Commercial Builders Back-Office Services

The Applicable Modern Award

Commercial Builders employees are typically covered by the Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020.

Which award applies depends on the business, the work each employee actually performs, their classification and whether they are full-time, part-time or casual. The Fair Work Ombudsman's coverage summary places on-site general building and construction — the construction, alteration, extension, restoration, repair, maintenance or demolition of buildings and structures, site clearance and associated landscaping — under the Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020, listing domestic and commercial building companies, labourers, machinery operators, concrete workers, scaffolders and on-site trades such as bricklayers, carpenters, plasterers, painters and roof tilers; it does not cover employees who are covered by the Electrical, Plumbing, Joinery or Manufacturing Awards. Check coverage for your own business rather than assuming one award covers everyone, and use the Fair Work Pay Calculator for the current rate for a given award, classification and shift.

Classification structure: Building Worker Level 1–8, Site Supervisor, OH&S representative. EBA rates may supersede award.

Ordinary hours: average of 38/week under the award. Site-specific arrangements (including 36-hour weeks) may apply under enterprise agreements.

Penalty rates: the award sets separate rates for Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and for overtime, evening, night or shift work where it provides them, and they vary by classification and by whether the employee is full-time, part-time or casual — casual employees have their own rates in the award's penalty table. Rather than work from a remembered percentage, look up the current rate for the specific classification and shift on the Fair Work Pay Calculator and apply the rate in effect on the day worked. Many commercial sites operate under enterprise agreements with different rates.

Key allowances: Tool allowance, industry allowance, travel, site allowances specific to project, multi-storey allowance, tower allowance, underground allowance.

Getting award interpretation wrong creates systematic underpayment that compounds with every pay period. Our payroll specialists configure award-specific software to calculate every classification, penalty, and allowance correctly — and conduct quarterly audits to ensure ongoing compliance.

Sources: award coverage — the Fair Work Ombudsman's summary of the Building and Construction Award [MA000020] (read 8 September 2026); pay and award rules — Fair Work Ombudsman and the Fair Work Commission; superannuation, BAS and tax — the Australian Taxation Office.