~/checkyorate $ ./run --get-real-pay

CHECK YO RATE.

Every freelancer in a creative field opens a deal memo and wonders if they're being lowballed. We pull the published union rates and market data from five major territories across every creative field on a production, adjust for current inflation, and tell you what your role should pay right now — not what someone wrote on a card in 2022.

For the people. Never for profit. We also direct supporters to artists in war-stricken regions — $ learn more.

$ check_rate→ $ how_it_works
01

Information asymmetry is exploitation.

Producers and clients know what every role pays in every territory. You don't. That gap is how underpayment gets normalised — and how 2022 rates stay locked in until 2026.

02

Your rate isn't the published minimum.

Union cards and salary surveys are a floor, not a target. They lag inflation by 1–3 years. The Iran-war energy shock added another 1–2 points on top. If you're still quoting last year's rate, you're already losing money.

03

Parity is the new minimum.

A Senior Set Designer in Auckland does the same work as one in London or LA. A senior brand designer in NZ does the same work as one in NY. The pay should reflect that. We surface the global median so you can negotiate from a real number, not a hopeful one.

Select.your.field
!
IRAN WAR CPI UPDATE — OECD has revised UK 2026 inflation to 4.0% (up from 2.5%); NZ Treasury worst-case is 3.7%+; US March 2026 CPI hit 3.3%. All published rate cards pre-date this shock. Uplifts applied below by source vintage.

roles

—
section.02 — how.it.works

Three numbers.
One honest ask.

The three numbers per role

For every territory or tier, three rates are shown:

  • Published minimum — what the current source says for an experienced practitioner.
  • Inflation-adjusted — that rate × cumulative CPI from source vintage to today, including Iran-war energy shock.
  • Ask rate — the higher of the inflation-adjusted local rate and the global parity median. This is what you should be opening negotiations at.

Global parity target

For each role, the experienced rate at the top tier is collected from all available sources, converted to a common currency, and the median is taken. That's the global parity target. Clients know this number. Now you do too.

ASK = max(
  local_card × (1 + local_cpi_uplift),
  global_median × fx_to_local
)

Inflation uplifts applied

  • NZ BRECCA Oct 2024 → May 2026: +7.5%
  • NZ Screen Guild Dec 2022 → May 2026: +15%
  • UK BECTU 2025-26 → May 2026: +5%
  • US IATSE 2025-26 → May 2026: +2%
  • Canada BCCFU 2025-26 → May 2026: +2.5%
  • Australia MEAA July 2025 → May 2026: +4%
  • Market data (non-film sectors): +3% rolling forward to May 2026

Two data structures

Film & TV roles are shown by country (NZ / UK / US / Canada / Australia) and budget band, because that's how union rate cards are structured. Non-film roles (design, music, illustration, photography, writing) are shown by experience tier (Junior / Mid / Senior / Expert) because there are no global unions — pay reflects market data, surveys, and freelance platform aggregates.

Sources by sector

  • Film & TV — BRECCA NZ, BECTU UK, IATSE US (Local 800/44/600/728), BCCFU Canada, MEAA Australia
  • Design (brand/graphic/UX/web) — AIGA Design Salary Survey 2025, Dribbble Designer Report 2025, PayScale 2026, goLance/Upwork rate guides
  • Music production — AMW industry guide 2026, Twine market data, AFM union (where applicable), Alexander Wright Mastering rates 2026
  • Illustration — Graphic Artists Guild Pricing & Ethical Guidelines, PayScale 2026, ZipRecruiter market
  • Photography — APA pricing guides, ASMP rates, commercial photography 2026 market guides
  • Writing & Copy — AWAI 2026 survey, Mediabistro, ZipRecruiter, goLance market data

FX rates used (May 2026)

1 NZD = 0.59 USD = 0.44 GBP = 0.82 AUD = 0.81 CAD
1 USD = 1.70 NZD · 1 GBP = 2.28 NZD
1 AUD = 1.21 NZD · 1 CAD = 1.23 NZD

What this is not

  • Not a published or ratified rate card. These are your asking rates, not legally binding minimums.
  • Not a substitute for negotiation. Specialist skills, kit, project specifics still apply.
  • Not a guarantee any client will pay parity. But they can no longer plead ignorance.

Know it.
Share it.
Raise the floor.

If you negotiated above the card, tell us what you got. If you accepted below, tell us why. The more data we collect, the harder it gets to underpay anyone.

$ checkyorate@gmail.com →