Updated October 2026 · 8 min read
California Wage Order 12 sets the wage, hour and working-condition rules for the motion picture industry: film, television, commercial, corporate and educational video production, and businesses primarily allied with it, such as casting bureaus, prop and wardrobe rental houses, and film distributors. It expressly covers extra players, studio teachers and welfare workers, along with crew, production assistants and office staff.
Order 12 differs from most wage orders in ways that matter on set: the first meal break can come after 6 hours instead of 5, employees can’t be required to return to work without a 10-hour break, extra players have their own overtime formula, and qualifying union contracts can replace the meal rules entirely. DIR republished Order 12 for 2026 with the current $16.90 state minimum wage, which rises to $17.40 on January 1, 2027.
This guide explains who Order 12 covers, its exemptions, overtime, meal and rest rules, turnaround and night-work protections, reporting time, wardrobe and equipment, records, and what to do if you were underpaid.
- Wage Order 12 covers film, TV, commercial and video production and allied businesses, and expressly includes extra players, studio teachers and welfare workers.
- The first meal period must come no later than 6 hours into the day, and each later meal within 6 hours of the last; qualifying union contracts can replace these rules.
- No employee can be required to report unless 10 hours have passed since the previous day’s work ended.
- Extra players get time and a half for the 9th and 10th hours and double time after, computed in tenths of an hour.
- The hourly computer-software exemption does not apply to employees creating visual effects imagery.
Who Wage Order 12 covers
Order 12 defines the motion picture industry as any business “operated for the purpose of motion picture or television film production, or primarily allied with theatrical or television, motion picture productions,” including motion pictures for entertainment, commercial, religious or educational purposes, “whether made by film, tape, or otherwise” (Order 12, §2(K); Cal. Code Regs., tit. 8, §11120). The order applies to “all persons employed in the motion picture industry, including extra players, teachers, and welfare workers” (§1).
An “extra player” includes general extras, stand-ins, photographic doubles, sports players, silent bits and dress extras, and extras employed for dancing, skating, swimming, riding, driving or singing (§2(G)).
Which order applies to video and production work?
The Labor Commissioner’s “Which IWC Order?” guide lists commercial and advertising film production, TV film production, casting bureaus, film libraries, distribution to theaters and television, prop and wardrobe rental for productions, and video production companies making industrial or training videos. It also draws these lines:
- A company whose main business is reproducing (manufacturing) tapes for sale is under Order 1.
- Video production that is incidental to another business, such as a corporation’s in-house promotional office, falls under the order for that main business.
- A TV station taping its own news show is under Order 11, but a firm the broadcaster hires to produce a tape is under Order 12.
Exemptions from Order 12
Executive, administrative and professional employees are exempt from the hours, overtime and break sections (§§3–12) if they mainly do exempt work, regularly exercise discretion and independent judgment, and earn at least twice the state minimum wage for full-time work: $70,304 a year in 2026 and $72,384 in 2027. The professional exemption can cover original, creative work in a recognized artistic field whose result depends primarily on the employee’s invention, imagination or talent. Many production jobs with creative-sounding titles don’t meet that test; see misclassified exempt employees.
Computer and visual-effects work. Highly skilled software employees paid at least $58.85 an hour (the 2026 rate in Order 12) can be exempt, but the order says this exemption does not apply to employees creating imagery for effects used in the motion picture, television or theatrical industry (§1(A)(3)(i)(vi)).
Professional actors are covered only by §§1, 2, 4, 10 and 20: minimum wage, meals and lodging, and penalties (§1(C)). The order separately and expressly covers extra players. Government employees have the same limited coverage, and outside salespersons and the employer’s parent, spouse or child are excluded.
Hours and overtime on set
Order 12’s overtime rule (§3(A)) differs from other orders in several ways:
- Employees may be employed up to a maximum of 16 hours in a day, including meal periods, counted from the time they are required to report until dismissed.
- Daily and weekly employees earn time and a half for hours over 8 and up to 12 in a workday and for the first 8 hours on the seventh consecutive day, and double time over 12 hours and over 8 on the seventh day. The order’s daily overtime clause excludes weekly employees guaranteed more than 40 hours a week and “on call” employees.
- Overtime isn’t compounded, and daily overtime payments are credited toward weekly overtime.
Extra players (§3(D)) get time and a half for the 9th and 10th hours and at least double time after that, computed in tenths of an hour, plus time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek for a particular employer.
Minors (§3(E)) get time and a half for all hours worked on the sixth consecutive workday, unless they are 16 or 17 and not required to attend school.
💡 Example: Keisha is hired as a stand-in at $24 an hour and is on the clock for 11.5 hours of work. She is owed 8 hours × $24 = $192, plus the 9th and 10th hours at $36 ($72), plus 1.5 hours at double time, $48 an hour ($72), for $336 for the day. (Hypothetical.)
Union productions. The hours section doesn’t apply to employees under a collective bargaining agreement that provides premium overtime and a regular rate at least 30% above the state minimum wage, except for the minor overtime rule and one day’s rest in seven (§3(J); Labor Code §514). See also alternative workweeks and long shifts.
We can review your call sheets, time cards and pay stubs and tell you what Wage Order 12 requires. Free, confidential consultation.
