What's the minimum pay rate under your award?
Choose a Modern Award, classification and employment type to see an indicative minimum base rate — with casual loading and junior rates applied. Figures are based on the Annual Wage Review 2024-25 (effective 1 July 2025).
Takes ~1 minute · Indicative Annual Wage Review 2024-25 rates · Verify the current figure on Fair Work
15 Modern Awards
Common industries
By Classification
Every level & grade
Casual & Junior
Loadings applied
Hourly to Annual
Full-time equivalents
About this tool
Award Pay Rate Calculator
Getting pay right is one of the trickiest jobs a small business owner faces. Most Australian employees are covered by a Modern Award, and each award sets minimum pay by classification level, then adjusts it for employment type (full-time, part-time or casual) and for junior employees under a certain age. Get the classification wrong, forget a loading, or work from an out-of-date figure and you can end up underpaying staff — which carries real legal and reputational consequences — or overpaying and quietly eroding your margin. The Award Pay Rate Calculator gives owners and managers a fast, plain-English starting point: pick your award, classification and employment type, and see an indicative minimum rate without wading through the full award document.
How it works
You select from a set of common Modern Awards covering industries like retail, hospitality, construction, clerical, manufacturing, health, community services, cleaning, transport and more, then choose the relevant classification level and whether the person is full-time, part-time or casual, along with their age band. From those inputs the tool applies the standard adjustments — the casual loading on top of the base rate where casual is selected, and the applicable junior percentage of the adult rate where the employee is under the adult age — and converts the result into indicative hourly, weekly (on a standard full-time week) and annualised figures. It also surfaces a quick reference for that award's penalty conditions (weekends, public holidays, overtime, shift work), common allowances, and minimum engagement periods. Crucially, it does not present itself as the source of truth: every figure is date-stamped to the wage review it came from and flagged as indicative only, because award rates are reviewed and typically rise around 1 July each year. The tool repeatedly directs you to confirm the live figure for the specific role on the official Fair Work Pay Calculator before you pay anyone.
Who it’s for
Australian small business owners, office managers and anyone doing payroll who needs a quick, plain-English sense of the minimum pay rate under a Modern Award before checking the official figure.
- Covers a range of common Australian Modern Awards, letting you look up an indicative minimum rate by award, classification level and employment type in about a minute.
- Automatically applies the standard casual loading and junior age-based adjustments, and translates the base rate into indicative hourly, weekly and annual figures — plus penalty rates, allowances and minimum engagement for that award.
- Deliberately treats its numbers as indicative and date-stamped, not authoritative: award rates change around 1 July each year, so the tool sends you to the official Fair Work Pay Calculator to confirm the current rate before you rely on it.
Frequently asked questions
Are these the exact rates I can legally pay my staff?
No — treat them as an indicative starting point, not a payroll instruction. The figures are drawn from a specific past wage review and date-stamped accordingly, and Modern Award rates are reviewed and usually increase around 1 July each year, so they may already be superseded. Junior percentages, casual loadings, allowances and penalty rates also vary by award and sometimes by classification. Before you set pay or pay an employee, always confirm the current rate for that exact role on the official Fair Work Pay Calculator at calculate.fairwork.gov.au.
How do casual and junior rates get worked out?
When you select casual, the tool adds the standard casual loading on top of the base rate to reflect that casuals forgo entitlements like paid leave. When you select an age below the adult threshold, it applies the relevant junior percentage of the adult rate. Both are common indicative figures — the precise loading and junior scale can differ between awards and classifications, so the official Fair Work Pay Calculator remains the authority for the specific role.
What if I'm not sure which award or classification applies to my employee?
Choosing the correct award and classification is the single most important step, because the whole rate flows from it — and it's where owners most often go wrong. If you're unsure, work from the position's actual duties and responsibilities rather than its job title, cross-check against the award's classification definitions, and use the Fair Work resources to confirm coverage. Getting this right up front is far cheaper than correcting an underpayment later. If award classification is a recurring headache, it's usually a sign your back-office needs more structured support.
Related reading