Legal Services Award.
Legal 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.
Legal Services Award pay rates and penalties.
Dollar rates effective from 1 July 2026 after the Annual Wage Review increase. Penalty rates verified against the MA000116 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.
- Level 1Legal clerical and administrative employee (indicative: Year 10 standard)
- Level 2Legal clerical and administrative employee (indicative: Year 11 standard)
- Level 3Legal clerical and administrative employee (indicative: Trade Certificate or TAFE/Year 12 standard)
- Level 4Legal clerical and administrative employee (indicative: TAFE Advanced Certificate)
- Level 5Legal clerical and administrative employee (indicative: part of an Associate Diploma)
- Law graduate, Level 5Law graduate, training in a law firm for admission as an Australian lawyer
- Law clerk, Level 6Law clerk, assisting a barrister or solicitor in their practice
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 MA000116 award text as consolidated by the Fair Work Commission, reflecting Annual Wage Review [2026] FWCFB 3500, effective 1 July 2026.
- Penalty rates and allowances
- MA000116 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 (first 3h / after) | 150% / 200% | 175% / 225% |
| Sunday | 200% | 225% |
| Public holiday | 250% | 275% |
| Afternoon shift | 115% | 140% |
| Night shift | 115% | 140% |
| Permanent night shift | 130% | 155% |
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 | Legal clerical and administrative employee (indicative: Year 10 standard) | $1,073.10 | $28.24 | $35.30 |
| Level 2 | Legal clerical and administrative employee (indicative: Year 11 standard) | $1,119.10 | $29.45 | $36.81 |
| Level 3 | Legal clerical and administrative employee (indicative: Trade Certificate or TAFE/Year 12 standard) | $1,182.10 | $31.11 | $38.89 |
| Level 4 | Legal clerical and administrative employee (indicative: TAFE Advanced Certificate) | $1,241.40 | $32.67 | $40.84 |
| Level 5 | Legal clerical and administrative employee (indicative: part of an Associate Diploma) | $1,291.80 | $33.99 | $42.49 |
| Law graduate, Level 5 | Law graduate, training in a law firm for admission as an Australian lawyer | $1,291.80 | $33.99 | $42.49 |
| Law clerk, Level 6 | Law clerk, assisting a barrister or solicitor in their practice | $1,369.20 | $36.03 | $45.04 |
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 MA000116 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal allowance, weekday overtime | $20.75 | per occasion | One hour or more of Monday to Friday overtime that finishes 1.5 hours after the normal finishing time or 5 hours after the last meal break, unless the employer supplies a meal. Paid on the same day on request (cl 18.2). |
| Further meal allowance, weekday | $16.54 | per occasion | Where that overtime exceeds 4 hours (cl 18.2(a)(i)). |
| Meal allowance, weekend overtime | $20.75 | per occasion | More than 5 hours of overtime on a Saturday or Sunday, or by a shiftworker on a rostered day off. A further $16.54 after more than 9 hours (cl 18.2(a)(ii)). Not payable if the employee could reasonably go home for the meal. |
| Uniform allowance | $3.75 | per week | Where required to wear a special uniform, dress or clothing that the employer does not supply and launder (cl 18.3). |
| Vehicle allowance, motor car | $1.00 | per km | Where the employer requires use of the employee's own car for work duties (cl 18.4(a)(i)). |
| Vehicle allowance, motorcycle | $0.34 | per km | Clause 18.4(a)(ii). |
| Transport home after overtime | Cost of transport | as incurred | Where overtime finishes when reasonable transport home is not available, unless the employer provides transport (cl 18.5). |
| Living away from home | All fares, reasonable board and lodging | as incurred | Temporary work away that requires sleeping away from home. Travel time is paid at ordinary rates, up to 8 hours in 24 (cl 18.6). |
| Higher duties | Rate of the higher level | one day or more | Performing any Level 2 to 5 duties for one day or more (cl 15.3). |
The numbers that drive this award.
Set by Legal Services Award 2020 (MA000116) and the NES.
Award-specific provisions.
Where this award goes beyond, or sits at, the NES floor.
A 7-day shiftworker regularly rostered on Sundays and public holidays qualifies for 5 weeks annual leave (clause 22.2).
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. 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 Legal Services 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 Legal Services Award (MA000116) is the common name for the Legal Services Award 2020. Industries, work types and exclusions are taken from the Fair Work Ombudsman summary.
Industries
Work types
Notes & exclusions. Ordinary hours for day workers are Monday to Friday, 7am to 6:30pm (clause 13.1). Weekend work by day workers is overtime: Monday to Saturday 150% for the first 3 hours then 200%, Saturday after noon and all Sunday 200%, public holiday 250%. Rostered shiftworkers instead receive afternoon and night 115%, permanent night 130%, Saturday shift 150% and Sunday 200%. Law graduates get up to 20 days of paid study leave in any 12-month period for practical legal training (clause 28.1). Excludes community legal centres, Aboriginal legal services and employers whose primary activity is not legal services (clause 4.3). The award has no classification for admitted lawyers: a law graduate is someone training for admission, not someone already admitted (clause 2).
Roles paid under this award.
Each classification has its own pay grade. Use the FWO Pay Calculator for current dollar rates.
- 01Level 1 legal clerical and administrative employee
- 02Level 2 legal clerical and administrative employee
- 03Level 3 legal clerical and administrative employee
- 04Level 4 legal clerical and administrative employee
- 05Level 5 legal clerical and administrative employee
- 06Level 5 law graduate
- 07Level 6 law clerk
Legal Services Award questions, answered.
Penalty rates, leave entitlements and award-specific provisions under MA000116. Verified against the modern award text.
Who does the Legal Services Award cover?
What is the Saturday penalty rate under the Legal Services Award?
What is the Sunday rate under the Legal Services Award?
What is the public holiday rate under the Legal Services Award?
How many weeks of annual leave do I get under the Legal Services Award?
How is annual leave loading calculated under the Legal Services Award?
What is the casual loading under the Legal Services Award?
Does the Legal Services Award include rostered days off (RDOs)?
Does the Legal Services Award have evening or night-shift loadings?
Where do I find current pay rates by classification under the Legal Services Award?
Verified against the modern award text.
Penalty rates, shift loadings and continuous-shift eligibility on this page were verified against Legal Services Award 2020 (MA000116) 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.