Modern Award · MA000004

General Retail Award.

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

Sun: 150%PH: 225%5-wk shift workers
✓ 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.

Pay & Rate Data

General Retail 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 MA000004 award text.

Entry rate$19.17Per hour, lowest classification
Top rate$40.73Per hour, highest classification
Sunday150%Of base rate, full-time / part-time
Public holiday225%Of base rate, full-time / part-time
Casual loading25%On top of the applicable rate
Leave loading17.5%Paid while taking annual leave
Workforce~1,340,000employees covered nationally by this or similar awards
Avg weekly earnings$1,367.40All employees in this industry, full-time adult

Penalty rates by shift type

What each hour is worth as a percentage of the base rate, for permanent and casual employees.

Full-time / part-timeCasual (incl. 25% loading)
50%100%150%200%250%100%125%Ordinary125%150%Saturday150%175%Sunday225%250%Public hol.125%150%Afternoon130%155%Night

Hourly rate by classification level

7 levels, measured from $0 so the gaps between them are true to scale.

Minimum wage $26.44Level 1$19.17Level 2$26.44Level 3$28.41Level 4$30.47Level 5$33.35Level 6$36.55Level 7$40.73

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 1Retail employee (entry, under 17)
  • Level 2Retail employee (adult entry)
  • Level 3Experienced retail employee
  • Level 4Senior retail employee / specialist
  • Level 5Supervisor
  • Level 6Store manager (small)
  • Level 7Store manager (large)

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.

$21$24$26$21.38FY2023+5.2%$23.23FY2024+8.6%$24.10FY2025+3.75%$24.95FY2026+3.5%$26.44FY2027+6%

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
MA000004 on awards.fairwork.gov.au, the official award text.
Industry figures
ABS Labour Force, May 2026; ABS EEH, Aug 2025. Covers the broader industry, not only employees under this award.
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 workedFull-time / part-timeCasual (incl. loading)
Ordinary hours100%125%
Saturday125%150%
Sunday150%175%
Public holiday225%250%
Evening, after 6pm Mon-Fri125%150%
Night shift130%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.

Pay rates by classification

Weekly rates are for 38 ordinary hours. Casual hourly includes the 25% loading.

LevelClassificationWeekly rateHourly rateCasual hourly
Level 1Retail employee (entry, under 17)$728.60$19.17$23.96
Level 2Retail employee (adult entry)$1,004.90$26.44$33.05
Level 3Experienced retail employee$1,079.60$28.41$35.51
Level 4Senior retail employee / specialist$1,157.80$30.47$38.09
Level 5Supervisor$1,267.40$33.35$41.69
Level 6Store manager (small)$1,388.90$36.55$45.69
Level 7Store manager (large)$1,547.80$40.73$50.91

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.

AllowanceAmountFrequencyNotes
Uniform / laundry allowance$12.40per weekWhen required to wear a uniform.
Commission / incentivePer agreementvariesMay be paid in addition to base rate; cannot reduce below award rate.
General Retail Snapshot

The numbers that drive this award.

Set by General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004) and the NES.

Sunday rate
150%
Of base hourly rate
Sunday work for full-time/part-time employees under this award.
Public holiday
225%
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 leave5 weeks/year

A shiftworker regularly rostered on Sundays and public holidays where shifts run continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is a shiftworker for NES purposes and accrues 5 weeks annual leave (clause 28.2).

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 General Retail 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 General Retail Award (MA000004) is the common name for the General Retail Industry Award 2020. Industries, work types and exclusions are taken from the Fair Work Ombudsman summary.

Industries

  • general retail
  • clothing
  • food
  • furniture
  • household goods
  • personal goods
  • recreational goods
  • repair services

Work types

  • check-out operators
  • sales assistants
  • stock hands
  • trolley collectors
  • service supervisors
  • department managers
  • tradespersons
  • clerical workers
  • door to door salespersons

Notes & exclusions. Evening work after 6pm Mon-Fri attracts a 25% loading (125% rate). There is no 11pm threshold: the 130% rate applies to clause 24.1 shiftwork, defined by a shift starting at or after 6.00pm and before 5.00am, and it then applies to every hour of that shift. Shiftworkers are paid 150% on Saturday and 175% on Sunday rather than the 125%/150% day-worker rates. Excludes community pharmacies, hair salons and food service establishments that fall under more specific awards.

Classifications

Roles paid under this award.

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

  1. 01employee
  2. 02manager
  3. 03supervisor
  4. 04clerk
  5. 05tradesperson
  6. 06salesperson
  7. 07stockhand
  8. 08repairer
  9. 09assistant
  10. 10operator
  11. 11sales specialist
  12. 12team leader
  13. 13consultant
General Retail Q & A

General Retail Award questions, answered.

Penalty rates, leave entitlements and award-specific provisions under MA000004. Verified against the modern award text.

Who does the General Retail Award cover?
General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004) covers general retail, clothing, food, furniture and related industries. Common roles include check-out operators, sales assistants, stock hands, trolley collectors. Evening work after 6pm Mon-Fri attracts a 25% loading (125% rate). There is no 11pm threshold: the 130% rate applies to clause 24.1 shiftwork, defined by a shift starting at or after 6.00pm and before 5.00am, and it then applies to every hour of that shift. Shiftworkers are paid 150% on Saturday and 175% on Sunday rather than the 125%/150% day-worker rates. Excludes community pharmacies, hair salons and food service establishments that fall under more specific awards.
What is the Saturday penalty rate under the General Retail Award?
Full-time and part-time employees are paid 125% of the base hourly rate (1.25x) for working on Saturday. Casuals receive 150% (the FT rate plus the 25% casual loading).
What is the Sunday rate under the General Retail 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 General Retail Award?
FT/PT employees who work on a gazetted public holiday are paid 225% of the base hourly rate (2.25x). Casuals receive 250% (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 General Retail Award?
Standard full-time employees get 4 weeks of paid annual leave per year under the NES. A shiftworker regularly rostered on Sundays and public holidays where shifts run continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is a shiftworker for NES purposes and accrues 5 weeks annual leave (clause 28.2). The 5-week entitlement comes from NES s.87(1)(b), which the General Retail Award classifies eligibility for. Calculate annual leave accrual →
Is annual leave loading paid under the General Retail 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 General Retail 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 General Retail Award include rostered days off (RDOs)?
No. The General Retail 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.
Does the General Retail Award have evening or night-shift loadings?
Yes. Under this award, evening work after 6pm Mon-Fri attracts 125% of the base hourly rate (1.25x); night-shift work attracts 130% of the base hourly rate (1.30x). Casuals receive an additional 25% casual loading on top of these penalty rates.
Where do I find current pay rates by classification under the General Retail Award?
Pay rates by classification under MA000004 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 →
General Retail Methodology

Verified against the modern award text.

Penalty rates, shift loadings and continuous-shift eligibility on this page were verified against General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004) 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 verified21 July 2026
ReviewerSarah Reid, CAHRI
Primary sourceMA000004 (Fair Work Commission)
Federal floorFW Act 2009 (Cth)
RefreshQuarterly