Professional Employees Award.
Professional Employees 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.
Professional Employees Award pay rates and penalties.
Dollar rates effective from 1 July 2026 after the Annual Wage Review increase. Penalty rates verified against the MA000065 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
9 levels, measured from $0 so the gaps between them are true to scale.
- L1.1 (3 yr)Level 1 graduate professional, pay point 1.1, 3 year degree ($66,825 a year)
- L1.1 (4-5 yr)Level 1 graduate professional, pay point 1.1, 4 or 5 year degree ($68,538 a year)
- L1.2Level 1 graduate professional, pay point 1.2 ($69,688 a year)
- L1.3Level 1 graduate professional, pay point 1.3 ($72,590 a year)
- L1.4Level 1 graduate professional, pay point 1.4 ($76,267 a year)
- L2Level 2 experienced professional, quality auditor or experienced medical research employee ($78,836 a year)
- L3Level 3 professional, senior (lead) quality auditor or experienced medical research employee ($86,157 a year)
- L4Level 4 professional or experienced medical research employee ($97,173 a year)
- L5Level 5 experienced medical research employee, medical research stream only ($117,064 a year)
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 MA000065 award text as consolidated by the Fair Work Commission, reflecting Annual Wage Review [2026] FWCFB 3500, effective 1 July 2026.
- Penalty rates and allowances
- MA000065 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 | 150% | 175% |
| Public holiday | 150% | 175% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1.1 (3 yr) | Level 1 graduate professional, pay point 1.1, 3 year degree ($66,825 a year) | $1,280.99 | $33.71 | $42.14 |
| L1.1 (4-5 yr) | Level 1 graduate professional, pay point 1.1, 4 or 5 year degree ($68,538 a year) | $1,313.83 | $34.57 | $43.21 |
| L1.2 | Level 1 graduate professional, pay point 1.2 ($69,688 a year) | $1,335.87 | $35.15 | $43.94 |
| L1.3 | Level 1 graduate professional, pay point 1.3 ($72,590 a year) | $1,391.50 | $36.62 | $45.78 |
| L1.4 | Level 1 graduate professional, pay point 1.4 ($76,267 a year) | $1,461.99 | $38.47 | $48.09 |
| L2 | Level 2 experienced professional, quality auditor or experienced medical research employee ($78,836 a year) | $1,511.23 | $39.77 | $49.71 |
| L3 | Level 3 professional, senior (lead) quality auditor or experienced medical research employee ($86,157 a year) | $1,651.57 | $43.46 | $54.33 |
| L4 | Level 4 professional or experienced medical research employee ($97,173 a year) | $1,862.74 | $49.02 | $61.28 |
| L5 | Level 5 experienced medical research employee, medical research stream only ($117,064 a year) | $2,244.04 | $59.05 | $73.81 |
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 MA000065 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle allowance | $1.00 | per kilometre | Clause 16.3. A floor, not a fixed rate: the employer must pay "at least" $1.00 per kilometre. Use of your own vehicle is by mutual agreement, so you cannot simply be directed to use your car. Adjusted by the CPI private motoring sub-group at each annual wage review (clause 16.5). |
| Travelling expenses and travelling time | reimbursement, no rate stated | as incurred | Clause 16.2. Reimbursement of all reasonable accommodation, meal and out of pocket expenses while travelling on the employer's business. Compensation for excess travel time is to be agreed and the award sets no rate. |
| Equipment and special clothing | supplied free of cost | as required | Clause 16.4. Provided by the employer and remains employer property. Not a cash allowance. This award has no first aid, meal, on-call or tool allowance. |
The numbers that drive this award.
Set by Professional Employees Award 2020 (MA000065) and the NES.
Award-specific provisions.
Where this award goes beyond, or sits at, the NES floor.
A 7 day shiftworker who is regularly rostered to work on Sundays and public holidays (clause 19.3). This opens the NES fifth week even though the award itself prices no shiftwork at all.
Day workers get a flat 17.5%. This award has no shiftwork provisions. The 17.5% is calculated on your base rate of pay, but the entitlement is capped at ABS average weekly earnings for all males (Australia) for the September quarter of the preceding year, a dollar figure the award does not print (clause 19.2(a)). 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 Professional Employees 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 Professional Employees Award (MA000065) is the common name for the Professional Employees Award 2020. Industries, work types and exclusions are taken from the Fair Work Ombudsman summary.
Industries
Work types
Notes & exclusions. Read clause 18.6 before anything else on this page. If your contract pays an annual salary 25% or more above the clause 14.1 minimum for your classification, the overtime and penalty rates here do not apply to you at all. At Level 2 the minimum is $78,836, so the switch flips at $98,545. Someone on $99,000 has no award right to overtime pay or penalties; someone on $98,000 does. It does not touch annual leave or the 17.5% loading. Second, there is genuinely no Saturday penalty. Saturday daytime is 100%. Only work before 6.00 am or after 10.00 pm, Monday to Saturday, attracts 125%, and Sunday and public holidays 150%. Third, overtime is single time, which is why time off is one hour for one hour. This award had no overtime or penalty clause at all before 16 September 2023. Casual penalties are additive on the award's own statement, so casual Sunday and public holiday are both 175%. Managers, and anyone under the Nurses, Rail, Water or Electrical Power awards, are excluded.
Roles paid under this award.
Each classification has its own pay grade. Use the FWO Pay Calculator for current dollar rates.
- 01Level 1 graduate professional (pay points 1.1 to 1.4)
- 02Level 2 experienced professional or quality auditor
- 03Level 3 professional or senior (lead) quality auditor
- 04Level 4 professional
- 05Level 5 experienced medical research employee
Professional Employees Award questions, answered.
Penalty rates, leave entitlements and award-specific provisions under MA000065. Verified against the modern award text.
Who does the Professional Employees Award cover?
Are there Saturday penalty rates under the Professional Employees Award?
What is the Sunday rate under the Professional Employees Award?
What is the public holiday rate under the Professional Employees Award?
How many weeks of annual leave do I get under the Professional Employees Award?
How is annual leave loading calculated under the Professional Employees Award?
What is the casual loading under the Professional Employees Award?
Does the Professional Employees Award include rostered days off (RDOs)?
Where do I find current pay rates by classification under the Professional Employees Award?
Verified against the modern award text.
Penalty rates, shift loadings and continuous-shift eligibility on this page were verified against Professional Employees Award 2020 (MA000065) 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.