Casual loading calculator: add 25% to any rate
Casual loading is the extra percentage, usually 25% under modern awards, added to a casual's base hourly rate instead of paid leave, paid public holidays and notice. Multiply the base rate by 1.25 for the casual rate. On weekends and public holidays the Hospitality and General Retail awards add the 25 points to the penalty rather than multiplying it.
Casual hourly rate (incl. loading)
$31.25/hr
- Loading added per hour
- $6.25
- Weekly pay (incl. loading)
- $625.00
- Annual pay (incl. loading)
- $32,500.00
Casual rates change by the day. Your roster covers every day.
RosterElf costs each shift on the roster from the pay rates you set for casuals and permanents. It has award packs for Hospitality, Restaurant, Clubs and Fast Food. For any other award, you enter the rates once in the pay rate builder.
Rules checked against Fair Work and the modern awards on Enter the award base rate for the classification; the default is only a starting figure. An estimate before super, not pay advice. Sources
Casual and permanent rates by day
Under the Hospitality and General Retail awards the casual loading is added to the penalty as 25 extra percentage points, not multiplied by it. So the casual premium over a permanent shrinks as the penalty grows.
| Day | Permanent (% of base) | Casual (% of base) | Casual costs more by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | 100% | 125% | 25% |
| Saturday | 125% | 150% | 20% |
| Sunday | 150% | 175% | about 17% |
| Public holiday | 225% | 250% | about 11% |
Other awards set their own weekend and public holiday rates, and some apply them differently, so check the award’s casual rate table. To compare a casual with a part-timer over a year, including leave and super, use the casual vs part-time cost calculator.
Every shift costed while you build the roster
The same sum, done for the whole week before you publish.
Wage cost shown as you add each shift
- Wage cost updates as you add, move or delete a shift
- Award packs for Hospitality, Restaurant, Clubs and Fast Food
- For any other award, you enter the rates once
- Budget against actual, by week
More pay rate calculators
Sources: Fair Work Ombudsman, casual employees and pay guides 2026-27 (Hospitality MA000009 cl 29.2; General Retail MA000004 Table 12); ATO, super guarantee. Disclaimer.
Casual loading questions
-
Multiply the base hourly rate by 1 plus the loading percentage. At the common 25% loading, the casual rate is the base rate × 1.25, and the loading portion alone is the base rate × 0.25. Confirm the loading in the relevant modern award.
-
The loading compensates casual employees for entitlements they don’t receive — paid annual leave, paid personal/carer’s leave, paid public holidays, notice of termination and redundancy pay. Casuals are still entitled to superannuation.
-
No. 25% is the most common figure and applies under many modern awards, but some awards set a different rate. Always check the award covering your business — see the award rates guides.
-
It depends on the award. Under the Hospitality and General Retail awards the loading is added to the penalty, so a casual gets 150% on a Saturday where a permanent gets 125%. Other awards combine them differently. Our penalty rates calculator covers how they interact.
-
Yes. Superannuation is calculated on ordinary time earnings, which includes the casual loading, and is paid in addition to it at the current guarantee rate of 12%.