Australian Modern Award pay rate estimates
Free AI tool to generate indicative pay rate estimates for Australian award wages, penalty rates, overtime and allowances. General information only. Not a payroll system. Always verify with Fair Work before making any payroll decisions.
AI Award Pay Estimator
Level 2 casual, Hospitality Award, Saturday night?
Indicative (Sat): base ~$24.73/hr, casual loading ~$6.18, Saturday penalty ×1.5 → ~$43/hr.
Verify with Fair Work
What about a public holiday?
Public holiday est: ~$77/hr (verify independently).
Opens in ChatGPT (free account required)
This pay rate estimator is provided by RosterElf Pty Ltd (ABN 67 164 843 609) for general information only. Award rates are governed by the Fair Work Act 2009, change regularly (usually 1 July), and this tool does not assess award coverage, classification or compliance — always verify results with the official Fair Work Pay Calculator before making payroll decisions. It does not constitute legal, HR, or professional advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice specific to your business, workforce, or circumstances.
What you'll need
Have these details ready to generate indicative estimates for general information only.
Modern Award name
Which award applies? E.g. Hospitality, Retail, Aged Care, SCHADS, Nurses.
Classification level
What level is the employee? E.g. Level 1, Level 2, Grade 3.
Employment type
Is the employee casual, part-time or full-time permanent?
Shift details
Day of week, time of shift, overtime hours, public holidays.
What you can estimate
Get indicative estimates for common pay rate scenarios under Australian Modern Awards, subject to independent verification.
Example indicative output
Here’s what an indicative pay rate estimate looks like from the AI tool. All figures require independent verification.
Hospitality Industry (General) Award
Not for payroll- Classification (user-supplied)
- Level 2 – Food & Beverage
- Employment type (user-supplied)
- Casual
- Shift (user-supplied)
- Saturday 6pm – 11pm
Rate breakdown
Always verify figures with the Fair Work Pay Calculator before making payroll decisions.
Awards referenced
The estimator can generate indicative estimates referencing many commonly used Modern Awards, subject to verification.
Industries using this tool
Australian businesses across these industries use our pay rate estimator for quick reference.
How does this compare?
Understand when to use this AI estimator vs official tools and paid solutions.
This AI tool
Quick AI-powered indicative estimates for general reference only. Free, instant, conversational.
- Cost: Free
- Speed: Instant (conversational)
- Verification: Required (with Fair Work)
- Best for: Quick checks & sense-checking
Fair Work pay calculator
Official government calculator. Required for payroll decisions and compliance.
- Cost: Free
- Authority: Official
- Use for payroll: Yes
- Best for: Final verification
Paid payroll software
Full payroll systems with award interpretation built in.
- Cost: $50–500/month
- Award updates: Automatic
- Payroll processing: Included
- Best for: Ongoing payroll
How it works
Four simple steps to get your pay rate estimate.
Open the estimator
Click the button to launch the AI estimator in ChatGPT. You'll need a free ChatGPT account.
Enter your details
Tell it your award, classification level, employment type and shift details.
Review the estimate
Receive an itemised breakdown of base rates, penalties, loadings and estimated totals.
Verify with Fair Work
Always verify estimates with the official Fair Work Pay Calculator before payroll decisions.
Who this tool is for
Note: this tool is not suitable for determining payroll rates or minimum pay obligations.
Small business owners
HR & payroll teams
Hospitality managers
Aged care providers
Employees checking rates
Important things to know
Estimates only
Results are estimates based on published award rates. Always verify with the official Fair Work Pay Calculator for payroll decisions.
Not for payroll
Do NOT use these estimates directly for payroll processing. Incorrect rates can result in underpayment claims and Fair Work penalties.
AI can make mistakes
AI-generated content may contain errors. Complex scenarios, enterprise agreements, or recent rate changes may not be accurately reflected.
Enterprise agreements
If an employee is covered by an enterprise agreement, EA rates apply instead of Modern Award rates. This tool covers Modern Awards only.
Third-party platform
This tool runs on OpenAI’s ChatGPT. You’ll need a ChatGPT account and will be subject to their terms of service.
Rates change annually
Award rates typically change on 1 July each year. There may be a delay after annual wage reviews. Always verify current rates.
What to do after getting your estimate
Use these indicative estimates as a general reference only, then follow these steps before processing payroll.
Verify with Fair Work
Confirm rates with the official Fair Work Pay Calculator before payroll.
Check the award
Review the specific Modern Award for any additional clauses, allowances or conditions that may apply.
Update your systems
Ensure your payroll software has the correct rates. Consider software with automatic award updates.
Process payroll
Once verified, process wages through your payroll system with confidence.
Official Fair Work resources
Automate award interpretation with RosterElf
RosterElf's payroll integration applies award rates and penalties automatically, so your timesheets export payroll-ready — no manual rate lookups, Xero & MYOB connected.
Related resources
Explore guides, insights, and templates to help you get more from this tool.
Find which award applies
How to determine the correct Modern Award for your employees.
Calculate penalty rates
Step-by-step guide for calculating weekend and public holiday penalties.
