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Worker Fee

Worker Fee & Payout Model Reference Table

Worker Fee provides a streamlined way to track worker fees and handle payments.

1. Core Benefits

Granular Control over worker fees (hourly rate, fixed fee, frame fee, and bonuses).

Flexible Payment Options per task and per assignee, accommodating various pricing agreements

Integrated Payment Status Tracking to manage approvals and keep everyone informed.

Comprehensive Overview of labor costs across multiple projects.

2. Key Functionalities

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2.1 Worker Fee Components

A “Worker Fee” represents the total compensation owed to a person for their work on a specific task or project. It can be composed of any combination of the following fee components:

Hourly Fee

Calculated as Person Hourly Rate (for Task Type) × Hours Spent on Task.

The Person Hourly Rate can be overridden at the project level and can differ by Task Type (e.g., a higher rate for animation than for rotoscoping).

Fixed Fee

A flat amount agreed upon between the manager and the assignee for completing a specific task.

Time spent does not affect this fee—useful for tasks with a well-defined scope.

Frame Fee

Calculated as Person Per Frame Fee (for Task Type) × Working Duration x FF Multiplier.

The Working Duration is computed from the frames actually worked on (Working Frame Range).

Person Per Frame Fee can also vary by project and by task type.

Bonus

An additional amount awarded by the manager at the project level, not tied to any specific task.

Useful for rewarding exceptional performance or covering special circumstances.

These advances are not tied to specific tasks or Worker Fee entries; they exist purely as credits at the project–user level.

Managers can select the Payment Type (Hourly Rate, Frame Fee, or Fixed Fee) for each task–assignee combination, allowing maximum flexibility. If two different assignees work on the same task, each can have a distinct payment method (e.g., one assigned a fixed fee, the other assigned an hourly fee).

Important Note on Amount, Hourly Rate, Spent Hours, Work Duration, Frame Fee, and Fix Fee These attributes within a Worker Fee record are copied from the corresponding task data but do not automatically update if the task’s values change later. Each Worker Fee entry is individualized to a specific assignee, allowing scenarios where multiple users share a task but have distinct hours, frame ranges, or fee splits. Thus, modifying the task-level attributes will not alter any existing Worker Fee records.

2.2 Worker Fee Creation Logic

While Worker Fee records can always be manually created at any time, the system automatically generates them under specific conditions based on the Payment Type:

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2.1. Hourly Fee

Creation/Update Trigger A Worker Fee record is created or updated each time the user submits or edits a timesheet entry for that task.

Note If the Payment Type is set to Fixed Fee or Frame Fee, no Worker Fee is generated for tracked hours because the user is paid for the entire task or per frame, rather than by time.

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2.2. Fixed Fee & Frame Fee

Creation Trigger If no Worker Fee record exists for the current assignee, then one is generated when the task state changes to “In Progress, Review, Completed.”

Fixed worker fee value is taken from Fixed Labor Cost attribute

Frame Fee value is calculated from Frame Fee rate set in Project Template

Why This Approach

No Worker Fee is created unless the user actively moves their version from “Not Started” to “In Progress.”

“In Progress” indicates that actual work has started, rather than just an assignment.

If a user is removed from the task before switching to “In Progress,” there is no Worker Fee to delete.

Important Note If any Worker Fee record already exists for that assignee on the same task—even if it’s for a different Payment Type (e.g., Hourly Fee)—the system does not create a new Worker Fee automatically. This prevents duplication when the manager has manually created an Hourly Fee record, and the task’s default Payment Type is Fixed or Frame Fee.

Multiple Assignees on Fixed/Frame Fee Tasks

If one assignee has created a Worker Fee (for a Fixed Fee or Frame Fee task) and another assignee later sets the task to “In Progress,” a second Worker Fee is generated by default—potentially with the same initial parameters.

The manager is notified to review how the Fixed Fee or Working Duration should be split or reassigned.

By default, the system doesn’t know how to divide the fee among multiple users, so the manager must manually adjust each Worker Fee to ensure fair distribution.

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2.3 Advance Payment and Advance Deduction

Partial Payouts: Allows managers to provide partial payments for long-running tasks without complicating individual Worker Fee records.

Project-Level Credits: Managers can record an Advance Payment for each user on a specific project, effectively giving that user credit toward their eventual payout.

Offsetting Advances: If a portion of that credit needs to be recouped later, an Advance Deduction can be entered to subtract a previously issued advance from the user’s final payout.

Clear Accounting: Both the Advance Payment and Advance Deduction are tied to the same project–user context, ensuring that credits and deductions remain clearly associated with the relevant tasks and fees.

At the end of a billing period (monthly or upon project completion), the system compares each user's total Worker Fees with the sum of any recorded Advance Payments. These advances are deducted from the user's payout to prevent double payment and ensure transparent accounting. Managers can specify the amount of Advance Payment deducted from each payout, making this feature ideal for lengthy tasks or ongoing work, allowing users to receive partial compensation before final delivery.

Advance Payment Attributes:

Amount: The value of the advance (e.g., 500 €).

Currency: The currency of the advance

Date: The date when the partial payment was issued.

Note (Optional): A brief context for the payment (e.g., “Mid-project deposit for animation tasks”).

