Simple, practical pay rate guides for small business owners
Understanding award pay rates can be confusing. We've created these plain-English guides to help small business owners navigate the key awards covering hospitality, food service and club workers in Australia.
Award coverage matters: Some businesses may fall under different modern awards depending on how they operate in practice (for example, table service vs counter service). Always confirm which award applies to your employees using Fair Work's Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT) before applying pay rates.
Minimum hourly and weekly rates for all classification levels, including casual loading.
Weekend, public holiday, and late night/early morning penalty calculations.
How to correctly classify your staff based on their role and experience.
Full-time, part-time and casual employment explained with key differences.
Annual leave, personal leave, and other entitlements under the NES.
Practical checklists to help you stay on top of your obligations.
Use Fair Work's free Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT) to check which modern award covers your employees. If you're still unsure, consider getting professional advice.
Use Fair Work's PACT Tool →