Award rate guides by industry
Industry-by-industry Modern Award pay rate guides and calculators.
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Frequently asked questions
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To estimate award pay in Australia, you need to know the employee’s applicable Modern Award, their classification level, and the type of hours worked (ordinary, overtime, weekend or public holiday). This AI tool helps you generate indicative estimates by entering these details and receiving an itemised breakdown based on user-supplied information and published award references, subject to verification. Always verify with the official Fair Work Pay Calculator before making payroll decisions.
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First identify which Modern Award covers the role (use Fair Work’s Find My Award), then your classification level and employment type, and look up the rate in the award’s pay guide or the Fair Work Pay Calculator. This estimator gives an indicative figure to sense-check quickly, but always confirm the exact rate with Fair Work. For detailed tables, see our award rate guides.
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The Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review sets increases to the national minimum wage and modern award minimum rates. The 2025 review increased modern award minimum wages by 3.5% from 1 July 2025, so employees paid at award minimums received the rise. Check the Fair Work Pay Calculator for your exact current rate.
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‘Pro rata’ means proportional to the hours worked. A $70,000 pro-rata salary is the full-time equivalent — a part-time employee working half the full-time hours would earn about $35,000. Pro rata also applies to leave entitlements, which accrue in proportion to hours worked.
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Each year the Fair Work Commission reviews the national minimum wage and modern award minimum rates, with any increase usually taking effect from 1 July. The 2026 review outcome applies from 1 July 2026 — verify your updated rate with the Fair Work Pay Calculator once it takes effect.
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Penalty rates are higher pay rates that apply when employees work outside ordinary hours — such as weekends, public holidays, evenings or early mornings. The exact penalty depends on the specific Modern Award. For example, under the Hospitality Award, casual employees may receive 150% on Saturdays and 175% on Sundays. This estimator helps you work out these rates, but results should be verified with Fair Work.
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Yes. The estimator can provide estimates for public holiday penalty rates for most Modern Awards. In many awards, employees receive 225% to 250% of their base rate for public holiday work. Always check your specific award and verify with the official Fair Work Pay Calculator, as rates vary between industries and employment types.
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No. This is an AI-powered estimator provided by RosterElf for general informational purposes. It is NOT the official Fair Work Pay Calculator. For official calculations — especially for payroll processing, employment disputes or compliance purposes — always use the Fair Work Pay Calculator.
IMPORTANT – read before continuing
Please scroll to read and accept these terms.
1. Estimates only – not official or accurate
This tool provides indicative pay rate estimates only for general informational purposes. It is not the official Fair Work Pay Calculator, is not authoritative, and does not guarantee accuracy, completeness or currency. Award pay rates, penalties, overtime and allowances change regularly and depend on award coverage, classification level, enterprise agreements and individual circumstances.
2. No payroll or payment decisions – no reliance
You must not rely on any output from this tool to:
- calculate employee wages
- process payroll
- determine minimum pay obligations
- make compliance decisions
- resolve employment or underpayment disputes
3. Not legal, payroll, tax or financial advice
RosterElf Pty Ltd (ABN 67 164 843 609) is not a law firm, payroll provider, tax agent, accountant or industrial relations advisor. This tool does not provide legal, payroll, tax or financial advice, or compliance confirmation. Use of this tool does not create any professional, advisory or fiduciary relationship.
4. No award coverage or classification determination
This tool does not determine:
- whether a Modern Award applies
- which award applies
- the correct classification level
- whether an enterprise agreement applies or overrides an award
5. Artificial intelligence limitations
This tool uses artificial intelligence, which may produce errors or omissions, may rely on incomplete or outdated information, and may not account for enterprise agreements, workplace-specific arrangements or recent rate changes. Outputs should be treated as indicative only, not definitive.
6. Mandatory verification with Fair Work
Before making any payroll or payment decision, you must verify all rates using the official Fair Work Ombudsman Pay Calculator or pay guides, and/or a qualified payroll or industrial relations professional.
7. Third-party platform (OpenAI)
This tool operates via OpenAI's ChatGPT platform. You will be redirected to chatgpt.com and are subject to OpenAI's terms of service and privacy policy. RosterElf does not control, and is not responsible for, the operation, availability, accuracy or outputs of OpenAI's platform. A ChatGPT account may be required.
8. Limitation of liability – use at your own risk
To the maximum extent permitted by law, RosterElf Pty Ltd excludes all liability for any loss, damage, cost, claim or liability arising from or related to use of this tool, including underpayment claims, back-pay liability, penalties or fines, interest or compensation orders, regulatory or enforcement action, and reliance on incorrect or incomplete information. If any liability cannot be excluded, it is limited to the minimum extent required by law.
9. Privacy and user responsibility
Information you enter into this tool may be processed by OpenAI. You must not enter sensitive personal information. You are responsible for ensuring that any information you provide is lawful and appropriate. See our AI Tools Privacy Policy at /ai-tools-privacy-policy for further details.
10. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of Western Australia, and you submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Western Australia.
Confirmation
I have read and agree to the above terms and understand that all outputs must be reviewed and verified before use.
Please scroll to read all terms before accepting