recurring status

Recurring status and contract status are terms used to refer to identify classes of actors that perform on U.S. soap operas. Recurring status refers to performers who consistently act in less than three episodes out of a five-day work week, and who receive a certain sum for each episode in which they appear. This is opposed to contract status, where the performers have a contract to be paid flat fees over time—often multi-year. Contract evaluations are periodically conducted, and actors that don't meet their "quota" may be dropped from their contract to cut costs. The practice has become widespread across the soap opera industry since the 1980s.