asked to perform free work in the course of your screen employment? Contact Screen Enforcement Specialist/Organizer Cathy Genovese, who can help you combat free work abuse and discuss potential enforcement options with you.
If you are not represented by an agency, please remember to submit your contracts directly to the Guild. As a reminder, WGA Working Rule 3 requires writers to provide the Guild with copies of all employment, option and purchase contracts no later than one week after receipt of the contract. Aggregated compensation information, as used in this analysis, is extremely valuable to guide members’ and representatives’ deal-making
See the 2023 MBA Schedule of Minimums.
1“Major Studios and Streamers” refers to Disney/Fox, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros., Sony, Netflix, Amazon (including MGM), and Apple. Comparisons with the 2021 guide use the 2021 medians for Major Studios.
2The “New Members (2020-present)” category was omitted from this Guide due to inadequate sample size. In addition, the median compensation for members with no screen credits and 1 screen credit is based on relatively small sample sizes.