Do you or another performer in your family need extra cash? You might want to check the Screen Actors Guild website.
SAG provides an unclaimed residuals database that lists 39,358 names -- categorized from A to Z -- of persons and companies the guild believes have back payments coming to them.
"Are you missing out on residuals that you deserve?" the database's introductory page asks. "Many performers in this database have not kept their contact information current with the Guild or are unaware that their work receives residual payments. If your name, or a name for which you are a trustee or heir, appears on this list, then you may be entitled to receive residual payments."
"We're eager to give people their money," said David White, SAG's general counsel. "We have put in a fair amount of effort in attempts to find people, and have in fact stepped up our efforts to find people. The union can only do our part, and that takes us only so far. The members, and anybody else who works under our contract, must update information to us by contacting us directly if they feel they're still owed residuals, or if they find a name on the website."
Seth Oster, SAG's deputy national executive director for communications, said that the guild moved the database to the website's home page so that it would be highly visible.
The list of names ranges from 1,452 "missing performers" under the letter A to 162 under Z. The largest group: 3,663 under the letter S; the smallest: seven under X.
Each alphabetical listing cites companies first -- the first five names under A, for example, begin with A&R Music and end with AZ Music. Those are followed by the names of individuals, starting with Billy Aaker.
Each webpage contains 25 names. But instead of forcing you to wade through the entire list to reach the end -- say, if Hank Azaria wanted to check for his name under A -- the intro page provides a search box. Simply type the first and last names you're looking for and click the button.
Still, the listings don't provide the amount owed to each performer. SAG's message cushions expectations with the phrase "may be entitled."
What to Do Next
So you find your name, or a family member or friend. Where do you go from there?
Each page of names includes a link: "Learn how to apply for back residuals." Below that invitation, SAG instructs, "To verify your entitlement to the residuals, complete the questionnaire and return it to SAG with the necessary substantiating documents."
The link leads to two forms: A one-page "missing performers" questionnaire and a two-page "change or confirmation of payee address" letter.
If you're a performer seeking back payment, SAG requires three documents:
(1) A photocopy of your Social Security card or W-2.
(2) A legible copy of a valid photo ID bearing your name and signature (a driver's license, passport, or military or state identification card are the only acceptable forms).
(3) A completed SAG form RT002, "Change or Confirmation of Payee Address," which is there on the website.
If you're the beneficiary of a performer on the residuals list, you also need documentation:
(1) A certified copy of the death certificate.
(2) Your full name, address, and relationship to the decedent.
(3) If the decedent established a trust for SAG residual payments, you must supply a complete copy of the trust documents, plus a copy of the decedent's last will and testament, along with the estate's federal tax identification number.
The required documents, accompanied by the signed one-page questionnaire, should be sent to SAG's residuals department at the guild's national headquarters, 5757 Wilshire Blvd., 7th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90036-0036.