Members who wish to withdraw from active work or do not expect to work or seek work under Equity’s jurisdiction for a period of a year or more may seek “inactive status." Regardless of your membership status, under no circumstances may you appear with a non-Equity company or as a non-professional or apprentice. One may be excused from future dues in the following manner:
- Temporary Withdrawal – Members who are in good standing (paid to date) with a zero balance are eligible for Temporary Withdrawal.
- Suspended Payment – Members who have outstanding dues or assessments are eligible for Suspended Payment. (The dues owed will be frozen and will not accumulate until a return to active membership).
If eligible, upon receiving a Temporary Withdrawal/Suspended Payment card the member:
- Will be removed from mailing lists and will not have access to the Member Portal.
- May not vote, but may attend meetings.
Application
- All requests must be made in writing. Please log into the member portal to access the form.
- Requests must be made in either April/May or October/November as all Temporary Withdrawal and Suspended Payments have an effective date of either May 1 or November 1.
- Members who have previously been on Temporary Withdraway/Suspended Payment must pay for at least two dues periods (12 months) following a Temporary Withdrawal or Suspended Payment before becoming eligible for returning to inactive status. New Members must have paid their initiation fee in full and dues for at least three full dues periods (18 months) from their date of joining, before becoming eligible.
Please Note: By accepting a Temporary Withdrawal/Suspended Payment card you agree that after five (5) years, if you have not returned to active status and good standing in the association, any claim to the sole use or possession which you may have to any name or names within the jurisdiction of Actors' Equity Association is hereby declared null and void.
Reinstatement
When a member reinstates from Temporary Withdrawal, they must pay a reinstatement fee (currently $100.00) plus dues for the current period, regardless of the month in which the reinstatement takes place.
Reinstatements within the Same Dues Cycle
- If a member is placed on a May Temporary Withdrawal and reinstates before August 1 of the same dues cycle, they must pay the full basic dues for that period. If a member reinstates after August 1, they must pay the pro-rated basic dues for the month in which they reinstate plus a reinstatement fee (currently $100.00).
- If a member is placed on a November Temporary Withdrawal and reinstates before February 1 of the same dues cycle, they must pay the full basic dues for that period. If a member reinstates after February 1, they must pay the pro-rated basic dues for the month in which they reinstate plus a reinstatement fee (currently $100.00).
Suspended Payments
A member who is placed on a Suspended Payment will follow all the above rules except that in addition to the current dues and the reinstatement fee, they would also be responsible for the monies outstanding when they were placed on that Suspended Payment.
Regardless of your membership status, under no circumstances may you appear with a non-Equity company or as a non-professional or apprentice.
