Local Government Award pay guide 2026/2027
A simple, practical guide for councils and local government employers
Updated • FY2026/27 rates — effective the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026
Written by
Steve Harris
Summarise with AI
This guide provides general information about the Local Government Industry Award 2020 [MA000112] and related Australian workplace laws as at the date of publication.
It does not constitute legal, financial, payroll or employment advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice specific to your business, workforce, or circumstances.
Pay rates, penalty rates and allowance amounts under modern awards change periodically, particularly following the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review. Many councils also have enterprise agreements that override the award — check whether an agreement applies. This guide includes indicative minimum figures effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Employers must always check the current Fair Work pay guide before setting or paying wages.
Some council roles are covered by other awards — childcare educators by the Children’s Services Award, teachers by the Teachers Award, and some community-services staff by the SCHADS Award. Always confirm award coverage (e.g. using Fair Work’s Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT)).
If you need award-specific guidance, see:
Looking for MA000112?
This is it. MA000112 is the official Fair Work code for the Local Government Industry Award 2020. This guide covers its pay rates, classifications, penalties and compliance for 2026/27.
View official MA000112 on Fair Work →Award rate calculator
See how RosterElf interprets the Local Government Award
This is an educational example showing how the Local Government Award penalty rates work. It demonstrates how RosterElf automatically calculates correct pay rates based on classification level, employment type, and shift times.
Award penalty rates
Example weekly cost (38 hours)
Example only - not for payroll use
This is a demonstration of how RosterElf calculates award-compliant rates.
The actual cost for your employees will depend on:
- Their specific classification level and employment type
- Actual hours worked and shift times
- Any additional allowances, overtime, or enterprise agreement provisions
- Current award rates (which change annually in July)
For accurate payroll calculations, always:
- Verify current rates with the official Fair Work pay guide
- Confirm your employees' correct award coverage and classification
- Use award interpretation software or consult a payroll professional
- Review your specific enterprise agreement (if applicable)
Do not rely on this example for actual wage payments.
Stop calculating penalty rates manually
Let RosterElf handle award compliance automatically
Manual award calculations are time-consuming and error-prone. One mistake can lead to underpayments, compliance issues, and Fair Work penalties. RosterElf's award interpretation engine does the work for you.
How RosterElf automates award calculations
Create pay templates
Create pay templates for each classification level with award-compliant base rates and penalty multipliers. RosterElf applies the correct template to each shift automatically.
Award interpretation →Define rate rules
Configure when different penalty rates apply (evenings, weekends, public holidays). The system detects which rate to use based on shift times and days.
Penalty rates guide →Auto-apply to shifts
Every rostered shift calculates the correct pay rate based on the employee's classification, employment type, and shift timing. No manual work required.
Payroll integration →Quick casual pay rates reference 2026/27
Casual rates for ordinary weekday hours, generated from the current Fair Work pay guide:
FY2026/27 rates are in effect
All modern award rates rose 4.75% from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, and the national minimum wage is now $26.44/hr. The rates below and in the calculator reflect the current Fair Work pay guide. Note many councils pay above the award under an enterprise agreement.
Casual hourly rates 2026/27 (ordinary weekday hours)
| Level | Example roles | Casual hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Entry-level / labouring / basic admin | $33.89 |
| Level 2 | Operational with some experience | $34.96 |
| Level 3 | Skilled operational / admin support | $36.29 |
| Level 4 | Trade / experienced operational | $36.81 |
| Level 5 | Advanced trade / team leader | $39.13 |
| Level 6 | Supervisor / technical officer | $42.34 |
| Level 7 | Senior technical / coordinator | $43.08 |
| Level 8 | Professional / senior coordinator | $46.55 |
| Level 9 | Senior professional / manager | $49.79 |
| Level 10 | Manager / senior specialist | $54.43 |
| Level 11 | Senior manager | $61.36 |
Weekend & public holiday rates are higher
On top of the ordinary rates above: Saturday +50%, Sunday +75% and public holidays +150% for full-time and part-time staff (casual rates are higher again — the 25% loading is added to the penalty). On-call, overtime and community-services penalty variants apply separately. Use the calculator for the ordinary/weekend/public-holiday figures.
