Pharmacy Award.
Pharmacy 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.
Pharmacy 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 MA000012 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
10 levels, measured from $0 so the gaps between them are true to scale.
- Assistant L1Pharmacy assistant level 1 (no formal qualification)
- Assistant L2Pharmacy assistant level 2 (Certificate II)
- Assistant L3Pharmacy assistant / dispensary assistant level 3 (Certificate III)
- Assistant L4Pharmacy assistant level 4 (Certificate IV)
- Intern 1Pharmacy intern, 1st half of training
- Intern 2Pharmacy intern, 2nd half of training
- PharmacistRegistered pharmacist
- ExperiencedExperienced pharmacist (4+ years)
- In chargePharmacist in charge
- ManagerPharmacist manager
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
- MA000012 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% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant L1 | Pharmacy assistant level 1 (no formal qualification) | $1,056.80 | $27.81 | $34.76 |
| Assistant L2 | Pharmacy assistant level 2 (Certificate II) | $1,081.00 | $28.45 | $35.56 |
| Assistant L3 | Pharmacy assistant / dispensary assistant level 3 (Certificate III) | $1,119.10 | $29.45 | $36.81 |
| Assistant L4 | Pharmacy assistant level 4 (Certificate IV) | $1,165.10 | $30.66 | $38.33 |
| Intern 1 | Pharmacy intern, 1st half of training | $1,291.50 | $33.99 | $42.49 |
| Intern 2 | Pharmacy intern, 2nd half of training | $1,335.50 | $35.14 | $43.93 |
| Pharmacist | Registered pharmacist | $1,586.30 | $41.74 | $52.18 |
| Experienced | Experienced pharmacist (4+ years) | $1,737.40 | $45.72 | $57.15 |
| In charge | Pharmacist in charge | $1,778.40 | $46.80 | $58.50 |
| Manager | Pharmacist manager | $1,981.60 | $52.15 | $65.19 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home medicine review allowance | $106.40 | per week | For a pharmacist required to perform home medicine reviews or residential medication management reviews (clause 19.2). |
| Meal allowance | $24.72 | per occasion | After 6 or more ordinary hours, required to work on without notice and unable to get home for a meal. A further $22.15 where the additional hours exceed 4. |
| Laundry allowance | $6.42 | per week | Full-time employees who launder their own required special clothing. Part-time and casual employees receive $1.28 per shift. |
| Motor vehicle allowance | $1.01 | per km | Where the employer requests the employee to use their own vehicle for duties (clause 19.7). |
The numbers that drive this award.
Set by Pharmacy Industry Award 2020 (MA000012) 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 in a business where shifts are continuously rostered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (clause 23.2). A community pharmacy will rarely meet this test.
Standard 17.5% on minimum hourly rate. Shift workers receive the GREATER OF 17.5% or the shift penalty they would have earned during the leave. 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 Pharmacy 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 Pharmacy Award (MA000012) is the common name for the Pharmacy Industry Award 2020. Industries, work types and exclusions are taken from the Fair Work Ombudsman summary.
Industries
Work types
Notes & exclusions. Covers community pharmacy only. Hospital, public-institution and government pharmacies are excluded, as are employees whose work falls under an occupational award. Ordinary hours run 7am to midnight on any day of the week, so weekend work is ordinary time at a penalty rather than overtime, and the penalty structure is a time-of-day grid rather than a weekday/weekend split: 7am to 8am Monday to Friday is 150%, 7pm to 9pm is 125%, 9pm to midnight is 150%, Saturday runs 200% before 8am, 125% from 8am to 6pm, 150% from 6pm to 9pm and 175% after 9pm, Sunday is 150% between 7am and 9pm and 200% outside it, and public holidays are 225%, lower than most retail awards. The 125% shown in the table below is the Saturday 8am to 6pm band, which is when almost all Saturday pharmacy work is done. Junior rates apply only to pharmacy assistants levels 1 and 2 under 21. Pharmacists and pharmacy assistant level 4 can be put on an annualised wage that absorbs overtime, penalties and leave loading, but only under a written agreement with stated outer limits on hours. Leave loading is the higher of 17.5% or the weekend penalties, not both. The fifth week of annual leave requires a 24/7 continuously rostered business, which a community pharmacy is not.
Roles paid under this award.
Each classification has its own pay grade. Use the FWO Pay Calculator for current dollar rates.
- 01Pharmacy assistant level 1
- 02Pharmacy assistant level 2
- 03Pharmacy assistant level 3
- 04Pharmacy assistant level 4
- 05Pharmacy student (years 1 to 4)
- 06Pharmacy intern
- 07Pharmacist
- 08Experienced pharmacist
- 09Pharmacist in charge
- 10Pharmacist manager
Pharmacy Award questions, answered.
Penalty rates, leave entitlements and award-specific provisions under MA000012. Verified against the modern award text.
Who does the Pharmacy Award cover?
What is the Saturday penalty rate under the Pharmacy Award?
What is the Sunday rate under the Pharmacy Award?
What is the public holiday rate under the Pharmacy Award?
How many weeks of annual leave do I get under the Pharmacy Award?
How is annual leave loading calculated for shift workers under the Pharmacy Award?
What is the casual loading under the Pharmacy Award?
Does the Pharmacy Award include rostered days off (RDOs)?
Where do I find current pay rates by classification under the Pharmacy Award?
Verified against the modern award text.
Penalty rates, shift loadings and continuous-shift eligibility on this page were verified against Pharmacy Industry Award 2020 (MA000012) 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.