How Much Is A TV Screenwriter Paid?

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Published: February 20, 2021 | Last Updated: November 7, 2025

TV pay scales are very complicated, and minimum pay rates can change dramatically based on the length of the show, network, or streaming service that it’s on and the amount of writing the writer does that makes it onto the show.

As of the 2020 Schedule of Minimums, an average TV screenwriter in the WGA can make between $6,363 to $56,078 per episode for a show or between $3,964 to $5,059 per week, depending on specific circumstances.

Those are some high numbers, and they do get higher, but there’s a lot more to know before you fully understand how TV payments work for TV screenwriters.

To learn more, let’s dive into the details below.

How much is an average TV screenwriter paid? 

As mentioned above, according to the 2020 Schedule of Minimums, an aspiring TV screenwriter can expect to make between $6,363 and $56,078 per episode or $3,964 and $5,059 per week.  

That’s a wide range, and all sorts of variables apply to screenwriters working in TV, so it becomes difficult to answer “how much is a TV screenwriter paid” more specifically. 

For instance, what determines whether you make $6,363 per episode or $56,078? 

There are a ton of varying factors. 

What type of factors affect a TV writer’s paycheck?

Here’s an example: Let’s say you are a TV writer expecting to get paid on a per-episode basis for an episode of TV you just finished. How much should you expect to make? 

Did you get a “story by” credit for your episode and nothing else? Was the episode 30 minutes long? Did the show fall under the category of “high budget?” Was the series not on Prime Time TV? Then, chances are you got paid $6,363 for that episode.

Did you write the script but not the story? You should then have been paid $10,333 for that episode. If you wrote both the story and the script, you should now have gotten $15,903!    

What if that episode you wrote was a “Made-for basic cable one-hour high-budget dramatic series in their second or subsequent season?” You should just about double that rate to $30,780. 

Confusing, huh? Change one element, and the minimums change – and those are just the minimums. When you are a working professional writer, you’ll have an entertainment lawyer and manager representing you to negotiate a better deal with every subsequent show or season you work on.

Since every TV writer’s salary is on a case-by-case basis, we will focus this article on the guaranteed minimums. 

Thankfully, the WGA’s Schedule of Minimums provides useful information that helps each screenwriter break down how much they should expect to be paid depending on all sorts of scenarios similar to the above. 

Let’s run through some of the more likely scenarios you will encounter as a first-time writer to set expectations, then get into the more outlandish, pie-in-the-sky type of deals you really want to know about. 

How much does a first-time TV writer make?

Let’s say this is your first time writing for television. You’ve followed our advice on how to become a writer for TV or Netflix (or someone else’s!) and have ascended the ranks from a Writer’s Assistant to a full-blown Staff Writer (the “official” entry-level TV writer position).

Most staff writers, especially first-time staff writers, are paid every week. This is for a practical reason that benefits the writer. As a staff writer, there’s a chance you might not get an episode writing credit for the show you’re working on. This could be because you don’t get assigned your episode to write or don’t get the credit. After all, you got rewritten.

If you’re new to TV writing, you might enjoy the FilmDaft comprehensive glossary of TV writer terms. 

In either scenario, it’s better to compensate for your time fairly – especially because writer’s rooms can be notoriously time-intensive. 

How much is a staff writer paid per week? 

According to the 2020 WGA Schedule of Minimums, a staff writer should expect to be paid between $3,964 and $5,059 per week, depending on how many weeks you are guaranteed. 

For instance, if you are hired to write for a guaranteed 40 out of 52 weeks total, you should expect to be paid a minimum of $3,964 weekly. Meanwhile, if you are being paid weekly, you should expect a minimum of $5,059 weekly. 

The week-to-week rate is also similar for any room under six weeks. For instance, if you are only guaranteed six weeks of work, probably in some “mini-room” scenario, you will still be guaranteed the $5,059 per week minimum. The pay then scales down from there. 

For instance, if you are only guaranteed 14 out of 14 weeks, you’ll be paid $4,700 weekly. If you are guaranteed 20 out of 26 weeks total, you’ll be paid $4,338 per week.  

Why is the week to week rate higher? 

It might not be obvious, but the week to week rate is higher because there is less guaranteed work for the writer. Likewise, the more the studio hiring you can guarantee you consistent work, the less they pay overall because you will have more steady income to rely on.

Here’s a chart we created to help you break it down, including three pay periods outlined in the 2020 Schedule of minimums: 5/20-5/21, 5/21-5/22 and 5/22-5/23.  

