Fast Food Award.
Fast Food Industry Award 2020. Verified penalty rates, shift loadings, leave loading and RDO arrangements, with a live calculator under the NES.
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| Component | Formula | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Accrual rate (FULL-TIME) | 4 wks × 38h ÷ 52 | 2.923 hrs/wk |
| Hours accrued | 2.923 × 52 wks | 152.42 hrs |
| Hourly base rate | - | $35.00 |
| Base leave value | 152.42 × $35.00 | $5,334.62 |
| 17.5% leave loading | base × 0.175 | + $933.56 |
| Total payout | - | $6,268.17 |
Disclaimer: This tool does not constitute legal or financial advice. Results may be inaccurate due to changes in legislation or your circumstances. This tool does not constitute legal or financial advice. We do not recommend taking actions based solely on these results. The calculator makes assumptions and results may be inaccurate due to changes in legislation, modern awards, or your personal circumstances. You use this information at your own risk. We can't guarantee to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong. For official guidance, visit Fair Work Ombudsman (fairwork.gov.au). Fair Work Ombudsman.
Fast Food Award pay rates and penalties.
Dollar rates effective from 1 July 2026 after the Annual Wage Review increase. Penalty rates verified against the MA000003 award text.
Penalty rates by shift type
What each hour is worth as a percentage of the base rate, for permanent and casual employees.
Hourly rate by classification level
4 levels, measured from $0 so the gaps between them are true to scale.
- Level 1Fast food employee level 1
- Level 2Fast food employee level 2
- Level 3 (one or no person)Fast food employee level 3, in charge of one or no person
- Level 3 (2 or more people)Fast food employee level 3, in charge of 2 or more people
National Minimum Wage, 4-year trend
Lifted each year by the Annual Wage Review. Up 23.7% since FY2023. Percentages are the movement in the NMW itself, which exceeded the award increase in the years the Commission realigned it to the C13 rate.
Where these numbers come from
- Dollar rates
- The MA000003 award text as consolidated by the Fair Work Commission, reflecting Annual Wage Review [2026] FWCFB 3500, effective 1 July 2026.
- Penalty rates and allowances
- MA000003 on awards.fairwork.gov.au, the official award text.
- Your own figures
- Check your classification in the FWO Pay Calculator.
Penalty rates in full
Every loading in the award, side by side for full-time, part-time and casual employees.
| Hours worked | Full-time / part-time | Casual (incl. loading) |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary hours | 100% | 125% |
| Saturday | 125% | 150% |
| Sunday | 150% | 175% |
| Public holiday | 225% | 250% |
| Night shift | 110% | 135% |
All values are percentages of the base hourly rate. Casual rates shown are inclusive of the 25% casual loading on top of the FT/PT rate. For your own dollar amounts, use the FWO Pay Calculator.
These are the percentages. To turn them into dollars for a specific roster, the penalty rates calculator prices Saturday, Sunday, public holiday and shift hours against this award’s own classification rates.
Pay rates by classification
Weekly rates are for 38 ordinary hours. Casual hourly includes the 25% loading.
| Level | Classification | Weekly rate | Hourly rate | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Fast food employee level 1 | $1,056.80 | $27.81 | $34.76 |
| Level 2 | Fast food employee level 2 | $1,119.10 | $29.45 | $36.81 |
| Level 3 (one or no person) | Fast food employee level 3, in charge of one or no person | $1,136.40 | $29.91 | $37.39 |
| Level 3 (2 or more people) | Fast food employee level 3, in charge of 2 or more people | $1,150.40 | $30.27 | $37.84 |
Rates effective from 1 July 2026 after the Annual Wage Review increase. Weekly rates are for 38 ordinary hours. Casual rates include the 25% loading on top of the hourly rate. Source: the MA000003 award text as consolidated to 1 July 2026.