Quick summary for time-poor employers
Important: Many councils pay under an enterprise agreement rather than the award. This guide covers the award minimums — confirm whether an agreement applies, and check coverage for childcare/teaching/community-services roles (see the disclaimer).
If you only skim one section, make it this one:
- The Local Government Industry Award 2020 [MA000112] covers council employees across operational, technical, administrative and professional roles, classified Levels 1–11.
- Minimums are reviewed each July. The FY2026/27 pay guide took effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, lifting all rates by 4.75%.
- Example 2026/27 adult minimum pay:
- Level 1: full-time/part-time $27.11/hr, casual $33.89/hr.
- Level 5: full-time/part-time $31.30/hr, casual $39.13/hr.
- Penalties: Saturday +50%, Sunday +75%, public holidays +150% (full-time/part-time); casual rates are higher again.
- On-call, overtime and adverse-conditions allowances apply on top.
- Get level, employment type and shift type right for every employee.
Bottom line: with 11 levels, on-call, community-services variants and enterprise agreements, manual calculation is error-prone — check your underpayment risk. Award-aware rostering software with award interpretation keeps it correct automatically. See our guide on how to roster council and local government staff.
Who the award covers (and who it doesn't)
The Local Government Award covers employees of councils and local government — outdoor/operational staff (parks, roads, waste, depots), indoor administrative and customer-service staff, technical officers, libraries, and professional and managerial roles, on a shared Level 1–11 scale.
Important — who’s covered by other awards: council-run childcare → Children’s Services Award; teachers → Teachers Award; some community/home-care staff → SCHADS Award. Many councils also operate under an enterprise agreement. Confirm coverage with Fair Work’s PACT tool.
2026/27 pay rates overview: what you must pay
A snapshot of the current FY2026/27 award rates, generated from the same data that powers the calculator above. Many councils pay above these minimums under an enterprise agreement.
What changed from 2025/26
The FY2026/27 Annual Wage Review lifted all modern award minimum rates by 4.75%. For this award, for example: Level 1 is now $27.11/hr and Level 5 is $31.30/hr (full-time/part-time). Penalty and casual rates rose proportionally. Always confirm against the current pay guide or your enterprise agreement.
Adult – full-time & part-time
Ordinary weekday rates for local government Levels 1–11:
| Level | Example roles | Weekly pay | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Entry-level / labouring / basic admin | $1,030.10 | $27.11 |
| Level 2 | Operational with some experience | $1,062.90 | $27.97 |
| Level 3 | Skilled operational / admin support | $1,103.00 | $29.03 |
| Level 4 | Trade / experienced operational | $1,119.10 | $29.45 |
| Level 5 | Advanced trade / team leader | $1,189.40 | $31.30 |
| Level 6 | Supervisor / technical officer | $1,287.20 | $33.87 |
| Level 7 | Senior technical / coordinator | $1,309.50 | $34.46 |
| Level 8 | Professional / senior coordinator | $1,415.00 | $37.24 |
| Level 9 | Senior professional / manager | $1,513.70 | $39.83 |
| Level 10 | Manager / senior specialist | $1,654.40 | $43.54 |
| Level 11 | Senior manager | $1,865.60 | $49.09 |
Award minimums. Many councils pay above these under an enterprise agreement.
Adult – casual
Casuals receive the same base rate plus a 25% loading. Ordinary weekday casual rates:
| Level | Example roles | Casual hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Entry-level / labouring / basic admin | $33.89 |
| Level 2 | Operational with some experience | $34.96 |
| Level 3 | Skilled operational / admin support | $36.29 |
| Level 4 | Trade / experienced operational | $36.81 |
| Level 5 | Advanced trade / team leader | $39.13 |
| Level 6 | Supervisor / technical officer | $42.34 |
| Level 7 | Senior technical / coordinator | $43.08 |
| Level 8 | Professional / senior coordinator | $46.55 |
| Level 9 | Senior professional / manager | $49.79 |
| Level 10 | Manager / senior specialist | $54.43 |
| Level 11 | Senior manager | $61.36 |
Casual rates shown are the ordinary weekday rate (base + 25% loading). Weekend and public-holiday loadings apply on top — use the calculator above.
