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

Casual and short-term roles are common among the general and support jobs that fall under the catch-all award. Here are the casual rates for ordinary daytime hours under the Miscellaneous Award 2020 [MA000104], generated from the current Fair Work pay guide:

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

• The Miscellaneous Award 2020 [MA000104] is the safety-net award that sets minimum pay and conditions for employees not covered by any other modern award and not covered by an enterprise agreement.
• Minimums are reviewed each July 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, lifting award rates by 4.75%.
• Adult minimum rates run from $26.44/hr (Level 1, at the national minimum wage floor, $1,004.90/week) to $32.13/hr (Level 4, $1,221.10/week) for a 38-hour week.
• Casuals receive a 25% loading on top of these ordinary rates.
• On top of base rates you may also pay penalties: outside 7am–7pm (120%), Saturday (120%), Sunday (150%), public holidays (250%) and overtime (150% first 3 hours, 200% after).
• Get four things right for every worker: that no other award applies, the classification level (Levels 1–4), the employment type (full-time, part-time, casual), and when they work.

Think of the Miscellaneous Award (MA000104) as the safety net beneath the safety net — the award that catches employees who do award-type work but don’t fit any specific industry or occupation award.

It sets:

• Minimum hourly and weekly rates for Levels 1–4
• Penalties for work outside ordinary hours, on weekends and on public holidays
• Overtime rules
• A small set of allowances (first aid, leading hand and others)
• A link into the National Employment Standards (NES) for leave and other basic rights

Crucially, it applies only where no other modern award covers the work. You can’t choose the Miscellaneous Award for convenience — if a specific award fits, that award applies instead.

The Award is updated each July after the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review. Your job as an employer is to confirm no other award applies, classify the employee correctly, pay at least the Award minimum (including penalties and allowances), and update rates when the pay guide changes.

In simple terms, the Miscellaneous Award covers employees doing work that isn’t covered by any other modern award. It commonly applies to:

• General and labouring roles that fall outside a specific industry award
• Trades assistants and yard hands where no trade or industry award applies
• Facility and support roles not picked up by another award
• Other employees performing award-type work with no more specific award coverage

Because it’s defined by exclusion, the coverage question is really: have I checked every other award first?

The Miscellaneous Award does not cover:

• Employees covered by any other modern award (retail, hospitality, clerical, cleaning, a trade award, and so on) — that award applies instead.
• Managerial employees and professionals (for example HR, finance, legal, marketing, engineering or IT roles) whose work has not traditionally been award-regulated — these are often award-free, though some professionals are covered by the Professional Employees Award.
• Employees excluded from award coverage by the Fair Work Act (for example those on a guarantee of annual earnings above the high-income threshold), and independent contractors.

When in doubt, check the Award on the Fair Work website and use Fair Work’s Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT), or work through our guide on how to find which award applies.

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 Fair Work pay guide effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, and are generated from the same data that powers the calculator above. Rates assume no other award applies and correct classification.

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 daytime hours:

The Miscellaneous Award sets junior rates as a percentage of the adult rate for the classification — roughly 36.8% (under 16) rising to 97.7% at age 20, reaching the full adult rate at 21. Because these depend on age and classification, match age + level in the latest Fair Work pay guide before paying.

The Award uses four levels based on skill, experience, responsibility and qualifications. Getting the level right is the main driver of the minimum rate you owe.

• Level 1 – entry level; routine tasks under direct supervision, typically in the first few months.
• Level 2 – competent; works independently after basic training, with some experience.
• Level 3 – skilled; trade-qualified or equivalent, exercising discretion and judgement.
• Level 4 – advanced; post-trade or specialised skills, complex tasks, may direct others.

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.

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).

• No firm advance commitment to ongoing work with an agreed pattern.
• Paid a 25% casual loading instead of paid leave.
• Common for the short-term and irregular roles that often fall under this award.

The ordinary-hours span under the Miscellaneous Award is 7am–7pm, Monday to Friday. Work outside that span, on weekends or on public holidays attracts penalties:

• Outside 7am–7pm (Mon–Fri): 120% (permanent) / 145% (casual).
• Saturday (all day): 120% / 145%.
• Sunday (all day): 150% / 175%.
• Public holidays: 250%.
• Overtime: 150% for the first 3 hours, 200% thereafter.

Overtime is triggered when an employee works beyond their ordinary rostered hours or outside the agreed span. If you roster irregular hours or make lots of last-minute changes, check overtime rules — not just base rates. See our guide to calculating overtime costs.

Beyond hourly pay and penalties, the Miscellaneous Award includes a small set of allowances:

• First aid allowance – about $22.38 per week for employees appointed to perform first aid.
• Leading hand allowance – extra pay for being in charge of others: about $49.24/week (3–10 employees), $72.74/week (11–20) and $92.89/week (20+).
• Meal allowance – about $24.56 where an employee works unnotified overtime of an hour or more (an expense allowance indexed separately — confirm the current figure).
• A vehicle (per-kilometre) allowance may apply where an employee agrees to use their own car for work.

Exact dollar figures are updated with each pay guide and listed under “Allowances” in the Fair Work pay guide.

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 based on ordinary hours.
• Paid personal/carer’s leave (sick leave) 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.

• This is the critical step. Confirm that no industry or occupation award covers the employee before using the Miscellaneous Award.
• Check whether a registered enterprise agreement applies — if so, its terms generally replace the Award (but must beat it on the BOOT).

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

For each worker, write down: the award (MA000104), the level (1–4), and employment type (full-time, part-time, casual). Match this to their actual duties, not just their job title.

• Enter the correct base rate per classification, and configure first aid, leading hand and other 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 calculates evening, weekend, 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, and make sure payslips clearly show ordinary hours, penalties, overtime and allowances.

The traps that trip up employers using the catch-all award most often.

The number-one error: defaulting to the Miscellaneous Award when a more specific industry or occupation award actually applies. Always rule the others out first.

Managerial and professional roles that were never award-regulated aren’t covered — using MA000104 for them is incorrect.

Forgetting that ordinary hours are 7am–7pm Mon–Fri, so work outside that span attracts a 120% penalty.

Regular, ongoing casuals 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 Miscellaneous Award correctly is a legal requirement — and here it’s mostly about getting coverage right:

• Rule out every other award first: the Miscellaneous Award is the award of last resort.
• Classify correctly: Levels 1–4 based on skill and responsibility.
• Don’t ignore penalties and allowances: evening/weekend/public-holiday penalties, first aid and leading-hand allowances. You can estimate weekend and overtime costs before you publish a roster.
• Update every July and keep good records.

For official guidance, visit the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Miscellaneous Award summary.