Hospitality Award Rates 2026-27: Hospitality Industry (General) Award (MA000009)
pay-calculator.au reproduces every classification rate in the Hospitality Industry (General) Award from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, with the example roles Fair Work attaches to each level, and runs each rate through its 2026-27 tax engine to show what it pays after tax.
What Are the Hospitality Award Rates for 2026-27?
Seven classifications, $978.10 to $1,221.10 a week.
The Hospitality Industry (General) Award (MA000009) sets seven classifications, from an Introductory rate of $978.10 a week to Level 6 at $1,221.10 a week, operative from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026 (Fair Work Ombudsman, Pay Guide, Hospitality Industry (General) Award MA000009, published 24 June 2026). The hourly figures assume the 38-hour ordinary week set by the National Employment Standards.
| Classification | Weekly pay | Hourly rate | Casual hourly | Example roles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory | $978.10 | $25.74 | $32.18 | Entry-level hospitality |
| Level 1 | $1,004.90 | $26.44 | $33.05 | Food and beverage attendant, kitchen attendant, guest service grade 1 |
| Level 2 | $1,029.10 | $27.08 | $33.85 | Cook grade 1, clerical, door person, food and beverage attendant grade 2 |
| Level 3 | $1,062.90 | $27.97 | $34.96 | Cook grade 2, forklift driver, handyperson, front office grade 2 |
| Level 4 | $1,119.10 | $29.45 | $36.81 | Cook (tradesperson), front office grade 3, guest service grade 4 |
| Level 5 | $1,189.40 | $31.30 | $39.13 | Supervisors: food and beverage, front office, guest service; cook grade 4 |
| Level 6 | $1,221.10 | $32.13 | $40.16 | Cook, tradesperson grade 5 |
Weekly and hourly rates are reproduced from the Fair Work pay guide. The pay guide does not publish a casual column for this award, so the casual hourly figures are computed at the standard 25% casual loading (Fair Work Ombudsman, Casual employees, updated 12 May 2026). These are ordinary-hours base rates: Saturday, Sunday, late-evening, public holiday and overtime penalties apply on top.
pay-calculator.au does not reproduce the junior, apprentice or trainee percentages for this award, and does not reproduce the meal, laundry, split-shift or tool allowances. Those figures are not published on this site, so check the official pay guide or the Fair Work Pay and Conditions Tool rather than scaling the adult rates yourself.
Why Is Hospitality Level 1 Exactly the National Minimum Wage?
Both sit on the same underlying classification rate.
Hospitality Level 1 is $1,004.90 a week and $26.44 an hour, which is the 2026-27 National Minimum Wage to the cent. The National Minimum Wage is aligned to the lowest ongoing classification rate in the award system, and Hospitality Level 1 sits on that same rate, so the two move together each 1 July. The full explanation of how the National Minimum Wage is set, and why it rose by about 6% while award rates rose 4.75%, is in minimum wage Australia, with the after-tax version on minimum wage after tax.
The Introductory rate of $978.10 a week and $25.74 an hour sits below the National Minimum Wage, which surprises people. It is the C14 entry rate, and an award can only pay it for the first six months of employment or less. After that, the ongoing rate applies. An Introductory rate running past six months is worth querying with your employer.
What Does a Hospitality Award Rate Pay After Tax?
Fair Work stops at the gross rate. This is what lands in the bank.
Each classification below is the weekly award rate across 52 weeks, run through the same 2026-27 tax engine that powers every calculator on this site. Income tax is shown after the Low Income Tax Offset, the Medicare levy at 2%, and the 12% super guarantee separately because the employer pays it on top of the wage rather than out of it.
| Classification | Gross per year | Income tax | Medicare levy | Take-home per year | Take-home per fortnight | Super on top |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory | $50,861 | $5,541 | $1,017 | $44,303 | $1,704 | $6,103 |
| Level 1 | $52,255 | $5,980 | $1,045 | $45,229 | $1,740 | $6,271 |
| Level 2 | $53,513 | $6,377 | $1,070 | $46,066 | $1,772 | $6,422 |
| Level 3 | $55,271 | $6,930 | $1,105 | $47,235 | $1,817 | $6,632 |
| Level 4 | $58,193 | $7,851 | $1,164 | $49,178 | $1,891 | $6,983 |
| Level 5 | $61,849 | $9,002 | $1,237 | $51,609 | $1,985 | $7,422 |
| Level 6 | $63,497 | $9,522 | $1,270 | $52,706 | $2,027 | $7,620 |
Australian resident, tax-free threshold claimed, no study loan, no penalty rates or overtime included. On Level 1 the marginal tax rate is 30% but the average rate across the whole $52,255 is only 13.4%; at Level 6 the average is 17%. Hospitality earnings in practice are usually higher than these rows, because weekend and late-night penalties are the norm rather than the exception: see retail and hospitality take-home pay.
