What to Do When Sessions Payroll Doesn't Report Your Income

Actor and stand-in Sara DeRosa shares with Ben Hauck how she discovered her income from Sessions Payroll was not reported to the Social Security Administration, and how the discrepancies she found in her total and reported income could have decreased her retirement benefits and pension and health eligibility. In the interview, Sara explains what steps she took to remedy the discrepancies in her income, and what to do if you have received a W-2 from Sessions Payroll or from any companies related to it (Firsthand Productions, Inc., RE Productions, Century Employer Organization, LLC, or Vast c/o Sessions). She offers instructions on how to determine if your wages were not reported to the SSA, SAG Pension & Health, or AFTRA Health & Retirement. Sara also shares where you can download her in-depth guide on the issue, how you can take responsibility in fixing the problem if it affects you, and how you can get the word out to other actors about the issue. The episode concludes with Ben’s own trip to the Social Security office to address the issues he saw after talking with Sara, as well as instructions to get a free worksheet for figuring out whether you too have unreported income.

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Stand-In Central

At Stand-In Central, we give you an overview of the job and share what you might expect if you’ve just been hired as a stand-in for a film or TV show. The guidance at Stand-In Central offers a solid foundation in how to be an excellent and effective stand-in. In a rush? Download The Stand-In Handbook, our PDF ebook about standing in. For more information, visit http://standincentral.com.

Sara DeRosa’s Bio

Sara DeRosa working on set as a stand-in

Sara DeRosa has worked as an actor and a stand-in on numerous television and film sets in New York City. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA and a graduate of the two-year conservatory program at The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. Sara has been featured as an unsung hero in the ELLE Magazine “Women In Hollywood” issue for her stand-in work. She shares her knowledge and advice about stand in work as Senior Contributor on Stand-In Central. Sara loves living in New York City, and her favorite sets she has worked on are Madam Secretary, Gossip Girl, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Actor website: http://www.saraderosa.com
Stand-In Central entries: http://standincentral.com/author/saraderosa/

How to Fix Unreported Income from Sessions Payroll

The Union Financials page on Facebook has a link to a PDF guide for fixing issues around unreported income for jobs paid from Sessions Payroll.

Union Financials Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/unionfinancials
Guide about Sessions Payroll’s Failure to Report Employee Income to Social Security and the IRS (see the Facebook Page if the link does not work)

Download the Unreported Income Worksheet

I put together a downloadable worksheet for determining whether some of your acting income has not been reported to the Social Security Administration. This worksheet works as a companion to the Union Financials guide downloadable from its Facebook page.

To get the Unreported Income Worksheet, enter your email here: https://actingincome.com/unreported

Social Security Administration

To create an account with the Social Security Administration in order to review your Earnings Record, or to find your local Social Security office, visit the Social Security website.

Social Security Administration: http://ssa.gov

Union Benefit Plans

SAG-AFTRA has two benefit plans: SAG Pension & Health and AFTRA Health & Retirement. Contact them to address any unreported income.

SAG P&H: http://sagph.org
AFTRA H&R: http://www.aftrahr.com

SAG-AFTRA Legal Department

If you want to inform the Legal Department at SAG-AFTRA of this issue, they may be reached in Los Angeles at (323) 549-6627.

Productions that Used Sessions Payroll

According to the Internet Movie Database, here is a list of productions that used Sessions Payroll.

If you worked on a production on this list, you may be affected by the issue.

Sessions Payroll

If you need to contact Sessions Payroll, visit their website.

Sessions Payroll: http://www.sessionspayroll.com

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