Hair & Beauty Award pay guide: rates, penalties & classifications 2026/2027

Salons and barbershops rely heavily on casual staff. Here are the casual rates for ordinary weekday hours under the Hair and Beauty Industry Award 2020 [MA000005], generated from the current Fair Work pay guide:

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

• The Hair and Beauty Industry Award 2020 [MA000005] sets minimum pay and conditions for employees in Australian hairdressing, barbering, beauty therapy and nail salons.
• Minimums are reviewed each year after the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review. The FY2026/27 pay guide took effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
• Adult minimum rates run from $27.81/hr (Level 1, $1,056.80/week) to $32.00/hr (Level 6, $1,215.90/week) for a 38-hour week.
• Casuals receive a 25% loading on top of these ordinary rates — e.g. a Level 3 qualified hairdresser is $36.81/hr casual for ordinary hours.
• On top of base rates you pay Saturday (133%), Sunday (200%) and public-holiday (250%) penalties, plus overtime (150% first 3 hours, 200% after). Casual weekend rates fold the loading in (Saturday 158%, Sunday 225%).
• Get four things right for every employee: award coverage, classification level (Level 1–6), employment type (full-time, part-time, casual), and when they work (weekday, Saturday, Sunday, public holiday, overtime).

Think of the Hair and Beauty Industry Award (MA000005) as the legal minimum standard you can’t go below for salon and beauty work.

It sets:

• Minimum hourly and weekly rates for Levels 1 to 6
• Extra pay for Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and overtime
• Allowances (manager’s, first aid, tool and others)
• Rules about casuals, ordinary-hours spans, breaks and junior/apprentice rates
• A link into the National Employment Standards (NES) for leave and other basic rights

You can always pay more, but you can’t legally pay less than the Award. It’s updated roughly every July after the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review.

In simple terms, the Hair and Beauty Award covers employers and employees in the hair and beauty industry. It commonly applies to:

• Hairdressing and barbering — cutting, colouring, styling, shampooing
• Beauty therapy — facials, waxing, body and facial treatments using electrical equipment
• Nail services — manicures, pedicures, nail technology
• Make-up services and hair/body removal

Typical workplaces include hair salons, barbershops, beauty salons, nail bars, spas and brow/lash studios.

The Award does not cover general retailing, the theatrical/amusement/entertainment industries, or employees covered by an enterprise agreement or a state public-sector award. A beauty counter inside a department store, for example, may fall under the General Retail Industry Award instead.

MA000005 classifies employees into Levels 1–6 based on qualifications and the skills the role requires — assessed on actual duties, not job title.

This section is a practical snapshot of the current FY2026/27 minimum rates so you can sanity-check payroll. All figures are minimums from the official Fair Work pay guide effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, generated from the same data that powers the calculator above.

For adult employees, ordinary hours (based on a 38-hour week):

Casuals receive the same base rate plus a 25% casual loading in place of paid leave. Adult casual rates for ordinary weekday hours:

Apprentice rates (below) are for a hairdressing apprentice who did not complete Year 12. Apprentices who completed Year 12, adult apprentices, beauty-therapy apprentices, trainees and graduates are paid differently — check the pay guide or Fair Work’s PACT.

The Hair and Beauty Award sets junior rates as a percentage of the adult rate for the classification: 50% under 17, 75% at 17, and the full adult rate from age 18. Match age + level + employment type against the Fair Work pay guide before paying.

Getting the classification wrong is one of the most common causes of underpayment. The Award uses Levels 1–6 based on qualifications and the skills the employer requires — not just the job title.

• Level 1 – entry-level assistants/receptionists doing basic tasks under supervision.
• Level 2 – Cert II make-up or nail technicians, or unqualified beauticians.
• Level 3 – fully qualified hairdressers or beauticians (Cert III) — the standard rate.
• Level 4 – beauty therapists with a Cert IV.
• Level 5 – hairdressers with a Cert IV, or trichologists.
• Level 6 – beauty therapists with a Diploma, or salon managers.

For each employee, record the award, level and employment type, for example:

This classification should appear in the employment contract, your HR/payroll system, and any award-interpretation software you use. If you’re unsure, read the classification definitions in the Award, or confirm the right classification level with our free checker.

Here’s how common salon roles map to Award classifications. Remember these are Award minimums. For detailed duties by role, browse our free hair and beauty job description templates.

• Salon assistant (Level 1): $27.81/hr permanent, $34.76/hr casual
• Qualified hairdresser or barber (Level 3): $29.45/hr permanent, $36.81/hr casual
• Senior hairdresser (Level 5): $30.89/hr permanent, $38.61/hr casual
• Saturday, Sunday and public-holiday penalties apply on top — use the calculator above.

