Gardening and Landscaping Services Award

If you provide gardening or landscaping services to clients in Australia and employ staff who are not otherwise award-free, the Gardening and Landscaping Services Award 2020 (MA000101) generally applies. It covers garden maintenance, lawn and turf work, planting and landscape construction. Some grounds and landscaping work falls under other awards, such as building, construction or local government instruments, so confirm coverage against the Fair Work source before setting pay.

Assign each employee to the level that reflects the work they actually perform, using the classification definitions in the award, which describe the skills, training and responsibilities for each level, from basic grounds work through to qualified horticulturists and landscape tradespeople. A title alone is not enough; assess the real duties. Once you have the correct level, read its current minimum rate from the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Casual employees are paid an hourly rate plus a casual loading, commonly 25% across modern awards, in place of the paid leave and entitlements casuals do not accrue. Casual gardeners and labourers are common in this industry, particularly for seasonal peaks. Treat 25% as a guide and confirm the exact loading, and how it interacts with any weekend work, for this award on the Fair Work source before running pay.

Saturday and Sunday ordinary hours attract weekend penalties under the award, which matter when clients want work done over the weekend. As a general guide, weekend penalties commonly run around 25% on Saturday and around 50% on Sunday, but the award sets its own figures by day and employment type. Confirm the current Saturday and Sunday rates for the relevant employee on the Fair Work Pay Calculator before processing weekend pay.

Work on a public holiday is paid at a significant premium under MA000101, which as a guide can reach up to 150% of the minimum rate, and a minimum payment may apply. Employees who would normally work that day but do not because it is a public holiday are generally entitled to their ordinary pay. Check the current public holiday entitlement against the Fair Work source before paying for any public holiday work.

Overtime generally applies when an employee works beyond the ordinary hours set by the award, such as exceeding the daily or weekly limits or working outside the spread of ordinary hours, which can happen on a big install or a job running late. It is paid at stepped penalty rates that increase after the first couple of hours, with different treatment on Sundays. For the exact current multipliers, refer to the overtime provisions and the Fair Work source.

Yes. Part-time employees work fewer than full-time hours on a reasonably predictable pattern, and the award requires the agreed hours and days to be recorded in writing, with changes also agreed. Part-timers receive pro-rata leave and the same minimum rate as full-timers for their classification. Given seasonal swings in gardening work, keep the written arrangement current and check the part-time provisions in the award for the full requirements.

Junior employees and apprentices are generally paid a percentage of the relevant adult rate, with apprentices in horticulture and landscaping moving up through a scale tied to their year of training. Because both the percentage and the adult base change over time, work the rate out fresh rather than carrying an old figure. Confirm the current junior and apprentice rates, and the right training-year step, on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

The award provides for allowances suited to outdoor, mobile work, which commonly include a vehicle or travel allowance where employees use their own vehicle, a tool allowance where they supply their own tools, and leading hand, first aid and meal allowances. There are also provisions covering travel time between client sites. Because several are tied to specific conditions, they are easy to miss. Identify which apply to each role and confirm the current amounts on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Annual leave loading is an extra payment on top of base pay when an employee takes paid annual leave. Under this award it is 17.5% of the minimum rate. It applies to full-time and part-time employees taking annual leave, while casuals do not accrue annual leave. Apply the loading when processing leave payments and confirm the calculation against the Fair Work source so the entitlement is paid correctly.

Minimum rates and many allowances are reviewed each year in 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 increased modern award minimums by 4.75%. To stay compliant you must apply the new rates from that pay period, not the calendar date, so verify the current figures for each classification and the travel and tool allowances on the Fair Work Pay Calculator every year.

Because crews move between jobs during the day, the award addresses travel between sites, alongside vehicle and travel allowances for employees who use their own vehicle. Travel time and site arrangements can affect what is payable, so site-to-site travel is not always absorbed into the ordinary hourly rate. Read the travel-time provisions for your situation and confirm any related allowances on the Fair Work source rather than assuming a flat day rate covers it.

Start with the correct classification for each employee, then apply weekend and public holiday penalties, overtime, and the vehicle, travel and tool allowances this mobile, outdoor work depends on, refreshing every figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator after each 1 July increase. Accurate records of hours, travel and tool use are essential. Valont runs award-compliant payroll for gardening and landscaping employers, mapping each role to the correct classification, penalties and allowances so the right amount is paid every cycle.