Modern Award · MA000065

Professional Employees Award.

Professional Employees Award 2020. Verified penalty rates, shift loadings, leave loading and RDO arrangements, with a live calculator under the NES.

Sun: 150%PH: 150%
✓ Free, no sign-up|Live|Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) s.87

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Standard FT week is 38 hours.
$
For loading & payout values.

Here's your entitlement

AU$6,268.17
Total annual leave value (incl. 17.5% loading) for 52 weeks of service.
4.0 wks
Entitlement
152.42 hrs
Accrued
19.1 days
Working days
See full calculationFair Work Act 2009 (Cth) s.87
ComponentFormulaValue
Accrual rate (FULL-TIME)4 wks × 38h ÷ 522.923 hrs/wk
Hours accrued2.923 × 52 wks152.42 hrs
Hourly base rate-$35.00
Base leave value152.42 × $35.00$5,334.62
17.5% leave loadingbase × 0.175+ $933.56
Total payout-$6,268.17

Where the value comes from

Base leave
$5,334
17.5% loading
$933

ⓘ Calculated under section 87 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and the National Employment Standards. Loading rate per the relevant modern award.

Sarah Reid, CAHRI
Reviewed bySarah Reid, CAHRICert IV Payroll · Sydney based
Verified expert

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.

Penalty Rates

Professional Employees penalty rates at a glance.

Rates verified against the official modern award text on awards.fairwork.gov.au.

Hours workedFull-time / part-timeCasual (incl. loading)
Ordinary hours100%125%
Saturday100%125%
Sunday150%175%
Public holiday150%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. Source: MA000065 on awards.fairwork.gov.au. For dollar amounts by classification, use the FWO Pay Calculator.

Professional Employees Snapshot

The numbers that drive this award.

Set by Professional Employees Award 2020 (MA000065) and the NES.

Sunday rate
150%
Of base hourly rate
Sunday work for full-time/part-time employees under this award.
Public holiday
150%
Of base hourly rate
Public holiday rate for FT/PT employees, paid in cash or substituted for time off.
Leave loading
17.5%
Annual leave loading on top
Flat loading on minimum hourly rate while taking annual leave.
Annual Leave, Loading & RDO

Award-specific provisions.

Where this award goes beyond, or sits at, the NES floor.

Annual leave4 weeks/year

Standard NES floor of 4 weeks per year of full-time service. Pro-rata for part-time.

Leave loading17.5%

Flat 17.5% loading on minimum hourly rate while taking annual leave. Run the numbers in the annual leave loading calculator.

Rostered Day Off (RDO)No

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.

Coverage

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

  • professional engineering
  • scientific services
  • information technology
  • telecommunications
  • quality auditing
  • medical research

Work types

  • professional engineering
  • scientific research
  • IT and software
  • telecommunications
  • quality auditing
  • medical research

Notes & exclusions. An unusual annualised award for professionals. Overtime is paid at the ordinary minimum hourly rate with no time-and-a-half or double-time premium. Unsocial-hours penalties apply only to work before 6am or after 10pm Monday to Saturday (125%), Sunday (150%) and public holidays (150%); there is no Saturday daytime penalty and no afternoon or night shift loading. Critically, clause 18.6 exempts any employee on a contractual salary at least 25% above the classification minimum from overtime, time off in lieu and penalty rates entirely, so most salaried professionals receive no penalties at all. A 7-day shiftworker (rare in professional roles) would still qualify for a 5th week of annual leave under clause 19.3.

Classifications

Roles paid under this award.

Each classification has its own pay grade. Use the FWO Pay Calculator for current dollar rates.

  1. 01Level 1 graduate professional
  2. 02Level 2 experienced professional
  3. 03Level 3 professional (senior)
  4. 04Level 4 professional
  5. 05Level 5 (experienced medical research employee)
Professional Employees Q & A

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?
Professional Employees Award 2020 (MA000065) covers professional engineering, scientific services, information technology, telecommunications and related industries. Common roles include professional engineering, scientific research, IT and software, telecommunications. An unusual annualised award for professionals. Overtime is paid at the ordinary minimum hourly rate with no time-and-a-half or double-time premium. Unsocial-hours penalties apply only to work before 6am or after 10pm Monday to Saturday (125%), Sunday (150%) and public holidays (150%); there is no Saturday daytime penalty and no afternoon or night shift loading. Critically, clause 18.6 exempts any employee on a contractual salary at least 25% above the classification minimum from overtime, time off in lieu and penalty rates entirely, so most salaried professionals receive no penalties at all. A 7-day shiftworker (rare in professional roles) would still qualify for a 5th week of annual leave under clause 19.3.
Are there Saturday penalty rates under the Professional Employees Award?
No specific Saturday penalty rate is set in this award.
What is the Sunday rate under the Professional Employees Award?
FT/PT employees are paid 150% of the base hourly rate (1.50x) for Sunday work. Casuals receive 175% (the FT rate plus the 25% casual loading).
What is the public holiday rate under the Professional Employees Award?
FT/PT employees who work on a gazetted public holiday are paid 150% of the base hourly rate (1.50x). Casuals receive 175% (the FT rate plus the 25% casual loading). Employees who don't work the holiday receive their ordinary day's pay if it would otherwise have been a working day.
How many weeks of annual leave do I get under the Professional Employees Award?
4 weeks per year of full-time service under the NES, paid pro-rata for part-time. The Professional Employees Award does not classify any of its workers as continuous-shift workers under NES s.87(1)(b), so the 5-week shift-worker entitlement does not apply. Calculate annual leave accrual →
Is annual leave loading paid under the Professional Employees Award?
Yes. 17.5% loading is paid on the minimum hourly rate during periods of paid annual leave. There is no shift-worker variation in this award, so the loading is a flat 17.5% across employee types. Leave loading calculator →
What is the casual loading under the Professional Employees Award?
25% on top of the base hourly rate, in lieu of paid annual leave, paid personal leave and notice entitlements. Casual loading is added to the FT/PT rate when a casual works any of the penalty-rate hours above (Saturday, Sunday, public holiday, evening, night).
Does the Professional Employees Award include rostered days off (RDOs)?
No. The Professional Employees Award does not include a formal RDO accrual cycle. Time off in lieu of overtime (TOIL) may still be available where the employer and employee agree, but it works differently from a formal RDO and is not automatically accrued.
Where do I find current pay rates by classification under the Professional Employees Award?
Pay rates by classification under MA000065 change quarterly with Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review decisions. The official source is the FWO Pay Calculator, which always reflects the current rates. Open the FWO Pay Calculator →
Other Awards

Other modern awards.

If your role doesn't fit Professional Employees, one of these is likely your award.

L
Legal ServicesMA000116
V
Vehicle Repair & RetailMA000089
W
Electrical ContractingMA000025
Z
Graphic Arts & PrintingMA000026
C
Clerks (Private Sector)MA000002
F
Fast FoodMA000003
Professional Employees Methodology

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.

Last verified2 July 2026
ReviewerSarah Reid, CAHRI
Primary sourceMA000065 (Fair Work Commission)
Federal floorFW Act 2009 (Cth)
RefreshQuarterly