Joinery Award.
Joinery and Building Trades 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.
Joinery Award pay rates and penalties.
Dollar rates effective from 1 July 2026 after the 4.75% Annual Wage Review increase. Penalty rates verified against the MA000029 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
7 levels, measured from $0 so the gaps between them are true to scale.
Grey bars fall below the adult national minimum wage. Junior and apprentice classifications are lawfully paid a set percentage of the adult rate under this award.
- Level 1General hand, factory hand (maximum 3 months at this level)
- Level 2Assembler B
- Level 3Assembler A, primer, machinist grade 2, glass vehicle driver
- Level 4Machinist grade 1, automatic glass cutting, edge grinding or bevelling machine operator
- Level 5Carpenter and/or joiner, stonemason, prefab tradesperson, painter, plasterer, glazier, glass cutter
- Level 6Joiner special class, joiner-setter out, prefab setter, signwriter, letter cutter, specialist glass cutter
- Level 7Carver
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
- FWO Pay Guides and FWC Annual Wage Review [2026] FWCFB 3500, effective 1 July 2026.
- Penalty rates and allowances
- MA000029 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% |
| Afternoon shift | 150% | 175% |
| Night shift | 150% | 175% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | General hand, factory hand (maximum 3 months at this level) | $978.10 | $25.74 | $32.18 |
| Level 2 | Assembler B | $1,004.90 | $26.44 | $33.05 |
| Level 3 | Assembler A, primer, machinist grade 2, glass vehicle driver | $1,029.10 | $27.08 | $33.85 |
| Level 4 | Machinist grade 1, automatic glass cutting, edge grinding or bevelling machine operator | $1,062.90 | $27.97 | $34.96 |
| Level 5 | Carpenter and/or joiner, stonemason, prefab tradesperson, painter, plasterer, glazier, glass cutter | $1,119.10 | $29.45 | $36.81 |
| Level 6 | Joiner special class, joiner-setter out, prefab setter, signwriter, letter cutter, specialist glass cutter | $1,154.30 | $30.38 | $37.98 |
| Level 7 | Carver | $1,189.40 | $31.30 | $39.13 |
Rates effective from 1 July 2026 after the 4.75% Annual Wage Review increase. Weekly rates are for 38 ordinary hours. Casual rates include the 25% loading on top of the hourly rate. Source: FWO Pay Guides.
Allowances
Paid on top of the base rate. Amounts effective from 1 July 2026.
| Allowance | Amount | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry allowance | $41.94 | per week | Clause 21.3(b)(i), for joinery work, shopfitting, stonemasonry or outside work. A glazier not on factory glazing gets $1.12 per hour instead (clause 21.3(b)(ii)). All-purpose, so it sits inside the hourly rate that penalties are calculated on: a Level 5 tradesperson is on $30.55 an hour, not $29.45 (Schedule B.3.1). |
| Tool allowance | $41.22 | per week | Clause 21.4(a)(i), for a carpenter, joiner, carver, joiner special class, joiner-setter out, letter cutter, prefab setter, prefab tradesperson, shopfitter or stonemason. Plasterer $34.10, glazier $14.48, Assembler A $12.31, glass worker $10.00, painter $9.89. All-purpose. Not payable where the employer supplies every tool reasonably required and says so in writing. |
| Leading hand allowance | $26.86 - $100.40 | per week | Clause 21.3(a). $26.86 in charge of 1 employee, $58.96 for 2 to 5, $75.48 for 6 to 10, $100.40 for 11 or more. All-purpose. |
| Stonemasonry tools and equipment | $0.10 | per hour | Clause 21.4(b)(i). All-purpose. Still marked ppc 1 July 2025 while every other expense allowance moved on 1 July 2026. |
| First aid allowance | $22.26 | per week | Clause 21.3(c). |
| Meal allowance | $19.74 | per occasion | Clause 21.4(c), where at least 1.5 hours of overtime is worked. |
| Vehicle allowance | $1.00 | per km | Clause 21.4(f), for glass and glazing work where the employee agrees to use their own vehicle. Two further $1.00 per km allowances cover cemetery stonemasonry (clause 21.4(h)(ii)) and glass and glazing work away from the usual place of business (clause 21.4(i)(ii)). There is no general vehicle allowance for a carpenter, joiner, painter or plasterer. |
| Living away from home, distant job | $102.92 | per day | Clause 21.4(g)(ii)(A). The employer pays the greater of this or full reimbursement of reasonable accommodation and meal costs. |
| Special rates | $0.85 - $2.41 | per hour or per day | Clause 21.5 covers bagging $0.85, asbestos $1.18, confined space $1.18, dirty work $0.94, hot places $0.94 or $1.18, wet work $0.94, roof repairs $1.18 and heavy blocks $0.94 to $2.41, all per hour. Special rates are paid when incurred whatever the time of day and are never multiplied by a penalty rate (clause 21.7(a)); where two cover the same disability only the highest is paid (clause 21.7(b)). |
The numbers that drive this award.