How much does a staff writer make per episode? 

It’s very rare for a staff writer to be paid per episode. For instance, in a 2018 survey of Hollywood TV writer’s salaries, almost every Staff writer reported being paid weekly.

For the sake of argument, let’s say you have a few years of experience under your belt, and your representation has negotiated your contract. You’ll be bumped up to a per-episode rate and a higher rank by the fourth season of the show you are working on. 

This also means you have enough experience and can guarantee an episode through contractual obligation or sheer competency. 

How much should you get paid? We must first figure out what type of show you are writing for. To make it easy, let’s start by assuming you are writing for a show on network prime time (lucky you!!). 

We have created this breakdown of the pay scales for prime-time network TV minimum shows, broken down by program length and what type of credit you might have on the episode. 

NETWORK PRIME TIME
Length of Program: 30 minutes or less	5/20 – 5/21	5/21 – 5/22	5/22 – 5/23
STORY+	$9,036	$9,262	$9,494
TELEPLAY	19,436	19,922	20,420
STORY & TELEPLAY	27,100	27,778	28,472
Length of Program: 60 minutes or less
STORY+	$15,904	$16,302	$16,710
TELEPLAY	26,223	26,879	27,551
STORY & TELEPLAY	39,858	40,854	41,875
Length of Program: 90 minutes or less
STORY+	$21,248	$21,779	$22,323
TELEPLAY	37,783	38,728	39,696
STORY & TELEPLAY	56,078	57,480	58,917
Length of Program: 120 minutes or less (but more than 90 minutes) + EPISODIC
STORY+	28,374	29,083	$29,810
TELEPLAY	48,474	49,686	50,928
STORY & TELEPLAY	73,784	75,629	77,520
Length of Program: 120 minutes or less (but more than 90 minutes) + NON-EPISODIC
STORY+	$30,967	$31,741	$32,535
TELEPLAY	52,899	54,221	55,577
STORY & TELEPLAY	80,647	82,663	84,730

Here is a chart for comparison: 

What about for non-prime time TV shows? 

Here’s that same information, but if you were writing on a TV show that’s not airing during network “Prime Time”: 

OTHER THAN NETWORK PRIME TIME
Length of Program: 30 minutes or less
HIGH BUDGET MINIMUMS ($215,000 & over – $100,000 & over in the case of non-prime time network films)
STORY+	6,363	6,522	$6,718
TELEPLAY	10,333	10,591	10,909
STORY & TELEPLAY	15,903	16,301	16,790
Length of Program: 60 minutes or less
HIGH BUDGET MINIMUMS ($300,000 & over – $200,000 & over in the case of non-prime time network films)
STORY+	11,563	11,852	$12,208
TELEPLAY	20,024	20,525	21,141
STORY & TELEPLAY	28,907	29,630	30,519
MADE-FOR BASIC CABLE ONE-HOUR HIGH BUDGET DRAMATIC SERIES IN THEIRSECOND OR SUBSEQUENT SEASON
Length of Program: 60 minutes
HIGH BUDGET MINIMUMS ($1,2000,000 & over)
STORY+	$12,311	$12,619	$12,998
TELEPLAY	21,322	21,855	22,511
STORY & TELEPLAY	30,780	31,550	32,497
OTHER THAN NETWORK PRIME TIME
Length of Program: 90 minutes or less
STORY+	$17,378	$17,812	$18,346
TELEPLAY	30,800	31,570	32,517
STORY & TELEPLAY	43,443	44,529	45,865
Length of Program: 120 minutes or less
STORY+	$22,772	$23,341	$24,041
TELEPLAY	40,856	41,877	43,133
STORY & TELEPLAY	56,932	58,355	60,106

Remember, the budget of the series in question plays a factor; whether or not the show is considered low-budget or high-budget will affect your minimum pay rate.

Here are the low-budget minimum rates. 

LOW BUDGET MINIMUMS
Story
30 min. or less (over 15)	4,923	5,046	5,197
60 min. or less (over 30)	9,308	9,541	9,827
90 min. or less (over 75)	14,189	14,544	14,980
120 min. or less (over 90)	18,740	19,209	19,785
Teleplay
30 min. or less (over 15)	7,964	8,163	8,408
60 min. or less (over 30)	15,187	15,567	16,034
90 min. or less (over 75)	23,254	23,835	24,550
120 min. or less (over 90)	30,770	31,539	32,485
Story and Teleplay
30 min. or less (over 15)	12,290	12,597	12,975
60 min. or less (over 30)	23,277	23,859	24,575
90 min. or less (over 75)	35,473	36,360	37,451
120 min. or less (over 90)	46,861	48,033	49,474

What if a show or series goes longer than 120 minutes?

