Billing Policies for MAD Light Design, LLC (MLD)
Effective January 2026
Note: Clients are encouraged to question any charges that are unexpected, not within budget or that require justification.
Labor & Expense Policies
LABOR
Standard
Day rates are for a full day (up to 10 hours). Half days are generally not available. In the exceptionally rare event that a half day (up to 5 hours) is requested and accepted prior to booking, the rate will be calculated as 50% of a full day rate. Half day rates are not available for prep or travel days. If a half day is booked but work extends beyond 5 hours, a full day rate will apply.
Overtime
All overtime rates are based on the hourly rate (calculated as 1/10th of the day rate) and billed in hourly blocks. When a shift exceeds 10 hours in one day, an overtime (OT) rate (calculated as 1.5x hourly rate) will apply. When a shift exceeds 14 hours in one day, a double-time (DT) rate (calculated as 2x hourly rate) will apply. Overtime can be compounded by premium hours, turnaround or holiday pay, but DT is the highest level of overtime that will take effect.
Premium
Premium hours are those between midnight and 6:00 AM. Shifts starting during premium hours will be paid at the OT rate for the first 5 hours. Shifts that begin prior to but then extend into premium hours will be billed at the next highest OT level from the rate in effect prior to midnight. When a shift exceeds 10 hours and continues beyond midnight, a DT rate will be in effect.
Turnaround
When time off between shifts is less than 8 hours but more than 4 hours, turnaround pay will apply. Turnaround will be paid by continuing the OT rate from the previous shift. For example, if a previous shift ends with an OT rate, then turnaround will be billed at a OT rate for the first 10 hours of the shift. If a shift in turnaround starts with an OT rate and then goes beyond 10 hours, a DT rate will take effect. If the previous shift ended with a DT rate, then a DT rate will apply for the entire turnaround shift. Turnaround will continue through subsequent shifts until there are at least 8 hours off between shifts.
Continuous
When time off between shifts is 4 hours or less, continuous pay will be in effect. The previous rate of pay will continue from the ending of the previous shift until the beginning of the next shift. Standard overtime calculations will continue as if the shift did not end. If time between shifts is more than 4 hours but less than 8, OT calculations will continue from the previous shift.
Meals & Meal Penalty
A meal break should be scheduled every 5 hours. Proper meal breaks are either a 1-hour “walk-away” break or 30-minute break with a client-provided meal. A meal penalty will be in effect if one of these does not occur every six (6) hours. Pizza is a snack and does not qualify as a meal. A meal penalty initiates the next-highest level of overtime and continues until one of the aforementioned breaks are provided. Meal breaks are not deducted from billable hours.
Travel
Travel days are billed at a minimum full day rate. Travel-only days that last longer than ten (10) hours will then be billed at a regular rate in hour blocks. Billing for air travel starts two hours before departure and ends one hour after arrival. If accomodations or a venue are more than 30 minutes from the arriving or departing airport and the travel day goes beyond 10 hours, time will be added in hour blocks. If travel occurs directly after or before a working shift, the hours will be billed continuously until the travel is complete. In that scenario, calculations for OT, DT or turnaround will continue during travel time, based on the start of the travel day or working shift. These policies apply to all types of travel (including air, train, boat and automobile).
Holidays
Any hours worked on a holiday will be paid at an OT rate one level higher than would have been billed on a non-holiday. For example: If a shift starts between 6 AM and midnight, an OT rate will apply. If a shift starts between midnight and 6 AM, or a the shift is in turnaround, a DT rate will apply. The highest rate to be charged is DT, in any instance. Holidays are based on current listed US Federal Holidays of New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. For international work, holidays also include those recognized by the country in which work is performed.
Quotes
A quote with estimated billing charges can be provided upon request. The accuracy of an estimate is directly linked to the accuracy of the production schedule provided by the client before the quote is prepared. Actual hours, times and days worked will be the determining factors in calculating final hours and rates applied to the invoice.