What Is the Casual Hospitality Rate Per Hour?
About $33.05 at Level 1, and it is a computed figure, not a published one.
Casual employees are paid the base hourly rate plus a 25% casual loading (Fair Work Ombudsman, Casual employees, updated 12 May 2026). Unlike the General Retail pay guide, the Hospitality pay guide does not publish a casual column, so every casual figure on this page is the verified base rate multiplied by 1.25 rather than a rate reproduced from Fair Work. pay-calculator.au labels it that way rather than presenting a calculation as a published rate.
Hospitality is one of the most casualised industries in Australia, so two adjustments matter constantly. A casual is paid only for weeks actually worked, which makes a 52-week annualisation of a casual rate optimistic. And a loaded casual rate must be divided by 1.25 before it is compared with a permanent rate, or the paid leave is counted twice. The casual loading calculator does both, and casual loading explained covers what the 25% trades away.
Do Penalty Rates Apply on Top of the Hospitality Award Rate?
Yes, and the exact hospitality percentages are not published on this site.
Every rate in the table above is an ordinary-hours base rate. Hospitality work outside ordinary hours attracts a penalty rate on top, and specific duties can attract an allowance on top of that again (Fair Work Ombudsman, Penalty rates, updated 12 May 2026). The patterns below are the common shape across modern awards, not the Hospitality figures, and the Fair Work Ombudsman notes that some retail and hospitality awards set lower Sunday rates than the general pattern.
| Circumstance | Common pattern across awards |
|---|---|
| Saturday work | Around 150% of the base rate |
| Sunday work | Around 200% of the base rate |
| Public holiday | Around 250% of the base rate, or 150% plus a day off in lieu |
| Overtime, first 2 to 3 hours | Around 150% of the base rate |
| Overtime after that | Around 200% of the base rate |
These are common patterns across modern awards, not the exact Hospitality MA000009 percentages, which pay-calculator.au has not published. Confirm the precise figure in the official pay guide before relying on it. Price a penalty shift with the overtime calculator, or read overtime and penalty rates.
How Do You Find Your Hospitality Classification?
Duties and responsibilities, never the title on the roster.
Step 1: confirm the award
Pubs, hotels, restaurants and cafes are usually covered by MA000009, but a fast food outlet is covered by MA000003 and a club can fall under a different award. Check with the Fair Work Pay and Conditions Tool.
Step 2: match the example roles
The example roles in the rate table above come from the award classification structure. A cook at tradesperson level is Level 4, not Level 2, whatever the roster calls the position. Full definitions sit in Schedule A.
Step 3: check the payslip
Your payslip must show the ordinary hourly rate and the hours worked at it, plus any casual loading and penalty amounts as separately identifiable lines. See how to read a payslip.
If your rate is below the level your duties warrant, raise it in writing and keep your payslips as evidence. The Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) handles underpayment complaints and can compel back-payment. To value what is owed across past pay periods, including how the arrears are taxed, use the backpay calculator.
Hospitality Award Rates FAQ
Common questions about Hospitality MA000009 pay.
Sources for This Page
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Pay Guide, Hospitality Industry (General) Award MA000009, published 24 June 2026, operative from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. This is the source for every weekly and hourly rate, and for the example roles, in the table above.
- Fair Work Commission, Annual Wage Review 2026 decision [2026] FWCFB 3500, announced 2 June 2026 (the 4.75% increase to all modern award minimum rates, the C13 phase-out and the C14 entry rate).
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Casual employees, updated 12 May 2026 (the 25% casual loading used to compute the casual column, which this award’s pay guide does not publish).
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Penalty rates, updated 12 May 2026 (the common patterns table, which is not award-specific).
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Award classifications, updated 12 May 2026 (Schedule A and the duties-based classification rule).
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Hours of work, updated 19 December 2025 (the 38-hour ordinary week behind the hourly figures).
- ATO, resident tax rates 2026-27, with the 15% first marginal rate under the Income Tax Rates Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026, and the 12% super guarantee.
Last verified 4 August 2026. Weekly and hourly award rates are reproduced from the Fair Work pay guide; casual figures are computed from those rates at the standard 25% loading and are marked as such. Take-home figures are computed at render from the 2026-27 tax engine. pay-calculator.au is not a registered tax agent and this page is general information, not advice.
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