The WGA says the following payments apply, “for programs in excess of 120 minutes, compensation is based on the 120 minute or less minimum plus, for each additional 30 minutes or less”: 

STORY:  $5,393 $5,528 $5,694

TELEPLAY: $10,055 $10,306 $10,615

STORY & TELEPLAY:  $13,485 $13,822 $14,237

What about synopsis and series bibles? 

The synopsis of an episode and the series bible are two important parts of creating a series. TV writers are expected to be paid the following for these activities: 

Plot Outline – Narrative Synopsis of Story
30 min. or less (over 15)	2,900	2,973	3,062
60 min. or less (over 30)	5,493	5,630	5,799
90 min. or less (over 75)	8,117	8,320	8,570
120 min. or less (over 90)	10,703	10,971	11,300
Bible	$60,828	$62,349	$64,219
Bible plus for each story line in excess of six (6)	$6,083	$6,235	$6,422

What about rewrites and polishes? 

If you remember from our article on how much feature screenwriters make, writers will often be asked to rewrite their scripts or “polish” a draft before it can be brought to production. In this instance, a screenwriter is paid according to the following metrics: 

HIGH BUDGET MINIMUMS
Rewrite
30 min. or less (over 15)	6,260	6,417	6,610
60 min. or less (over 45)	11,843	12,139	12,503
90 min. or less (over 75)	17,446	17,882	18,418
120 min. or less (over 90)	23,046	23,622	24,331
Polish
30 min. or less (over 15)	3,124	3,202	3,298
60 min. or less (over 45)	5,932	6,080	6,262
90 min. or less (over 75)	8,713	8,931	9,199
120 min. or less (over 90)	11,520	11,808	12,162
LOW BUDGET MINIMUMS
Rewrite
30 min. or less (over 15)	4,700	4,818	4,963
60 min. or less (over 30)	8,962	9,186	9,462
90 min. or less (over 75)	13,234	13,565	13,972
120 min. or less (over 90)	17,486	17,923	18,461
Polish
30 min. or less (over 15)	2,344	2,403	2,475
60 min. or less (over 30)	4,476	4,588	4,726
90 min. or less (over 75)	6,623	6,789	6,993
120 min. or less (over 90)	8,746	8,965	9,234

What if you are writing for a non-narrative or variety show? 

Be it a docuseries, reality series, or comedy variety show, the WGA has separate minimums for you there as well. Here is the relevant information you need to know:  

COMEDY-VARIETY PROGRAMS
Applicable Program Minimums – Per Program
5 minutes	$2,065	$2,117	$2,181
10 minutes	4,104	4,207	4,333
15 minutes	5,794	5,939	6,117
30 minutes	12,570	12,884	13,271
45 minutes	13,637	13,978	14,397
60 minutes	17,293	17,725	18,257
75 minutes	20,134	20,637	21,256
90 minutes	23,573	24,162	24,887
120 minutes	29,853	30,599	31,517

What about for Netflix or other streaming services? 

If you are a writer for a Netflix show or on a series for a similar streaming service, there are a few more variables to consider. Still, the WGA qualifies this as writing for a SVOD (streaming video on demand) service. 

The WGA has pay minimums that scale with the size of the streaming service. For all the different variations, check out the SVOD section in the WGA Schedule of Minimums. 

When is a TV screenwriter paid? 

It depends entirely on the type of work. For instance, if you are being paid week to week, like you would as a staff writer just starting, you would be paid on a semi-regular basis (typically bi-weekly or according to what your contract says) as you would any other salary.

If you are at a level higher than a story editor and are being paid a per-episode fee, then the payment structure would look slightly different. 

Let’s say you will be paid for the story by credit on an episode you wrote. The WGA guidelines say that you should be paid your story fee “within 48 hours of delivery but in no event more than seven days after delivery,” which, in this case, means the story or episode draft. 

If you wrote the teleplay instead, you would be paid in two installments: once when you turn in your draft, which would be one payment of either 90% of your minimum rate or 60% of your agreed compensation (that your reps negotiated for you)—whichever is greater. 

Then, when you turn in the final draft, you will be paid the balance of the agreed compensation outlined in your contract.

