Gardening & Landscaping Award.
Gardening and Landscaping Services 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.
Gardening & Landscaping Award pay rates and penalties.
Dollar rates effective from 1 July 2026 after the Annual Wage Review increase. Penalty rates verified against the MA000101 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
6 levels, measured from $0 so the gaps between them are true to scale.
Grey bars fall below the adult national minimum wage. The award itself sets these rates, and the key below says who each one applies to.
- Introductory LevelGardener/Landscaper, entry level (not more than 3 months)
- Level 1Gardener/Landscaper, general gardening/landscaping duties
- Level 2Gardener/Landscaper Level 2
- Level 3Gardener/Landscaper, completed a course in horticulture
- Level 4Gardener/Landscaper, tradesperson (trade qualification, Certificate III or 3 years experience)
- Level 5Gardener/Landscaper, post-trade Certificate IV or Diploma
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 MA000101 award text as consolidated by the Fair Work Commission, reflecting Annual Wage Review [2026] FWCFB 3500, effective 1 July 2026.
- Penalty rates and allowances
- MA000101 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 | 100% | 125% |
| Sunday | 100% | 125% |
| Public holiday | 250% | 275% |
This award has no weekend penalty on ordinary hours. The 100% above is not a missing figure: ordinary hours under this award do not attract a Saturday or Sunday loading, so weekend work is either paid at the ordinary rate or falls into overtime. Check the overtime clause rather than the penalty table for what a weekend shift is worth.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory Level | Gardener/Landscaper, entry level (not more than 3 months) | $978.10 | $25.74 | $32.18 |
| Level 1 | Gardener/Landscaper, general gardening/landscaping duties | $1,004.90 | $26.44 | $33.05 |
| Level 2 | Gardener/Landscaper Level 2 | $1,029.10 | $27.08 | $33.85 |
| Level 3 | Gardener/Landscaper, completed a course in horticulture | $1,074.70 | $28.28 | $35.35 |
| Level 4 | Gardener/Landscaper, tradesperson (trade qualification, Certificate III or 3 years experience) | $1,119.10 | $29.45 | $36.81 |
| Level 5 | Gardener/Landscaper, post-trade Certificate IV or Diploma | $1,154.30 | $30.38 | $37.98 |
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 MA000101 award text as consolidated to 1 July 2026.
Hourly and casual hourly rates above exclude the leading hand allowance and the $15.83 a week tradesperson tool allowance. Both are paid for all purposes (clause 17.2(b)), so where they apply they are added to the minimum rate before penalties, overtime and the casual loading.
Allowances
Paid on top of the base rate. Amounts effective from 1 July 2026.
| Allowance | Amount | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leading hand allowance, in charge of 1 to 2 employees | $22.38 | per week | Paid for all purposes (cl 17.2(b)(i)), so it is added to the minimum rate before penalties, overtime and the casual loading are applied. The hourly rates above exclude it. Clause 17.3(a). |
| Leading hand allowance, 3 to 6 employees | $44.76 | per week | All-purpose. Clause 17.3(a). |
| Leading hand allowance, 7 to 9 employees | $55.96 | per week | All-purpose. Clause 17.3(a). |
| Leading hand allowance, 10 or more employees | $78.34 | per week | All-purpose. Clause 17.3(a). |
| Tool allowance | $15.83 | per week | For tradespersons, paid for all purposes (cl 17.4(a)(i)), so a Level 4 tradesperson on it has an ordinary hourly rate of about $29.87 rather than $29.45, our calculation. Not payable where the employer provides all the tools reasonably required. Last varied ppc 1 July 2024, so it did not move in the 2025 or 2026 reviews. |
| First aid allowance | $22.38 | per week | For an employee holding a St John Ambulance or equivalent first aid qualification and appointed to perform first aid duties (cl 17.3(c)). |
| Vehicles and plant allowance | $6.71 | per day | When required to drive a work vehicle that needs a truck or tractor licence, or to operate plant. Not paid to an employee who merely assists a fitter or engineer (cl 17.3(b)). |
| Vehicle allowance | $1.00 | per km | When directed by the employer to use your own motor vehicle for any purpose. Travel time is paid at ordinary rates (cl 17.4(b)). |
| Overtime meal allowance | $19.61 | per occasion | Overtime of 1.5 hours or more straight after ordinary hours on an ordinary working day, or straight after 8 hours of work on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday (cl 17.4(c)). |
The numbers that drive this award.
Set by Gardening and Landscaping Services Award 2020 (MA000101) and the NES.
Award-specific provisions.
Where this award goes beyond, or sits at, the NES floor.
Clause 20.2 defines a shiftworker for the purposes of the additional (fifth) week of annual leave under NES s.87(1)(b), even though the award has no separate shiftwork clause or shift loadings.
Day workers get a flat 17.5% on the minimum hourly rate. Shift workers get the same flat 17.5%. Run the numbers in the annual leave loading calculator.
Clause 13.4 provides a formal rostered day off system on a 38-hour week. Ordinary hours may be averaged over a 4-week cycle, with the accrued time taken as a paid RDO.
Calculate your leave under this award
The Gardening & Landscaping 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.
Who this award covers.
The Gardening & Landscaping Award (MA000101) is the common name for the Gardening and Landscaping Services Award 2020. Industries, work types and exclusions are taken from the Fair Work Ombudsman summary.
Industries
Work types
Notes & exclusions. Unusual among modern awards in setting no Saturday or Sunday penalty for ordinary hours: weekend work at ordinary hours is paid at 100%, with penalties arising only through overtime. Public holidays are 250%. There are no afternoon or night shift loadings, but clause 20.2 still defines a shiftworker for the extra week of annual leave.
Roles paid under this award.
Each classification has its own pay grade. Use the FWO Pay Calculator for current dollar rates.
- 01Introductory Level (entry, up to 3 months)
- 02Level 1
- 03Level 2
- 04Level 3 (horticulture course completed)
- 05Level 4 (tradesperson)
- 06Level 5 (post-trade Certificate IV or Diploma)
- 07apprentice
Gardening & Landscaping Award questions, answered.
Penalty rates, leave entitlements and award-specific provisions under MA000101. Verified against the modern award text.
Who does the Gardening & Landscaping Award cover?
Are there Saturday penalty rates under the Gardening & Landscaping Award?
Are there Sunday penalty rates under the Gardening & Landscaping Award?
What is the public holiday rate under the Gardening & Landscaping Award?
How many weeks of annual leave do I get under the Gardening & Landscaping Award?
How is annual leave loading calculated under the Gardening & Landscaping Award?
What is the casual loading under the Gardening & Landscaping Award?
Does the Gardening & Landscaping Award include rostered days off (RDOs)?
Where do I find current pay rates by classification under the Gardening & Landscaping Award?
Verified against the modern award text.
Penalty rates, shift loadings and continuous-shift eligibility on this page were verified against Gardening and Landscaping Services Award 2020 (MA000101) 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.