Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award

MA000118 covers employers and employees throughout Australia in private veterinary surgery practices and in community-based animal care charities focused on preventing cruelty to animals and promoting their care and protection. If you run a vet clinic or an animal welfare charity, this is generally the relevant award for your front-of-house, nursing, inspector and veterinary staff. Confirm coverage against the award and the Fair Work Ombudsman, as some work may fall under another instrument.

MA000118 has three separate structures. The non-veterinary stream runs from an introductory level through Levels 1 to 5, with Level 5 being a practice manager, covering nurses, receptionists and attendants. Animal care inspectors have Inspector Levels 1 and 2 plus Senior Inspector Level 3. Veterinary surgeons are classified across Levels 1A, 1B, 2, 3 and 4. Classify each worker by the duties they actually perform, then read the current rate from the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Veterinary surgeons have their own classification ladder under MA000118, running across Levels 1A, 1B, 2, 3 and 4, with the level reflecting experience and responsibility. They also have distinct on-call provisions, which can be compensated by payment, time off on an hour-for-hour basis, or an annual allowance, with active on-call work paid for the duty performed. Set each vet's level by their role and take the current minimum rate and on-call amounts from the Fair Work source.

Always take current rates from the Fair Work Pay Calculator or the MA000118 pay guide rather than memory or an old spreadsheet. Rates differ by classification structure, by level, by age for juniors, and by employment type. They are reviewed annually and rise from the first full pay period on or after 1 July, so any figure has a use-by date. Valont keeps these rates current as part of award-compliant payroll for veterinary and animal care employers.

Casual employees are paid an hourly rate plus a casual loading, which is commonly 25% across modern awards, in place of the paid leave and other entitlements casuals do not receive. Under this award the casual loading applies to all classifications, and casual penalty rates build on that base loading. Treat 25% as a guide only, and confirm the exact loading and how it combines with penalties for this award from the Fair Work source before running pay.

MA000118 includes allowances such as broken shift, first aid, laundry and overtime meal allowances, motor vehicle and motorcycle per-kilometre rates, and on-call allowances that differ for weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, public holidays or rostered days off. Veterinary surgeons have their own on-call provisions. Because some are paid per shift, per kilometre or per on-call period, they are easy to miss. Identify which apply to each role and confirm current amounts using the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

For non-veterinary staff, MA000118 pays an on-call allowance for each 24-hour period an employee is required to be available, set at different amounts for a weekday, a Saturday, and a Sunday, public holiday or rostered day off. Veterinary surgeons have separate on-call arrangements. Any work actually performed while on call is paid in addition to the allowance. Verify the current on-call amounts and how they apply to each role using the Fair Work source.

Saturday and Sunday work under MA000118 attracts weekend penalties on top of the ordinary rate, and Saturday rates can differ for the first few hours of a shift. As a general guide, weekend penalties across awards commonly run around 25% on Saturday and 50% on Sunday, and casual rates build the casual loading on top. You must confirm what the award actually provides for the relevant shift and employment type against the Fair Work source rather than assuming a figure.

Public holiday entitlements flow from the National Employment Standards and the award, and MA000118 sets penalty rates for working a public holiday. As a guide, public holiday work across awards can attract penalties of up to 150%, with casual rates adding the casual loading, but the award's own provisions determine what actually applies. Always verify the public holiday rate, and any arrangements for staff who do not work the day, using the Fair Work Pay Calculator before that pay run.

MA000118 pays shift loadings on top of the base rate depending on when a shift starts or finishes, such as early-morning, evening or overnight shifts, and these can combine with weekend and public holiday penalties. Overtime applies to hours worked beyond ordinary or rostered hours, with different rates for the first few hours and for hours after that, and separate Sunday rates. Map each shift's timing and confirm the current loadings and overtime rates from the Fair Work source.

Full-time and part-time employees generally accrue four weeks of paid annual leave a year under the National Employment Standards, with a possible fifth week for qualifying shiftworkers. On taking leave, MA000118 provides annual leave loading of 17.5%, or the relevant weekend penalty rates the employee would have earned, whichever is greater - but not both. Confirm how the loading is calculated for your employees against the Fair Work source before processing leave payments.

Modern award minimum rates increase following the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review and take effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. The 2026 review added 4.75% to modern award minimums. Apply increases from the correct pay period, not the calendar date, and pull the new figures for each classification and allowance from the Fair Work source so veterinary and animal care pay stays compliant.

The risks with MA000118 sit in the detail: the right classification structure and level, on-call allowances that vary by day, stacked shift and weekend penalties on after-hours rosters, junior and casual rates, and figures refreshed every July. The safest approach is to anchor every amount to the Fair Work Pay Calculator and review pay each 1 July. Valont runs award-compliant payroll for veterinary and animal care employers, mapping rosters to the correct classifications, allowances and penalties so figures stay current and accurate.