Pharmacy Industry Award

If you operate a community (retail) pharmacy in Australia and employ staff who are not award-free, the Pharmacy Industry Award 2020 (MA000012) generally applies. It covers pharmacists, interns, pharmacy assistants, dispensary technicians and retail support. It does not cover hospital pharmacies, where pharmacists fall under a health-sector award, nor pharmaceutical manufacturing, so confirm coverage against the Fair Work source before setting pay and conditions.

The award grades retail and dispensary staff, such as pharmacy assistants and technicians, by skill and responsibility, and classifies pharmacists separately by registration and experience, with higher bands for pharmacist in charge, experienced and managing pharmacists. Classify each employee by the duties they actually perform and, for pharmacists, their role and registration. Then read the current minimum rate for that level 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 paid leave and other entitlements casuals do not receive. In a pharmacy the loading sits alongside evening and weekend penalties, so the combined figure for a weekend casual shift is not simply the base plus 25%. Treat 25% as a guide and confirm the exact loading and how it combines for this award on the Fair Work source.

Saturday and Sunday ordinary hours attract weekend penalties on top of the base rate, which matters because pharmacies commonly trade both days. As a general guide, Saturday is commonly around 25% and Sunday around 50% across awards, but MA000012 sets its own figures and casuals may be treated differently. Always confirm the current Saturday and Sunday rates for the relevant employee type on the Fair Work Pay Calculator before processing pay.

Work on a public holiday is paid at a significant premium, which across awards can reach up to 150% of the ordinary rate, and a minimum engagement may apply. Pharmacies that open on public holidays need to apply this correctly, and staff who would normally work but do not because of the holiday are generally entitled to ordinary pay. Verify the current public holiday entitlement for MA000012 on the Fair Work source.

Overtime generally applies to hours worked beyond an employee's ordinary or rostered hours, or outside the spread of ordinary hours, with the award setting different rates for the first hours and for hours after that, and separate treatment on weekends. Pharmacist and support staff may have different ordinary-hours arrangements. Identify which hours count as overtime for each worker and confirm the applicable overtime rate for this award on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

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 set out in writing, with changes also agreed in writing. Part-timers receive pro-rata leave and the same minimum rates as full-timers for their classification. Given variable trading hours, set the agreed pattern carefully and check the part-time provisions in MA000012 for the full requirements.

Younger retail and pharmacy assistant employees are generally paid a percentage of the relevant adult classification rate that increases with age until they reach the adult rate. Registered pharmacists are paid on the professional bands rather than junior rates. Because the percentages and the age steps determine the pay, confirm the current junior rates for the relevant classification under MA000012 on the Fair Work Pay Calculator before setting pay.

The award provides for allowances relevant to pharmacy, which may include meal allowances for qualifying overtime, a motor vehicle allowance, clothing or laundry allowances, a home-medicines-review allowance and a Broken Hill allowance. Note that pharmacist in charge is a classification rather than an allowance, with supervisory pay reflected in the higher rate. Identify which apply to each role and confirm the current amounts on the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than relying on past figures.

Annual leave loading is an extra payment on top of base pay when an employee takes paid annual leave, set at 17.5% under this award. 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 for permanent pharmacy staff and confirm the calculation, and any interaction with penalty-based earnings, against the Fair Work source.

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%. Apply the new pharmacist and support rates from the correct pay period, not the calendar date, and verify the current figures for each classification on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Extended and weekend trading is where pharmacy pay gets complicated, because evening, Saturday, Sunday and public holiday loadings attach to ordinary hours and stack with casual loadings and junior rates. The safest approach is to map each rostered shift by day, time and employee type, then read the applicable loading for MA000012 from the Fair Work source rather than applying a single flat rate across the trading week.

Start by confirming each employee's correct classification, including the right pharmacist band, then apply the current minimum rate, evening and weekend penalties, public holiday rates, overtime and any applicable allowances, refreshing every figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator after each 1 July increase. Accurate rosters and time records are essential given the penalty structure. Valont runs award-compliant payroll for pharmacies, mapping rosters to the correct classifications, penalties and allowances so the right amount is paid every cycle.

Manufacturing pharmaceuticals is the Pharmaceutical Industry Award; community pharmacy retail is the Pharmacy Award.

Pharmacy work inside a hospital can fall under the Health Professionals Award.