How to classify your staff
Classification follows skill, qualifications and responsibility on a shared 11-level scale:
- Levels 1–4 cover entry-level and operational/administrative roles (labouring, depots, customer service).
- Levels 5–7 cover trades, team leaders, technical officers and coordinators.
- Levels 8–11 cover professional, managerial and senior-management roles.
- Many councils map their own positions onto these levels via an enterprise agreement.
Write each employee’s level and employment type into your payroll/rostering system. If unsure, confirm the right level.
Penalty rates, on-call & overtime
Local Government Award penalties (on the ordinary rate):
- 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)
- Community-services work has its own Saturday/Sunday penalty variants.
- On-call, overtime and working-outside-ordinary-hours rates apply, plus adverse-working-conditions and camping allowances for specific work.
The calculator above covers ordinary, Saturday, Sunday and public-holiday rates. For on-call, overtime, community-services variants and any enterprise-agreement terms, use Fair Work’s PACT tool or award-interpreting software.
Stop calculating council penalties by hand
RosterElf's award interpretation engine applies Local Government Award weekend, public-holiday, on-call and overtime rates automatically from each shift's times.
See award interpretationFull-time vs part-time vs casual
Full-time & part-time
- 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. Enterprise agreements may provide additional entitlements (e.g. a 35-hour week, RDOs).
Casual
- 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).
Casuals working regular, ongoing hours may be eligible for casual conversion to permanent employment.
Allowances
Common allowances under this award include:
- Adverse working conditions – from about $1.03/hr up to $14.73/hr for the worst conditions (e.g. septic/sewer work).
- First aid – about $0.54/hr (max $20.62/week).
- Camping – about $33.87 per night.
- On-call, vehicle and other allowances apply depending on the role.
Exact amounts update each pay guide (and may differ under an enterprise agreement) — see the Fair Work pay guide.
Step-by-step compliance plan
- Confirm the award (and any enterprise agreement) applies, and check coverage for childcare/teaching/community-services roles.
- Download the latest pay guide (FY2026/27).
- Classify each employee by level (or per the enterprise agreement).
- Set base rates and apply weekend/public-holiday penalties, on-call, overtime and allowances.
- Use award-interpreting software so penalties and on-call are calculated automatically, and keep records for 7 years.
Final takeaways
- Levels 1–11 cover operational, technical, administrative and professional council roles.
- Saturday +50%, Sunday +75%, public holidays +150%.
- Many councils pay above the award under an enterprise agreement — always check.
- On-call, overtime and adverse-conditions allowances are easy to miss.
- Update every July and keep good records.
For official guidance, visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website.
Industries using this award
Explore rostering solutions for businesses covered by the Local Government Award
Run the Local Government Award on autopilot
RosterElf builds the award rules into your rosters, timesheets and payroll.
Award interpretation
Automatically applies weekend, public-holiday, on-call and overtime rates from shift times.
Rostering software
Build award- or agreement-aware rosters in minutes with live wage cost and compliance warnings.
Time & attendance
Capture exact start and finish times with a kiosk time clock and GPS clock-in across depots.
Payroll integration
Send award-interpreted timesheets straight to Xero, MYOB and other payroll systems.
Local Government Award knowledge base
Step-by-step help for applying the award inside RosterElf.
Related award rate guides
Explore other Australian Modern Award pay rate guides
Stop calculating the Local Government Award by hand
RosterElf applies Local Government Award (MA000112) penalty, on-call and public holiday rates automatically based on shift times.
Local Government Award FAQ
-
The Local Government Industry Award 2020 (MA000112) covers council and local government employees across operational (parks, roads, waste, depots), administrative, customer-service, technical, professional and managerial roles, on a shared Level 1–11 scale. Note that many councils pay under an enterprise agreement, and some roles (childcare, teaching, community services) are covered by other awards.
-
Yes — many councils have an enterprise agreement that sets pay and conditions above the award minimums (for example, a 35-hour week, rostered days off or higher allowances). Where an agreement applies, its terms prevail (it must leave employees better off overall than the award). This guide covers the award minimums — always check whether an agreement applies to your council.
-
Council-run childcare is covered by the Children’s Services Award, teachers by the Teachers Award, and some community and home-care staff by the SCHADS Award. Use Fair Work’s PACT tool to confirm which award (or agreement) applies to each role.