Film Accounting Glossary
Meal penalty
What is a meal penalty?
Also called meal violation.
A meal penalty is a payment owed when a crew member is not given a meal break within the interval their union agreement requires, and it accrues in escalating increments the longer the violation runs.
Penalties apply across the whole affected crew simultaneously, so one delayed break can cost thousands in minutes. They appear in hot costs the next morning because they are entirely a function of how the day was run.
Example
A break runs 20 minutes late for a 90-person crew. Penalties accrue per person in escalating increments, so a twenty-minute decision on set can cost several thousand dollars, and it appears in the next morning's hot costs.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Calculated from timecards against the union agreement's meal intervals. Entirely a function of how the day was run.
Common mistake
Treating it as a rounding error on set. Penalties apply per person and escalate, so a twenty-minute decision multiplies across the entire crew.
Related questions
- What triggers a meal penalty?
- Failing to give a crew member a meal break within the interval their union agreement requires, measured from call or from the previous break.
- How much do meal penalties cost?
- They accrue per person in escalating increments the longer the violation runs, so a single late break across a large crew can cost thousands.