• Nail technician / make-up artist (Level 2, Cert II): $28.45/hr permanent, $35.56/hr casual
• Beauty therapist (Level 4, Cert IV): $30.00/hr permanent, $37.50/hr casual
• Beauty therapist with a Diploma / salon manager (Level 6): $32.00/hr permanent, $40.00/hr casual

The Award works alongside the national definitions of full-time, part-time and casual employment.

• Full-time is generally 38 ordinary hours per week.
• Part-time employees work fewer, regular hours with an agreed pattern.
• Both accrue paid annual leave and personal/carer’s leave under the NES (pro-rata for part-time).
• Part-time and casual employees have a minimum engagement of 3 consecutive hours.

• No firm advance commitment to ongoing work with an agreed pattern.
• Paid a 25% casual loading instead of paid leave.
• On weekends the loading folds into the penalty (e.g. Saturday 158%, Sunday 225%).

Salons trade on weekends, so penalty rates are where the real cost — and most underpayment risk — sits. The key rules under MA000005:

• Ordinary-hours span: Mon–Fri 7am–9pm, Saturday 7am–6pm, Sunday 10am–5pm.
• Saturday (7am–6pm): 133% (casual 158%).
• Sunday: 200% (casual 225%).
• Public holidays: 250% (casual 250%).
• Overtime: 150% for the first 3 hours, 200% after (casual 175% / 225%).
• Casual evening loading: casuals working before 7am or after 9pm Mon–Fri are paid 150% of the base rate.

Work by full-time and part-time employees outside the ordinary-hours span is treated as overtime.

Rosters must be reasonable and breaks must be given: employees working more than 5 hours are entitled to an unpaid meal break. If you trade long Saturdays or late nights, model penalties before you publish — see our guide to calculating overtime costs and how to roster hairdressing staff.

Beyond hourly pay and penalties, the Hair and Beauty Award includes allowances that apply in specific situations. Current FY2026/27 amounts:

The Award sits on top of the National Employment Standards (NES), which set minimum leave for permanent employees.

Permanent employees are entitled to, among other things:

• Paid annual leave – 4 weeks per year (pro-rata for part-time), paid with 17.5% leave loading.
• Paid personal/carer’s leave (sick leave) – 10 days per year based on ordinary hours.
• Compassionate leave, parental leave, family and domestic violence leave, and other NES entitlements.

• No paid annual or personal/carer’s leave.
• Instead, they receive the 25% casual loading.

A simple process you can actually follow.

• Confirm your salon is covered by MA000005 and not general retail (e.g. a department-store beauty counter) or an enterprise agreement.

• Grab the official Hair and Beauty Industry Award pay guide from Fair Work and save it as your “price list”.

For each worker, write down: the award (MA000005), the level (1–6), employment type (full-time, part-time, casual), age (for juniors) and apprentice year if relevant. Match this to their qualifications and actual duties.

• Enter the correct base rate per classification, and configure the manager’s, first-aid and tool allowances so they’re easy to apply.

Use Fair Work’s PACT each pay run, or use award-interpreting rostering/payroll software with payroll integration that understands the Hair & Beauty Award and calculates Saturday, Sunday, public-holiday and overtime rates automatically from the roster and timesheets.

Keep rosters, timesheets, pay records and contracts. Consider HR software with digital employment contracts to keep everything organised.

The traps that trip up salon owners most often.

Paying flat rates for Saturday and Sunday work instead of the 133%/200% (casual 158%/225%) penalties is the single most common salon underpayment.

Paying a qualified Cert III hairdresser at Level 1 or 2, or missing the manager’s allowance when someone is put in charge.

Using the wrong junior percentage (50% under 17, 75% at 17) or the wrong apprentice year/stage.

Regular, ongoing casuals on a set weekly pattern can create backpay and casual-conversion risk.

Still paying last year’s rates. Download the new pay guide every July and compare it to your payroll.

Applying the Hair and Beauty Award correctly is a legal requirement — but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming:

• Confirm coverage first: MA000005 vs general retail or an enterprise agreement.
• Classify correctly: Levels 1–6 based on qualifications and duties.
• Don’t ignore weekend penalties and the manager’s allowance: this is where most underpayments happen. You can estimate weekend and overtime costs before you publish a roster.
• Update every July and keep good records.

For official guidance, see the Hair and Beauty Industry Award [MA000005] on Fair Work, the Fair Work pay guide and PACT.