Aged Care Award pay guide 2026/2027

Casual rates for ordinary weekday hours for direct care and general employees, generated from the current Fair Work pay guide:

If you only skim one section, make it this one:

• The Aged Care Award 2010 [MA000018] covers two streams: direct care employees (personal care workers, Levels 1–6) and general employees (food services, cleaning, laundry, admin, Levels 1–7).
• Minimums are reviewed each July; recent work-value decisions also lifted direct-care rates significantly. The FY2026/27 pay guide took effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
• Example 2026/27 adult minimum pay:
  • Direct care level 2 (direct carer): full-time/part-time $34.42/hr, casual $43.03/hr.
  • General level 1: full-time/part-time $27.77/hr, casual $34.71/hr.
• Penalties: Saturday +50%, Sunday +75%, public holidays +150% (full-time/part-time); casual rates are higher again.
• Sleepovers, broken shifts and shift loadings apply on top.
• Get stream, level, employment type and shift type right for every employee.

The Aged Care Award covers employees in residential and home aged care, in two streams:

• Direct care employees (Levels 1–6): personal care workers and assistants in nursing — from introductory through qualified (Certificate III/IV) to senior, specialist and team-leader roles.
• General employees (Levels 1–7): food services, cleaning, laundry, gardening, administration and cooks/chefs.

Important — who’s covered by other awards: registered and enrolled nurses in aged care → Nurses Award (aged-care rates); allied-health and health-support staff → Health Professionals & Support Services Award; home-care and disability support in some settings → SCHADS Award. Confirm coverage with Fair Work’s PACT tool.

A snapshot of the current FY2026/27 rates for both streams, generated from the same data that powers the calculator above.

Ordinary weekday rates for direct care (L1–6) and general (L1–7) employees:

Casuals receive the same base rate plus a 25% loading. Ordinary weekday casual rates:

The Aged Care Award has two streams: direct care (personal care workers, Levels 1–6) and general (food services, cleaning, laundry, administration, Levels 1–7). Here are the 2026/27 ordinary hourly rates (full-time and part-time), with the casual rate (base + 25% loading) in brackets. Weekend, public-holiday, shift and sleepover penalties apply on top. Registered and enrolled nurses are paid under the Nurses Award, not this award.

• Direct care Level 1 — $32.61/hour (casual $40.76): entry-level personal care, pre-qualification.
• Direct care Level 2 — $34.42/hour (casual $43.03): personal care worker / assistant in nursing (AIN).
• Direct care Level 3 — $36.23/hour (casual $45.29): Certificate III-qualified personal care worker.
• Direct care Level 4 — $37.68/hour (casual $47.10): senior / Certificate IV personal care worker.
• Direct care Level 5 — $39.13/hour (casual $48.91): specialist personal care worker.
• Direct care Level 6 — $40.58/hour (casual $50.73): personal care team leader / coordinator.

• General Level 1 — $27.77/hour (casual $34.71): entry-level food services, cleaning, laundry.
• General Level 2 — $28.87/hour (casual $36.09): general services with experience.
• General Level 3 — $29.98/hour (casual $37.48): qualified general services / trade assistant.
• General Level 4 — $30.34/hour (casual $37.93): cook / senior general services.
• General Level 5 — $31.36/hour (casual $39.20): qualified cook / administration.
• General Level 6 — $33.05/hour (casual $41.31): senior cook / supervisor.
• General Level 7 — $33.65/hour (casual $42.06): chef / senior supervisor / coordinator.

Classification follows the stream, duties, qualifications and responsibility:

• Direct care Levels 1–6 progress from introductory personal care, through Certificate III/IV qualified carers, to senior, specialist and team-leader roles.
• General Levels 1–7 cover food services, cleaning, laundry, gardening, administration and cooks/chefs.
• Aged-care nurses are paid under the Nurses Award — don’t apply this award’s rates to RNs/ENs.

Write each employee’s stream, level and employment type into your payroll/rostering system. If unsure, confirm the right level.

Aged Care Award penalties (on the ordinary rate, both streams):

• Saturday: 150% (full-time/part-time), 175% (casual)
• Sunday: 175% (full-time/part-time), 200% (casual)
• Public holiday: 250% (full-time/part-time), 275% (casual)
• Afternoon/night shift loadings: afternoon and night shifts attract loadings on the ordinary rate (separate from the calculator above).
• Sleepover: about $65.31 per night, plus pay for any work performed during the sleepover.
• Broken shift and overtime have their own rules.

The calculator above covers ordinary, Saturday, Sunday and public-holiday rates. For shift loadings, sleepovers, broken shifts and overtime, use Fair Work’s PACT tool or award-interpreting software.

• Full-time is around 38 hours per week, ongoing; part-time has a regular agreed pattern.
• Both receive paid annual and personal/carer’s leave (pro-rata for part-time) and other NES entitlements. Part-time hours should be agreed in writing.

• Paid a 25% casual loading instead of paid leave, with a minimum engagement per shift.
• Casual weekend and public-holiday rates are higher than the permanent rates because the loading is added to the penalty (for example, casual Sunday is 200% of the base rate).

Common allowances under this award include:

• Sleepover – about $65.31 per night.
• Leading hand – from about $0.88/hr (2–5 employees) up by team size.
• Uniform – about $1.26 per shift (max $6.41/week); laundry – about $0.33 per shift.
• Meal (overtime) – about $17.30, with a further $15.60 after more than 4 hours of overtime.
• Vehicle – about $1.01 per km; nauseous work – about $0.63/hr.

Exact amounts update each pay guide — see the Fair Work pay guide.

• Confirm the award and stream (direct care vs general; nurses are under the Nurses Award).
• Download the latest pay guide (FY2026/27).
• Classify each employee by stream and level.
• Set base rates and apply weekend/public-holiday penalties, shift loadings, sleepovers, broken shifts and overtime.
• Use award-interpreting software so sleepovers and shift loadings are calculated automatically, and keep records for 7 years.

• Two streams: direct care (personal care, L1–6) and general (food/cleaning/admin, L1–7).
• Aged-care nurses are paid under the Nurses Award — not this award.
• Saturday +50%, Sunday +75%, public holidays +150%.
• Sleepovers and shift loadings are easy to miss.
• Update every July and keep good records.

For official guidance, visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website.