PROJECT EXPENSES
Miscellaneous expenses directly related to the operation of the project will be billed at standard fees (ie. MLD created materials such as labels, paperwork, truss tape, etc…) or at cost (ie. materials obtained or created by a vendor such as hardware, printed plots, crew safety supplies, etc). Expenses will only be billed for items that are necessary to guarantee project success, safety, OSHA standards (such as crew water) or that have been directly requested and approved by a client.
PPE Gear requirements must be communicated at least 5 business days in advance of the first work or travel day. Specific PPE requirements of any venue, location, project or client must be explained in detail. Failure to do either of these may result in lost time onsite and/or last-minute PPE purchase costs being expensed to the project.
Basic PPE gear includes hard hats, steel toe boots and rigging harnesses. Usually, these items will not be billed to individual projects; it is the responsibility of individual contractors to provide their own basic PPE (unless not timely requested, as explained above). Any specialized or specific PPE requirements above and beyond the aforementioned basic gear will be provided by the client or expensed to the project.
TRAVEL EXPENSES
Prepaid expenses will typically be purchased or booked 2-3 weeks prior to the first day of travel (Including Flights, Trains, Hotels and some Rental Cars). The purchase date can be moved up or delayed upon client request, but delays may increase the price. Every effort will be taken to secure bookings with the best possible cancellation policy.
Flights will be expensed based on the actual cost of the tickets for the dates and times required for a project and contractor. Every effort will be taken to book flights within the expected budget. If the flight budget must be exceeded, the cost will be communicated to the client for approval during the refund window.
It is preferred that all flights are booked directly by MLD but clients may handle booking of flights upon request. All flights must be booked on Delta Airlines except when the contractor requests or agrees to another airline in advance. Clients who book flights through a travel agent will be charged a $50 fee¹︎ per ticket, in the event that a change has to be made to the ticket for any reason.
Any flight longer than eight (8) hours must be booked in business class.
Baggage fees will be charged based on the class of ticket purchased, with main cabin incurring the highest fees. Typically, this will include fees for three bags—one personal bag plus two work boxes. As of January 2026 the fee estimate is $50 for the 1st bag, $160 for the 2nd bag and $300 for the 3rd bag. Non-Delta or preffered airline flights incur the highest baggage fees (Especially Southwest) as at least two bags are usually over 50 lbs. First and business-class flights do not incur baggage fees for the first 2-3 bags.
¹︎Airline tickets purchased through a travel agent (such as Expedia or Navan) incur a $50 fee in the event of any changes to the original ticket. This fee is automatic, payable to the travel agency and cannot be waived. For this reason, travel agency–purchased flights are not recommended.
Train fares will be purchased by MLD and expensed based on the actual cost of tickets for the dates and times required for a project and contractor. Only premium fares will be booked, as they include baggage fees. Some train operators ban certain tools from all carry-on and checked baggage (knifes, scissors, etc); these itineraries may require separate charges to cover shipping of these items to and from the project venue.
Mileage will be charged based on published rates by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) for the current calendar year for work locations that require over 40 miles of driving from a home location. Any mileage expense will be based on actual miles driven to and from the location via a calculation of Mileage Rate × Total Miles Driven.
Transportation (ride hail & taxi service) expenses will be charged at cost for all local transportation needs wile in a travel-based work location (where overnight accommodations are provided but a personal vehicle or rental car is not present). This includes transfers to/from lodging & an airport or transportation hub, daily transport to/from the work location & lodging, reasonable daily transport to seek meal accommodations, and all transport required and/or approved to fulfill project expectations. Transportation services and costs will be chosen based on passenger &
cargo requirements, plus timeliness. Every effort will be taken to utilize the most economical and safe transportation solution for any scenario.
Rental Cars can be provided by the client or arranged directly and billed as a travel expense. When the estimated total cost of using local transportation (as explained above) for the duration of the project exceeds or meets the cost of a rental car (plus parking & fuel), a rental car may be chosen and expensed instead of using local services. Any savings to the client by transporting additional crew and equipment with the same rental car will be included in that calculation. A rental car may be chosen if an area lacks reliable on-demand transportation. In most situations, a rental car will not be chosen if it is a more expensive option than using local transportation for crew and/or equipment. In some situations, only a percentage of the total rental car cost will be billed in order to maintain cost parity for the client.