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2.4 Working Duration and Frame Range

The Frame Fee for any given task is calculated as:

Frame Fee = Working Duration × Person Frame Fee (for Task Type) x FF Multiplier

where Working Duration is calculated from the Working Frame Range—the actual frames that an assignee works on—plus any optional handle frames if Include Handles attributes is enabled. Below is a detailed explanation of how this process works.

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Working Frame Range

Specifies the exact subset of frames within a shot where the assignee is actively working. For instance, if a shot spans 100 frames, but the assignee only needs to work on a portion of that sequence—for example, if an animated character exits the screen after 40 frames—the Working Frame Range can be set to focus solely on those relevant frames. This approach ensures a more accurate reflection of the assignee’s actual workload.

By default, the system sets:

Working Start Frame = The shot’s Start Frame

Working End Frame = The shot’s End Frame

These default values determine an initial Working Frame Range (e.g., 1001–1250).

Manual Overrides You can manually override the Working Frame Range to specify only the segments of the shot where work is actually performed. This is done by editing text in the Working Frame Range field.

Single Continuous Range: 1001–1050

Multiple Discontinuous Ranges: 1001–1050,1100–1180

In the case of multiple ranges, the system sums all frames within those sub-ranges to derive the total Working Duration.

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Working Duration Calculation

Sum of Frame Ranges For each defined sub-range (e.g., 1001–1050), the system calculates the number of frames as (Last Frame – First Frame + 1).

If multiple sub-ranges are entered (e.g., 1001–1050,1100–1180), it sums these counts together.

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Example Scenario

Shot Length: 100 frames (from frame 1001 to 1100)

Character: Only appears in frames 1020–1059

Working Start Frame = 1020

Working End Frame = 1059

Working Frame Range: 1020–1059

Frame Fee multiplier : 2

Frames in range: (1059 – 1020 + 1) = 40 frames

Working Duration = 40

Finally, if the Person Frame Fee for that task type is 2 USD per frame, then:

Frame Fee = 45 × 2 USD x 2 = 180 USD

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Why It Matters

By allowing precise control over the frames that an artist works on—and adding optional handles for practical VFX/animation workflows—managers can more accurately calculate and track costs. This flexibility ensures that the Frame Fee reflects the true scope of the work performed, preventing overestimates or underestimates when billing clients or compensating artists.

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2.5 Payment Status and Related Attributes

Each Worker Fee record can have an associated Payment Status to indicate whether the fee has been approved or paid:

Pending Approval The worker’s fee has been recorded but has not yet been approved for payment.

Approved The manager has authorized payment; it awaits processing by the finance department.

Postponed The fee is approved internally, but for external or administrative reasons (e.g., awaiting client payment, incomplete external approval), it will not be paid in the current payout cycle. Payment is deferred to a future date.

Paid Payment has been successfully issued (e.g., via payroll, invoice, or another method).

Cancelled Payment was revoked or deemed unnecessary. The work may be incomplete, or the arrangement changed.

Failed Payment processing failed, requiring a retry or further administrative action.

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2.6 Labor Cost at the Task Level

Each task’s Labor Cost equals the sum of all Worker Fees for that task. For instance:

Assignee A → Fixed Fee of 200 USD

Assignee B → Hourly Fee of 150 USD (calculated from hours × rate)

Labor Cost for that task = 200 + 150 = 350 USD

This aggregated labor cost is extremely useful for budgeting, client invoicing, and project profit/loss analysis.

A way to bundle multiple Worker Fees into a single payout batch for each user over a specific time period (e.g., monthly). This approach gives managers a clear, consolidated view of the fees owed, simplifies comparing different users’ payments, and allows analysis of how various fee types (Hourly, Frame, etc.) are distributed across the workforce.

By grouping Worker Fees for a specific time frame and user, you unify multiple approved tasks into a single payout. This concept:

Reduces Administrative Overhead: One group action replaces multiple small payments.

Enhances Reporting: Offers aggregated views of how many hours or frames each user contributed.

Facilitates Cross-User Comparisons: Encourages data-driven decisions regarding team performance and resource allocation.

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2.7 Payout

2.7.1 Overview

Payout

A collection of Worker Fees (e.g., from tasks worked on in a given month) that the manager intends to settle all at once.

Each Payout is associated with a single user but can contain multiple Worker Fees.

Why Payouts?

Streamlines Batch Payouts Instead of approving and paying individual tasks one by one, managers can approve a set of tasks in a single action.

Enables Clear Summaries A Payout appears as a single entry, yet provides a detailed breakdown of the tasks and Worker Fees included.

Comparison and Reporting Managers can compare Payouts across multiple users, seeing who worked on which tasks, how many hours or frames were billed, and the relevant time period.

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2.7.2. Workflow

Task and Worker Fee Approval

Normal Task Completion

The user finishes tasks (Hourly, Frame Fee, or Fixed).

Manager marks these tasks/Worker Fees as Approved when satisfied with the work.

Filter by Date or Criteria

Typically, the manager filters tasks from a specific date range (e.g., “This month’s tasks for User X”) that are now Approved but not yet paid.

2.7.3 Creating a Payout

Select Approved Worker Fees

In the finance interface, the manager highlights all Approved Worker Fees for a user that should be paid together.

Click “Create Payout”

This action bundles the selected Worker Fees into a new group.

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