A paymaster takes the burden of paying union members off your shoulders. We make sure payments adhere to the strict union payroll deadlines and that all disbursements are accurately issued to the IRS, state and federal unemployment agencies, workers compensation insurance, health and pension funds, and union dues fund. Trice becomes the employer of record for those you hire. We process the paychecks, make the proper disbursements to the agencies above, and issue year-end tax documents. If there are time consuming questions that arise in the process, Trice handles them so you don’t have to.
Trice accepts checks mailed to Trice Talent Services, PO Box 2563, Prince Frederick, MD 20678. You may also process via ACH or debit/credit card HERE.
Please provide production details HERE.
Unlike an agent or the union, Trice works for you, the producer. We’ll be here for support from pre-production planning through production days. We are happy to answer any questions or resolve issues that arise.
As well as issuing payments and making the proper tax, insurance, and union disbursements, Trice can help you manage upcoming projects by offering cost projections and providing advice on how to most efficiently utilize the talent within the parameters of the union contracts. We know who to contact to get the answers for any questions you may have.
While Trice is not a casting service, we can put you in touch with a reputable casting service whose fee and disbursement can be included in our invoice. Casting resources on the Resources/Links page HERE.
Union talent must receive at least the minimum union scale rate specified in the appropriate contract, though union members have the right to negotiate a rate above scale. As your paymaster, Trice processes the following disbursements on your behalf: Talent/Crew payment, Union contribution benefits (ie. Health and Pension), Union dues (if applicable), Employer FICA and Medicare taxes, Workers Compensation, and State and Federal Unemployment insurances. For our services we charge a nominal filing fee.
With Trice as your paymaster, our invoice becomes a line item expense instead of a costly employee liability. As such, you can pass the invoice through to your client as a production cost, and our service costs you nothing. For clients who are producers, Trice saves hours of accounting costs and time becoming familiar with arcane union regulations. Processing fees vary by type of project. For cost quotes specific to your production, please contact us.
A signatory producer is an entity or individual who has agreed in writing with the union to the terms and conditions of the appropriate union contract. This is to ensure that the union members’ rights are protected in the event that any of the terms or conditions of the applicable contract are violated. For corporate-educational SAG-AFTRA projects, Trice can act as signatory. For TV or Radio commercials, the producer must become a signatory with the union. For certain projects, signing on to be a signatory for One-Production-Only is available.
Union contracts state that union members must be treated as employees and accordingly, their payroll processed with all of the required employer withholdings. Trice becomes the employer of record, handling all payroll liabilities for our clients, including applicable workers compensation and unemployment insurances.