Per Diem will be charged for all projects based on published rates by the GSA for the current fiscal year (which advances to the next year on Oct 1 of any current calendar year) unless another rate is agreed upon prior to booking. The full Per Diem rate will be charged for every day of a project from the first travel day to the last travel day and the rate may change when work is scheduled across multiple cities or zip codes. Per diem will be billed via a calculation of Number of Days in a City × Per Diem Rate of that City. The city and exact rate will be determined by the zip code of the work location address for that day (travel days are based on the proceeding or previous location of lodging or work, whichever is greater).
Per Diem is provided to offset the cost of meals and personal incidental expenses incurred by a contractor while away from home during an active project. The rate calculated by the GSA for a specific city and zip code is based on fair and accurate research specific to that city and zip code. The presence of client-provided meals or other amenities does not reduce or alter the billable Per Diem rate.
Lodging (hotels) will typically be booked by the client for the main project, and by MLD for dates outside of that project (ie. prep days). Whenever possible, MLD will book and expense for all hotel dates over the course of a project. As with other travel expenses, hotel bookings are expected to stay within the project budget and overages will be communicated to the client for approval.
For exceptions to labor and expense policies, see below²︎
Cancellation Policies
Cancellation Fee Schedule
10% of Labor Quote – Minimum fee after booking confirmation
25% of Labor Quote @ 45 days*
50% of Labor Quote @ 30 days*
70% of Labor Quote @ 15 days*
85% of Labor Quote @ 10 days*
100% of Labor Quote @ 5 days*
*Prior to first day of onsite physical work or travel to the project location.
Non-Refundable Labor Charges
In the event of a project cancellation, the following expenses will be payable in full after confirmation. The cancellation fee schedule above applies to site surveys separately from actual project or show dates.
• Charges for pre-production and design
• Charges for physical site surveys and related travel days
Non-Refundable Expenses
In the event of a project cancellation, the following expenses will be payable in full if purchased after confirmation.
• Non-refundable transportation or lodging fees
• Purchases for the project of any other item or service that is not fully refundable will be billed at the net cost after applying refunds
For exceptions to cancellation policies, see below²︎
Invoicing Policies
Submittal
Invoices will be sent to an email address as provided by a client or to a direct client contact. The date the invoice is sent will count as the date of invoice delivery. Calculation of other policies below are based on this delivery date.
Billing Terms
The full invoice balance is due based on the net terms agreed upon prior to booking with each client (ie. Net15, Net30). Upon receipt of an invoice, a review of charges should be performed and any discrepancies should be communicated within 5 business days. Any adjustments to the invoice do not change the due date. Invoice charges will be considered accurate and payable in full if not questioned within 15 calendar days of delivery. Clients are encouraged to question any charges that are unexpected, not within budget or that require justification.
Payment
Electronic methods of payment are preferred. This includes ACH, e-Check, Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, and Credit Card payments. Processing fees may be charged (at cost) if incurred for a selected payment method. Paper checks should be made payable and mailed to the name and address listed on the invoice (under “pay to”).
Late Fees
Non-timely payment of invoices often result in unnecessary operational and financial penalties. As such, a late fee will be reluctantly applied to the invoice balance when payment has not been received and cleared within 2 days of the due date, again on day 7, then every 7th day thereafter until the balance and all fees are paid in full. Late fees are calculated as 5% of the original invoice amount and compound with every additional calculation. Partial payments will be applied before calculating late fees.
A vendor invoice is an interest-free loan, if paid within the loan terms. The primary purpose of the late fee is to incentivize timely payment, but also to cover operational penalties and additional financial expenses (interest, increased booking fees, late fees, loans, etc) incurred by the vendor because of a delayed payment. Any vendor is expected to complete their work on time to support operations, logistics and clients; if that respect and professionalism is not returned, vendors cannot properly support their vendors or their clients.
For exceptions to invoicing policies, see below²︎
²︎Any exception to the above policies must be requested and agreed to in writing by a representative of MAD Light Design, LLC prior to booking confirmation.