Turnaround, night work and transportation
Three Order 12 protections address the long, irregular days that production work involves:
- 10-hour turnaround (§3(F)). No employee may be required to report to work unless 10 hours have passed since the end of the previous day’s employment.
- Hot meals after midnight (§3(G)). Hot meals and hot drinks must be provided to employees required to work after 12 midnight, except off-production employees regularly scheduled to work after midnight.
- Transportation home (§3(H)). When employees are required to work at night and aren’t dismissed in time to get home by public transportation, the employer must provide transportation.
Meal and rest periods under Order 12
The 6-hour meal rule (§11). No employee may work more than 6 hours without a meal period of at least 30 minutes and no more than 1 hour, and each later meal period must be called no later than 6 hours after the previous one ended. Labor Code §512(b) allows the Industrial Welfare Commission to adopt orders letting a meal period begin after 6 hours, which is why Order 12 differs from the general 5-hour rule.
Unless you are relieved of all duty, a meal period is “on duty” and counts as time worked, and on-duty meals are allowed only when the work prevents relief and you’ve agreed in writing, with a written right to revoke. If a required meal period isn’t provided, you’re owed one hour of pay at your regular rate for that workday (§11(C); Labor Code §226.7).
Union contracts and meals. Under Labor Code §512(d), if a motion picture or broadcasting employee is covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement that provides for meal periods and includes a monetary remedy for missed ones, the agreement’s meal terms and remedies apply instead of §512(a), §226.7 and Order 12’s meal provisions.
Rest periods (§12). Ten minutes of paid rest per 4 hours worked or major fraction thereof, not required if total daily work time is under 3½ hours, with one hour of premium pay for each workday a rest period isn’t provided. Swimmers, dancers, skaters and other performers engaged in strenuous physical activity must get additional interim rest periods during actual rehearsal or shooting (§12(C)). See meal and rest break premiums.
Reporting time, wardrobe and equipment
Reporting time (§5). If you’re required to report and get no work or less than half your scheduled day, you’re owed half the scheduled day’s pay, at least 2 and no more than 4 hours, at your regular rate; a second call-in the same day with less than 2 hours of work earns 2 hours. Exceptions include acts of God and other causes outside the employer’s control, threats to people or property, utility failures, and employees on paid standby called in outside their scheduled time. Split shifts earn one extra hour’s pay at the minimum wage (§4(C)). See split-shift and reporting time pay.
Uniforms and tools (§9). Required uniforms, meaning apparel and accessories of distinctive design or color, must be provided and maintained by the employer, as must required tools and equipment, except that employees earning at least twice the minimum wage can be required to supply hand tools customarily required by their trade. No deductions for normal wear and tear. Other necessary costs, such as using your own vehicle or phone for the job, may be reimbursable under Labor Code §2802; see expense reimbursement.
Meals and lodging (§10). These can count toward minimum wage only under a voluntary written agreement, up to the 2026 maximums printed in the republished order:
| Credit (2026, all employers) | Maximum |
|---|---|
| Room occupied alone / shared | $79.46 / $65.59 per week |
| Apartment | Two-thirds of ordinary rental value, up to $954.43 per month |
| Apartment, couple both employed | Two-thirds of ordinary rental value, up to $1,411.85 per month |
| Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner | $6.10 / $8.42 / $11.28 |
Seats, records and 2027 updates
Employees must get suitable seats when the nature of the work reasonably permits, and seats nearby for rest when the job otherwise requires standing (§14). Employers must record each work period’s start and end, meal periods, split-shift intervals and daily totals, keep records at least three years, and provide clocks in major work areas (§7).
The Industrial Welfare Commission was defunded in 2004, but its orders remain in effect, and DIR updates the wage and credit figures each year (Labor Code §1182.13). From January 1, 2027, use $17.40 an hour and $72,384 for the exempt salary test, or a higher local rate (see minimum wage by city). Where the Labor Code gives workers more, the Labor Code controls.
What to do if your employer isn’t following Order 12
- Keep your call sheets, time cards and production reports, and note call, meal, wrap and turnaround times.
- Find out whether a union contract covers you and what it says about meals and overtime.
- Check your pay against the extra-player or daily overtime rules with our wage and hour calculator.
- Act within three years for most wage claims (Code of Civil Procedure §338).
- Compare your options: a Labor Commissioner claim or a lawsuit.
Frequently asked questions
When do I get a meal break on a California film set?
Under Order 12, no later than 6 hours into the workday, and each later meal within 6 hours of the end of the previous one. A qualifying union contract may set different meal terms under Labor Code §512(d).
How much time off must I get between shooting days?
At least 10 hours from the end of one day’s employment before you can be required to report again.
Are extras entitled to overtime?
Yes. Extra players get time and a half for the 9th and 10th hours, double time after that, and weekly overtime over 40 hours for the same employer.
Are visual-effects artists exempt as computer professionals?
Not under the hourly computer-software exemption. Order 12 says that exemption doesn’t apply to employees creating imagery for effects used in motion pictures, television or theater, though another exemption could apply if all of its requirements are met.
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This article provides general information about California law and is not legal advice for any specific situation. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