Allowances
Paid on top of the base rate. Amounts effective from 1 July 2026.
| Allowance | Amount | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laundry allowance, full-time | $6.42 | per week | Where the employee is responsible for laundering special clothing, such as a uniform, that the employer requires them to wear (cl 17.5(b)(i)). |
| Laundry allowance, part-time or casual | $1.28 | per shift | Same trigger as the full-time laundry allowance (cl 17.5(b)(ii)). |
| Overtime meal allowance | $17.33 | per occasion | Overtime of more than one hour after the usual finishing time, without 24 hours notice, where the employee cannot reasonably go home for a meal. The employer may supply a meal instead (cl 17.4(a)). |
| Further overtime meal allowance | $15.66 | per occasion | Where that overtime is more than 4 hours (cl 17.4(b)). |
| Vehicle allowance, delivery | $0.53 | per km | For an employee engaged primarily to deliver the employer's products to customers in their own motor vehicle (cl 17.8(a)). |
| Vehicle allowance, other | $1.00 | per km | When the employer requests the employee to use their own motor vehicle for any other duties (cl 17.8(b)). |
| Cold work allowance | $0.38 | per hour | For an employee principally employed on the day to enter cold chambers or to stock or refill refrigerated storage such as dairy cases or freezer cabinets (cl 17.3(a)). |
| Cold work allowance, below 0C | $0.59 | per hour | Paid on top of the $0.38 where the cold chamber is below 0C, a total of $0.97 an hour (cl 17.3(b)). |
| Broken Hill allowance | $47.90 | per week | For work at a workplace within the County of Yancowinna, NSW. Paid in addition to all other payments (cl 17.2). |
The numbers that drive this award.
Set by Fast Food Industry Award 2020 (MA000003) and the NES.
Award-specific provisions.
Where this award goes beyond, or sits at, the NES floor.
Standard NES floor of 4 weeks per year of full-time service. Pro-rata for part-time.
Day workers get the greater of 17.5% or the weekend penalty rates they would have earned during the leave, not both. This award has no shiftwork provisions. Run the numbers in the annual leave loading calculator.
No formal RDO accrual cycle in this award. Time off in lieu of overtime (TOIL) may still be available.
Calculate your leave under this award
The Fast Food Award sets your pay rates, but your paid leave runs on the National Employment Standards. Work out 4 weeks of holidays with the annual leave calculator, and your 10 days of paid sick and carer's leave with the personal leave calculator. To confirm which award applies to you and how it lifts entitlements above the NES floor, read our guide to modern awards.
Casuals under this award who want to become permanent use the employee choice pathway, which replaced casual conversion in 2024. See casual conversion and what replaced it for the 6 month rule, the 21 day employer response and the three grounds for refusal.
Who this award covers.
The Fast Food Award (MA000003) is the common name for the Fast Food Industry Award 2020. Industries, work types and exclusions are taken from the Fair Work Ombudsman summary.
Industries
Work types
Notes & exclusions. Covers employees who deliver meals to customers, including on-hire employees (clauses 4.2, 4.3 and 12.4). Coffee shops, cafes, bars and restaurants that mainly provide sit-down service are excluded (clause 4.2(c)). Stand-alone restaurants and cafes are usually covered by the Restaurant Award, and those run as part of a hotel by the Hospitality Award. Public holiday penalty is 225% for full-time and part-time employees, the same as the Hospitality Award; the 250% figure often quoted is the casual-inclusive rate. Sunday is 125% for Level 1 and 150% for Levels 2 and 3. Night work is 110% between 10.00pm and midnight and 115% between midnight and 6.00am.
Roles paid under this award.
Each classification has its own pay grade. Use the FWO Pay Calculator for current dollar rates.
- 01Fast Food Employee Level 1: preparation, receipt of orders, cooking, sale, serving or delivery of meals, snacks and beverages
- 02Fast Food Employee Level 2: supervising Level 1 employees, training new employees, or exercising trade skills
- 03Fast Food Employee Level 3: in charge of a shop, food outlet or delivery outlet
Fast Food Award questions, answered.
Penalty rates, leave entitlements and award-specific provisions under MA000003. Verified against the modern award text.
Who does the Fast Food Award cover?
What is the Saturday penalty rate under the Fast Food Award?
What is the Sunday rate under the Fast Food Award?
What is the public holiday rate under the Fast Food Award?
How many weeks of annual leave do I get under the Fast Food Award?
How is annual leave loading calculated under the Fast Food Award?
What is the casual loading under the Fast Food Award?
Does the Fast Food Award include rostered days off (RDOs)?
Does the Fast Food Award have evening or night-shift loadings?
Where do I find current pay rates by classification under the Fast Food Award?
Verified against the modern award text.
Penalty rates, shift loadings and continuous-shift eligibility on this page were verified against Fast Food Industry Award 2020 (MA000003) on the Fair Work Commission's awards.fairwork.gov.au.
For up-to-date pay rates by classification, refer to the FWO Pay Calculator. Modern awards are reviewed and varied periodically by the Fair Work Commission; check the source for the latest text.