Suppose you wrote the story and the teleplay for your episode. In that case, the WGA says you should be paid 30% of your agreed compensation when you hand in the story treatment, then the difference between the Story installment and your 90% minimum or 40% of agreed compensation – once again, whichever is greater. Then, when you turn in your final draft, you’ll be paid the balance.

What if a studio buys my original literary material?

According to the WGA, “The minimums are applicable to purchase of previously unexploited material from a ‘professional writer’ and to any writer who has negotiated the right to be treated as a professional writer.’ 

This means that if you have a manager or lawyer who can reasonably argue you fall under the “professional writer” category if a studio wanted to buy your original pilot script, you would be entitled to the same minimums that a WGA writer would be entitled to – theoretically, of course.

More likely, if a studio executive, producer, or production company became interested in your original material, they would offer you an option agreement. 

In this instance, the buyer could take the material from you to market for an initial period of (up to) 180 days, so long as they pay 5% of the appropriate guild minimum as outlined above. 

If they wanted to continue to option it for another 180 days from that point, they would have to pay 10% of the minimum. 

What about TV residuals?

TV residuals are payments to TV writers whenever their show reruns on a network TV channel. They are great because they usually arrive unexpectedly in the mail and are an extra source of income for working writers. 

Residuals are interesting because they scale down the more that a TV show is rerun, but because they are a percentage of what you were paid originally, even a TV show in its 13th or longer run on the air can net an extra 1.5% of whatever the guild minimum is at the time. Not bad, as far as passive income is concerned. 

According to the WGA, residuals for network TV shows (ABC, CBS, NBC, and FBC) are to be paid to the writer within 30 days, while other run-based residuals for basic cable are payable within four months after the run. 

Like minimum payments, the residuals for network TV are much higher, and higher if it’s a high-budget show than a low-budget show. 

What about for reruns of shows on Netflix and other streamers? 

The WGA covers this under their SVOD section of the Schedule of Minimums, so check it out there. We may write an article specifically on the subject in the future, but it’s fairly complicated (and new to understand) so we won’t get into it for this article’s sake. 

How much more can a screenwriter make writing for TV?

Since these are all just minimum payments, you’re probably wondering how much more you can make as a TV writer. After all, you might have seen those fabulous headlines about huge TV writers getting astronomical overall deals with big streaming platforms (like Netflix). 

First of all, it’s important to keep in mind that these huge deals are for huge names – prolific TV producers like Shonda Rhimes (whose Netflix debut Bridgerton was a smash hit) and Ryan Murphy (who went from prolific FX creator to prolific Netflix creator) who’ve been creating hit TV shows for decades.

Plus, just because a deal is inked for $100 million (like the deal to Rhimes) or $300 million (like the deal to Murphy), doesn’t mean all that money is just handed over on a silver platter, as this article from Observer points out. 

When it comes to nine figure, pie in the sky deals like the above, the writers are paid over a series of years to produce and develop content and then receive a percentage of the back-end of programming. 

That said, there’s plenty of working writers who are capable of wielding their success record and popularity to net gigantic deals for themselves. 

This can be done by racking up a ton of episode credits, like the writer David E. Kelley (who notoriously writes whole seasons of famous shows like Big Little Lies himself), or by executive producing tons of shows, like Kenya Barris or Greg Berlanti, racking up higher fees with each deal along the way. 

Once you can prove you can make a hit, you become very in-demand and can set up and produce shows that you can then hire showrunners to run for you. It’s why prolific producers like Murphy, Rhymes, Barris, and Berlanti can “create” so many shows simultaneously, and it’s how the most prolific TV screenwriters earn their biggest paydays. 

How do I become a TV writer?   

If you really want to become a TV writer, you need to start by honing your craft. Read, watch, and write TV pilots. These days, original pilots are what showrunners look for when hiring new talent, but don’t be surprised if you get asked for a spec episode sample, either.

Remember: these original pilots are mostly for samples. Don’t expect to come out of the gate without credits and sell an original TV show unless you are already a household name. Instead, focus on making the best, page-turning TV pilot to prove to those who might hire you as a Writer’s Assistant or Staff Writer that you know how to write.

How do you get opportunities to interview for jobs like Writer’s Assistant or Staff Writer?

You need to be working in the industry already or have representation from a manager to get connected with opportunities to interview for positions like Writer’s Assistant or Staff Writer. 

If you don’t live in Los Angeles or New York and are already connected to TV producers or those working on set for TV series, you’ll need to find ways to connect with those who do online. 

Read Next: How to become a writer for TV or Netflix.