Award Pay Rates
Award pay rates are the legal minimum wages set by a modern award for your industry and job classification. To find yours, identify the award that covers your work, then your classification level, and read the current base rate from the Fair Work pay guide. Penalty rates and loadings are then added on top.
Use the Penalty Rates Calculator
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What are award rates?
Award rates are the minimum hourly pay rates a modern award sets for each classification level. A modern award is a legal document that sets the minimum pay and conditions for a whole industry or occupation across Australia. There are around 120 of them, and most award-covered employees are covered by exactly one - for example the General Retail Industry Award, the Hospitality Industry (General) Award, or the Fast Food Industry Award.
Awards set base hourly rates by classification level, plus penalty rates for weekends, evenings and public holidays, casual loading, allowances and overtime. Your employer can pay above the award, but not below it. If there's a registered enterprise agreement in your workplace, it can replace the award, but it must leave you better off overall.
Awards are updated every year in the Annual Wage Review, with new rates generally taking effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. That's why it's important to read the current-year pay guide, not an old one.
Find your award and level
Start with the industry you work in and what you actually do day to day. The Fair Work Ombudsman's "Find my award" tool asks a few questions about your job and industry and points you to the right award. Retail shop assistants usually fall under the General Retail Industry Award; cafe and restaurant staff under the Hospitality award; quick-service crew under the Fast Food award.
Next, find your classification level within the award. Levels reflect experience, responsibility and the tasks you perform - a new starter is usually the lowest level, with higher levels for supervisors or skilled roles. The award's classification definitions describe each level; match yours to the description that best fits your duties, since your base rate depends on it.
Reading a Fair Work pay guide
Each award has a downloadable pay guide - a PDF that lists the current minimum rates in plain tables. Find your classification row, then read across: you'll see the ordinary hourly rate for permanent employees, the casual hourly rate (base plus loading), and the penalty rates for Saturday, Sunday, evenings and public holidays.
Note the effective date at the top of the guide so you know it's current. Rates are shown as dollar figures and, for penalties, often as percentages of the base. Use the base rate from the guide as your starting point, then apply the penalty percentages for the shifts you worked. The penalty rates calculator does that step for you once you enter your base rate.
Adding penalties on top
Your award base rate is only the ordinary-hours figure. Real pay for a week of shifts stacks penalties on top: Saturday and Sunday loadings, evening penalties, and public-holiday rates, plus casual loading if you're casual.
Rather than work each shift out by hand, enter your base rate and the hours you worked on each type of day into the penalty rates calculator. It applies the percentages from your award and totals your gross weekly pay, showing each shift's rate so you can check it against your payslip. Always confirm the exact percentages in your current pay guide, since they change each 1 July.
Frequently asked questions
What are award pay rates?
Award pay rates are the legal minimum wages set by a modern award for each job classification in an industry. They include the ordinary base rate plus penalty rates, casual loading and allowances. Employers can pay above them but not below. Find yours in the award's Fair Work pay guide.
What are the new award rates for 2026 in Australia?
Award rates are updated each year in the Annual Wage Review, with changes generally from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. For the current 2026 figures, download your award's pay guide from the Fair Work Ombudsman website, which is republished after each review.
Where can I check my award pay rate?
Use the Fair Work Ombudsman's pay guides and "Find my award" tool. Identify your award and classification level, then read the current base and penalty rates from the guide. This site's calculator then applies the penalty percentages to your hours.
What are the Retail award pay rates for 2026?
The General Retail Industry Award (MA000004) sets minimum rates by classification, with weekend, evening and public-holiday penalties on top. For the exact 2026 dollar figures, open the current General Retail Industry Award pay guide on the Fair Work website, as they update each 1 July.
What is the award wage in NSW?
Most award wages are set federally, so they're the same in NSW as in other states for national-system employees - there isn't a separate NSW award rate for those awards. Check your specific award's pay guide for the current figure; state public holidays differ, which affects public-holiday pay.
What are the clerk award pay rates for 2026?
Clerical and administrative staff are usually covered by the Clerks - Private Sector Award. This calculator covers retail, hospitality and fast food, so for clerk rates, open the Clerks Award pay guide on the Fair Work Ombudsman website for the current classification rates.
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Estimate only - not legal or payroll advice. Check your award and the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guides. Not affiliated with the Fair Work Ombudsman.