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An independent alternative to the Fair Work Ombudsman's PACT calculator. We're not affiliated with the Ombudsman and this isn't their official tool. It uses Fair Work's published award rates and adds the after-tax figure PACT doesn't calculate. How this differs from PACT
The lowest ongoing award classification from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 an hour, while an entry-level rate for the first 6 months can be as low as $25.74 an hour. If an award covers you it is your award's own rate that applies, not the national minimum wage. Enter your award, classification and hours to work out your penalty rates, casual loading and overtime. You then get your actual take-home pay after tax, the figure the official Fair Work PACT tool and other award calculators leave out.
Casual loading of 25% is added to your ordinary hours.
Level 1 — Retail Employee — General Retail Industry Award (MA000004). Prefilled from the 1 July 2026 pay guide; edit to match your exact rate.
A full-time week is 38 hours.
Penalty & overtime hours (optional)
The evening penalty applies to ordinary hours worked after 6pm Monday to Friday.
Weekly gross
$1,043
30 hrs · $34.76/hr ordinary
Annual gross
$54,226
at 52 weeks
Take-home pay after tax (2026–27)
Per week
$901
Per year
$46,875
You keep about 86% of your gross. Assumes an Australian resident claiming the tax-free threshold with private hospital cover and no HELP/HECS debt.
The super figure above is factual information — your compulsory contribution — not general or personal advice about your super or any product. It excludes overtime, which is taxable but outside the compulsory super guarantee minimum.
Add HECS, super sacrifice or other income →| Rate type | Hours | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary hours | 30 | $1,042.80 |
| Weekly gross | 30 | $1,042.80 |
A casual Retail Employee Level 1 ($27.81 base) works 20 ordinary hours and an 8-hour Sunday shift.
Ordinary hours pay $34.76 (base + 25% casual loading) and Sunday hours pay $48.67 (175%). That is $695.25 + $389.34 = $1,084.59 a week, about $56,399 a year gross.
A full-time Hospitality Level 3 ($27.97 base) works a standard 38-hour week plus one 8-hour public holiday.
The public-holiday hours pay $62.93 (225%). The week is about $1,566.32. The calculator then takes out income tax and the Medicare levy so you can see what actually lands in your account.
Penalty rates are higher pay for working evenings, weekends, public holidays or overtime. Each modern award sets its own multipliers. Many awards, for example, pay 150% on Sundays and 225% on public holidays for permanent staff, with casual loading added on top. Enter your penalty hours above and the calculator applies your award's multipliers to your base rate, then rolls them into your weekly and annual pay. If you're on an unusual classification or a registered agreement, you can edit the multipliers.
From 1 July 2026 the national minimum wage is $26.44 an hour, or $1,004.90 for a 38-hour week, the first time it has passed $1,000 a week. Casual employees on the national minimum wage receive at least $33.05 an hour including the 25% casual loading. Modern award minimum wages rose 4.75%, with the lowest ongoing classification lifted to the $26.44 floor. Select an award above to see the exact rate for your classification. See the full state-by-state breakdown, junior rates and how the rate has changed since 2024 on the Minimum Wage in Australia page.
Casuals are paid a loading, usually 25%, on top of the equivalent permanent hourly rate, in place of paid leave. Here the loading is added to your ordinary hours, and casual penalty rates already include it (so a casual Saturday at 150% is the 125% penalty plus the 25% loading). Casual loading is taxed the same as ordinary pay. There's no special rate for it.
PACT is the Fair Work Ombudsman's official Pay and Conditions Tool. It is the authority for base award rates, allowances and penalty rates, and you should use it to confirm your exact entitlements. What PACT doesn't show is your take-home pay. It stops at the gross figure. This calculator picks up where it stops: it uses the same 1 July 2026 award rates, then applies income tax and the Medicare levy so you can see what you actually keep. Always verify your award and classification on fairwork.gov.au.
Award rates are the adult minimum wages effective 1 July 2026 from the 2026 Fair Work Commission annual wage review and the Fair Work pay guides. Verify your award and classification below.
This calculator is not intended to be relied on for the purposes of making a decision in relation to a financial product. Before you make a financial decision, consider obtaining advice from someone who holds an Australian Financial Services Licence. We do not, and we cannot advise you.
Your pay starts with the award minimum wage for your classification. Casual employees add a loading (usually 25%) in place of leave entitlements.
On top of that, awards pay penalty rates for less-sociable hours (evenings, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays) and overtime rates when you work beyond ordinary hours. Each award sets its own multipliers, applied to your ordinary base rate.
This calculator adds those up to a weekly and annual gross, then runs it through the current ATO tax rates to get your take-home pay. Most award calculators stop at the gross figure.
The national minimum wage is $26.44 an hour, or $1,004.90 for a 38-hour week, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Casual employees on the national minimum wage receive at least $33.05 an hour including the 25% loading.
Multiply your ordinary base rate by your award's penalty multiplier for that time: for example, 150% for a Sunday or 225% for a public holiday for many permanent employees. Enter your penalty hours above and the calculator does the multiplying and adds it to your weekly pay.
Casual loading is extra pay (usually 25%) added to a casual's hourly rate in place of paid leave. It is taxed exactly like the rest of your wage, at your marginal rate. There's no higher special rate for it.
No. The official tool is Fair Work's PACT (Pay and Conditions Tool). This is an independent calculator that uses the same 1 July 2026 award rates and then adds the take-home-pay figure PACT does not show. Always confirm your exact entitlements on fairwork.gov.au.
It covers the national minimum wage plus the General Retail, Hospitality, Restaurant and Fast Food awards, with base rates for each classification level. For any other award, pick the closest option and enter your exact base rate from your pay guide. The penalty and tax maths still work.
It depends on your total annual income. The calculator estimates it using the current ATO rates. A typical award worker keeps roughly 80–85% of their gross after income tax and the Medicare levy, before any HELP/HECS debt. Use the link in the results to add HECS or other income.
Overtime is included if you enter overtime hours, and the rate depends on the day you worked them. Under the Retail award as a casual, weekday overtime is 175% for the first 3 hours and 225% after that, inclusive of your casual loading. Allowances such as laundry, tools or first aid are not included. Add them from your award's pay guide.
Estimates only. Not financial or tax advice. Full disclaimer for your rights and our limitations of liability.
This calculator exists to show you the arithmetic. It applies published Australian rates, thresholds and formulas to the numbers you enter and shows the working, so you can check it. That is all it does — it produces a number and describes what the number is. It does not recommend anything and it holds no opinion about any financial product.
What can move this result
This calculator is not intended to be relied on for the purposes of making a decision in relation to a financial product. Before you make a financial decision, consider obtaining advice from someone who holds an Australian Financial Services Licence. We do not, and we cannot advise you.