Start+: Onboarding DGA BTL Employees (EA)

Last updated: June 13, 2025

The new DGA Below the Line (BTL) onboarding feature in Start+ (currently in EA) gives hiring managers more flexibility when bringing crew onto a project. You can now enter rates and terms for DGA BTL employees directly in Start+, send a digital offer that includes all required onboarding forms, and route everything through your project’s usual approval process. The employee can then review, accept, and sign their startwork all online which also gives them access to MyCast&Crew, where they can sign up for direct deposit and manage their profile and tax documents.

This article includes the following topics:

Known Limitations

How to Onboard a DGA BTL Employee

Known Limitations

Please keep in mind the current limitations during this EA phase of the DGA solution:

• Payroll review required: All DGA BTL offers must be reviewed by your payroll coordinator before they appear in Hours+. This helps ensure accuracy and alignment with DGA requirements.
• Manual rate entry: Preset scale rates and system validations aren't yet available. You’ll enter rates manually in the open fields, so it’s important to confirm the rates align with the terms of your CBA.
• Daily rate hires: The rate table currently supports weekly and hourly rates only, with daily rate support being available later this summer. If a DGA role requires a daily rate, please submit a start form via Studio+.
• Production fees: Production Fees are automatically added during timecard submission for applicable DGA day types, based on the contract. These fees are not included in the rate entered on the deal memo, so the rate you enter should exclude any contractual production fees.
• Document selection: Job classification-specific documents for DGA won’t appear automatically under “Recommended Documents.” You’ll need to manually select the correct DGA Deal Memo and any other required forms into the offer.

How to Onboard a DGA BTL Employee

Add and Select DGA BTL Employee(s) in Start+

1. Ensure that the DGA BTL employee is added to Start+. See Manage Your Crew Quick Start Guide for more information on how to do this.
2. Under the Create Offer page, select the DGA BTL employee(s) from the Crew List

Fill in Terms of Hire

3. Fill in the terms of hire. The following unions are available for DGA BTL employees:
   1. DGA East Coast
   2. DGA Third Area
   3. DGA West Coast

Fill in Terms of Employment

4. Manually enter the employee’s rates in the Terms of Employment table

For DGA BTL employees, scale rates won’t auto-populate for Start+ as they do for other union setups. Instead, you’ll enter the rate manually using the fillable Terms of Employment table. Please confirm that the rates align with the terms of your CBA.

Add Allowances and Notes

5. Fill in Allowances (if applicable) – Excludes any DGA-specific contractual compensation such as production fees.
6. Set Account Codes (if applicable)
7. Add any Additional Deal Notes

Select Onboarding Documents

8. Select all required documents for the employee
9. Manually select the DGA deal memo for the specified job classification

For DGA BTL employees, you won’t see classification-specific documents automatically listed under “Recommended Documents” as you might for other roles. Instead, you’ll need to manually select the appropriate DGA deal memo for the employee’s occupation, along with any other required documents.

Verify & Send the Offer

10. Answer any Custom Questions
11. Once you’re ready to send, click Verify, then Yes, Create Offer.