How Much Did Taylor Swift Compensate Her Dancers? Insights on Eras Bonuses
Taylor Swift has garnered attention for her remarkable generosity towards tour employees, a theme showcased in her latest docuseries, The End of an Era.
The second episode of the Disney+ series, which debuted on Friday, December 12, depicts Swift as she organizes bonuses for her dancers. The Grammy-winning artist revealed that she personally handwritten notes for each team member and sealed every envelope with wax, a task that took her “a couple of weeks” to complete.
“Bonus day is incredibly significant to me; it sets a standard for The Eras Tour. When a tour earns more, the hardworking people on the road deserve more, and they truly excel at their jobs,” she remarked. “Writing the notes is enjoyable. I love thinking about everyone’s lives as they return home, the time off they’ll finally get, and the loved ones they haven’t seen in months. Making that rewarding for them feels like Christmas morning when I can express my gratitude.”
Although the docuseries does not disclose the exact amounts given to dancers, various sources estimate that Swift distributed tens of millions of dollars throughout the nearly two-year tour. Continue reading for more insights into Swift’s Eras Tour bonuses:
How Much Did Taylor Swift Make From ‘The Eras Tour’?
While it’s not disclosed how much Swift herself earned, the 149-date event reportedly grossed over $2 billion in ticket sales, according to The New York Times. This figure, provided by her production company, does not account for merchandise sales, profits from the Eras Tour book, or the box-office revenue from her 2023 film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. (The film generated $261 million globally, as per Box Office Mojo.)
According to Forbes, the tour’s unprecedented success has propelled Swift into billionaire status. By 2025, the publication reports her net worth reached $1.6 billion.
This week, Swift humorously shared with Stephen Colbert that she used her Eras Tour earnings to buy back her masters. According to Billboard, she paid $360 million to reclaim the recordings from the venture capital firm Shamrock Holdings.
How Much Did Taylor Swift Pay Her Dancers on ‘The Eras Tour’?
Exact figures regarding her dancers’ salaries are not available, but the organization Dancers Alliance offers a preferred rate guide for the industry, suggesting $465 for eight hours of rehearsal (with overtime pay) and a minimum of $2,730 weekly while on tour.
Ben Clark, a banjo player who collaborated with Swift early in her career, stated last year that the star has always compensated her fellow performers generously, revealing she paid musicians a salary. “Offering a salary as a new artist is highly uncommon,” he commented in 2024. “It’s almost unheard of, but that is how they operated their business and took care of us band members.”
After departing her band, he claimed to be the “highest-paid band guy in Nashville,” adding, “There were artists — George Strait, for example — who have employed bands for over 30 years without paying as much as Taylor did.”
How Much Was the Bonus Dancers Received on ‘The Eras Tour’?
In The End of the Era, when Swift’s dancer Kameron Saunders reads his bonus letter, the producers redact the amount, but it’s evident that the dancers are thrilled, with many moved to tears. Saunders himself laughs lightly upon discovering the total.
“Dearest Kam, we’ve traveled the world together,” he begins, reading Swift’s heartfelt poem. “We’ve dazzled crowds yet missed our families too. My full gratitude doesn’t come from a bank, but here’s [redacted] dollars just to express my thanks. Love, Taylor.”
In another moment, production assistant Max Holmes is overwhelmed by the bonus, humorously declaring, “I’m going to pass out.”
In responses to a viral tweet about this scene, fans have attempted to guess the bonus amount, with some convinced they heard Saunders mention $750,000, while others speculated it might be $130,000, given Swift’s affinity for the number 13.
How Much Did Taylor Swift Pay Her ‘Eras Tour’ Truck Drivers?
At the conclusion of the first North American leg of the tour in August 2023, Swift rewarded each member of her nearly 50-person trucking crew with $100,000 each. “Typically, the amount ranges from $5,000 to $10,000 each. This amount is astounding,” Michael Scherkenbach, founder and CEO of Shomotion trucking company, mentioned to CNN at the time. (Shomotion was among the two trucking companies utilized for the tour.)
Scherkenbach noted that the check was a “life-changing” sum for the truckers. “The drivers didn’t want to appear disrespectful and look at it right away,” he said regarding their reception of the bonus envelopes. “But one driver thought it was $1,000, another $10,000, and a third exclaimed, ‘This must be a joke!’”
How Many ‘Eras Tour’ Bonuses Did Taylor Swift Give Out?
According to The End of an Era, Swift distributed bonuses to “every dancer, musician, and crew member” after each leg of the tour. The tour comprised five main legs: North America, South America, Asia/Australia, Europe, and a second North American segment. After the first leg concluded in 2023, People reported that she had already given out over $55 million in bonuses.
While the precise number of crew members is unclear, some reports indicate that around 1,000 individuals participated in the production of The Eras Tour, including 15 dancers, 50 truck drivers, six musicians, and four backup vocalists. One scene from the docuseries shows that at least one large duffel bag was needed to carry all the envelopes containing bonuses.
In December 2024, People confirmed that Swift distributed a total of $197 million in bonuses to everyone involved in the tour, including “truck drivers, caterers, instrument techs, merch team, lighting, sound, production staff and assistants, carpenters, dancers, band, security, choreographers, pyrotechnics, riggers, hair, make-up, wardrobe, physical therapists, and video team.”