Set by Joinery and Building Trades Award 2020 (MA000029) 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 a flat 17.5% on the minimum hourly rate. Shift workers get the greater of 17.5% or the weekend and shift penalties they would have earned. The 17.5% is calculated on minimum rates plus the industry allowance, the tool allowance, the stonemasonry tools allowance and the leading hand rate, which are all-purpose under clause 21.2. A Level 5 carpenter on joinery work with a tool allowance loads on $1,202.26 a week, not $1,119.10 (clause 27.3(a)). Run the numbers in the annual leave loading calculator.
Ordinary hours are 8 a day over a 20 day 4 week cycle, with 0.4 of an hour of each day worked accruing as a paid rostered day off in each cycle (clause 16.2). The RDO is the default, not an option: an alternative needs the agreement of a majority of employees (clause 17.1). Working an RDO is paid at Saturday penalty rates under clause 24.3(a) and does not earn a day off instead (clause 17.6). Shiftworkers accrue the equivalent, one paid shift off every 20 shifts, capped at 5 accrued shifts (clause 25.2(b) and (e)).
Calculate your leave under this award
The Joinery 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 Joinery Award (MA000029) is the common name for the Joinery and Building Trades Award 2020. Industries, work types and exclusions are taken from the Fair Work Ombudsman summary.
Industries
Work types
Notes & exclusions. The surprise in this award is that there is no weekend penalty at all for ordinary hours. Ordinary hours are Monday to Friday for day workers (clause 16.2) and for shiftworkers (clause 25.2(a)), so all weekend work is overtime: Saturday 150% for the first 2 hours then 200%, and 200% for anything after 12 noon, with Sunday at 200% (clause 24.3). Schedule B.2.1 carries two columns only, ordinary 100% and public holiday 250%. The 150% afternoon and night shift rate is conditional on being employed continuously for 5 shifts Monday to Friday in that week (clause 25.4(a)). Miss that and you are paid 150% for the first 2 hours of each day and 200% after (clause 25.4(d)). There is no permanent night shift premium and no 7 day continuous shiftworker definition, so nobody here gets a fifth week of annual leave. Level 1 at $978.10 sits below the National Minimum Wage and lasts a maximum of 3 months before reclassification to Level 2 (clause A.1.1(e)). Casual penalties are additive and the award prints the table: 150%, 200% and 250% become 175%, 225% and 275% (clause 11.4). On-site construction work sits under the Building and Construction Award instead (clause 4.3(c)).
Roles paid under this award.
Each classification has its own pay grade. Use the FWO Pay Calculator for current dollar rates.
- 01Level 1 (general hand, factory hand)
- 02Level 2 (Assembler B)
- 03Level 3 (Assembler A, primer, machinist grade 2)
- 04Level 4 (machinist grade 1, glass machine operator)
- 05Level 5 (carpenter and/or joiner, stonemason, painter, plasterer, glazier)
- 06Level 6 (joiner special class, joiner-setter out, signwriter, letter cutter)
- 07Level 7 (carver)
Joinery Award questions, answered.
Penalty rates, leave entitlements and award-specific provisions under MA000029. Verified against the modern award text.
Who does the Joinery Award cover?
Are there Saturday penalty rates under the Joinery Award?
Are there Sunday penalty rates under the Joinery Award?
What is the public holiday rate under the Joinery Award?
How many weeks of annual leave do I get under the Joinery Award?
How is annual leave loading calculated under the Joinery Award?
What is the casual loading under the Joinery Award?
Does the Joinery Award include rostered days off (RDOs)?
Does the Joinery Award have evening or night-shift loadings?
Where do I find current pay rates by classification under the Joinery Award?
Verified against the modern award text.
Penalty rates, shift loadings and continuous-shift eligibility on this page were verified against Joinery and Building Trades Award 2020 (MA000029) 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.