How much money the Below Deck cast make, from guest tips to TV salaries

From champagne sunsets to waiting on the guests hand and foot, the crew of Below Deck does A LOT of work. It’s pretty confusing, so here’s how much money the cast of Below Deck actually make.

The crew get paid through a yacht salary, charter tips, and an appearance fee from Bravo. Their yacht salary varies depending on the role, and the tip amount changes from guest to guest.

Crew members are paid for their yacht jobs by role, with a separate appearance fee on top for being on camera. They get paid by the boat for their actual jobs and by Bravo for filming. 

For their salaries, junior stews are estimated at around $5,000 a month, chief stews are up to $6,000, deckhands around $4,500, and a bosun is around $5,000.

The chef is estimated to make a bit more, around $7,000 to $10,000.

The Captain’s salary is estimated to be around $150,000 to $210,000 a year, according to Crew Finder International.

Tips are also where the cast can rake in tons of money. Some guests have left anywhere from $25,000 to $18,000 in tips for the crew. So, split across the crew, they can make a few thousand dollars just for that week.

But this is all an estimate before taxes. This also depends on what country they’re living in. For U.S.-based crew, they generally owe federal income tax plus Social Security and other deductions, which is roughly 7.65 per cent if they’re treated as employees rather than freelancers. 

A captain earning $150,000 or more takes home closer to 60 to 70 per cent of their salary. Florida, where many crews are based, including Captain Kerry, has no state income tax, which helps. 

So, depending on the role and tip amount, the crew can potentially take home six figures. 

Below Deck Season 13 is now streaming on Hayu.