Under the General Retail Award, full-time and part-time staff get 125% after 6pm weekdays and on Saturdays, 150% on Sundays and 225% on public holidays. Casuals get 150%, 150%, 175% and 250%.
In dollars, a full-time or part-time Level 1 employee earns $34.76 an hour on a Saturday, $41.72 on a Sunday and $62.57 on a public holiday, using the minimum rates in force from 1 July 2026. The tables below run the same sum for all eight retail levels, for permanent staff and for casuals, and then deal with the points payslips most often get wrong: where the evening rate stops, how shiftwork is paid, and why the casual loading is added to the penalty instead of multiplied by it.
Key takeaways
- Full-time and part-time: 125% after 6pm Monday to Friday and on Saturdays, 150% on Sundays, 225% on public holidays (cl 22.1, Table 12).
- Casuals add 25 points to each rate: 150%, 150%, 175% and 250%. The loading is added, not compounded.
- The after-6pm rate is a weekday rule. Ordinary hours on a Saturday or Sunday evening stay at that day's rate.
- The award is national, so retail penalty rates in NSW, Queensland and every other state are the same. Only the list of public holidays changes.
Retail penalty rates at a glance
The General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004) sets its penalties in one table, Table 12 in clause 22. Each figure is a percentage of the minimum hourly rate for your level in Table 4, and it applies to ordinary hours worked in that period.
| When the ordinary hours are worked | Full-time and part-time | Casual | Award clause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday, before 6pm | 100% | 125% | cl 17.1 (Table 4), cl 11.1 |
| Monday to Friday, after 6pm | 125% | 150% | cl 22.1, Table 12 |
| Saturday, all ordinary hours | 125% | 150% | cl 22.1, Table 12 |
| Sunday, all ordinary hours | 150% | 175% | cl 22.1, Table 12 |
| Public holiday, all ordinary hours | 225% | 250% | cl 22.1, Table 12 |
Not every business that sells to the public is under this award. Clause 4.2 carves out community pharmacies, hair and beauty establishments, and restaurants, cafes, hotels, motels or fast food operations, along with butcher shops and nurseries that stand alone. Staff in those workplaces take their penalty rates from a different award: see the Pharmacy Award, Fast Food Award or Hair and Beauty Award pages.
Table 12, full-time and part-time column: "Monday to Friday - after 6.00pm 125%", "Saturday - all ordinary hours 125%", "Sunday - all ordinary hours 150%", "Public holiday - all ordinary hours 225%". FWO award library, consolidated to 1 July 2026 (updated 8 July 2026), retrieved 6 to 7 October 2026.
Table 12, casual column: 150%, 150%, 175% and 250%, each 25 points above the full-time and part-time figure. FWC consolidated award, checked 21 July 2026. Clause 11.1: "An employer must pay a casual employee for each hour worked a loading of 25% on top of the minimum hourly rate otherwise applicable under clause 17 - Minimum rates." Retrieved 7 October 2026. Clause 4.2 exclusions retrieved 14 September 2026.
Full-time and part-time rates in dollars
Part-time employees are paid from the same Table 12 column as full-time employees, so this one table covers both. Figures are adult minimum hourly rates from 1 July 2026, rounded to the nearest cent.
| Level | Base (100%) | Weekday after 6pm or Saturday (125%) | Sunday (150%) | Public holiday (225%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $27.81 | $34.76 | $41.72 | $62.57 |
| Level 2 | $28.45 | $35.56 | $42.68 | $64.01 |
| Level 3 | $28.89 | $36.11 | $43.34 | $65.00 |
| Level 4 | $29.45 | $36.81 | $44.18 | $66.26 |
| Level 5 | $30.66 | $38.33 | $45.99 | $68.99 |
| Level 6 | $31.11 | $38.89 | $46.67 | $70.00 |
| Level 7 | $32.67 | $40.84 | $49.01 | $73.51 |
| Level 8 | $33.99 | $42.49 | $50.99 | $76.48 |
Penalties also flow into leave pay. For a retail day worker, clause 28.3(c) sets annual leave loading at the greater of 17.5% or the penalty rates you would have earned over the leave, so a steady weekend roster can lift the loading above 17.5%. How that comparison works is set out in what is annual leave loading.
MA000004 Table 4 (cl 17.1), minimum weekly rates for 38 hours and the printed hourly rates: Level 1 $1,056.80 ($27.81), Level 2 $1,081.00 ($28.45), Level 3 $1,097.80 ($28.89), Level 4 $1,119.10 ($29.45), Level 5 $1,165.10 ($30.66), Level 6 $1,182.10 ($31.11), Level 7 $1,241.40 ($32.67), Level 8 $1,291.80 ($33.99). FWC consolidated award, incorporating amendments up to 1 July 2026 (PR799280, PR799285, PR799443), retrieved 14 September 2026. Clause 28.3(c)(ii): "The employee's minimum hourly rate for all ordinary hours of work in the period inclusive of penalty rates as specified in clause 22 - Penalty rates." Retrieved 6 to 7 October 2026. Dollar figures are our arithmetic: hourly rate x percentage, rounded half up to the cent.
Choose General Retail in the penalty rates calculator and enter your Saturday, Sunday and evening hours to see the week's pay.
Casual retail penalty rates in dollars
Casuals start from 125% of the Table 4 rate for ordinary weekday hours, and every penalty sits 25 points higher than the full-time figure.
| Level | Ordinary (125%) | Weekday after 6pm or Saturday (150%) | Sunday (175%) | Public holiday (250%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $34.76 | $41.72 | $48.67 | $69.53 |
| Level 2 | $35.56 | $42.68 | $49.79 | $71.13 |
| Level 3 | $36.11 | $43.34 | $50.56 | $72.23 |
| Level 4 | $36.81 | $44.18 | $51.54 | $73.63 |
| Level 5 | $38.33 | $45.99 | $53.66 | $76.65 |
| Level 6 | $38.89 | $46.67 | $54.44 | $77.78 |
| Level 7 | $40.84 | $49.01 | $57.17 | $81.68 |
| Level 8 | $42.49 | $50.99 | $59.48 | $84.98 |
To check the loading on its own, the casual loading calculator converts any permanent rate into its casual equivalent.
Why a casual Sunday is 175%, not 187.5%
A common payroll error is to apply the 25% loading first and then multiply the result by the penalty. That gives 150% x 1.25 = 187.5% on a Sunday and 281.25% on a public holiday. Table 12 does not work that way: its casual column is the full-time percentage plus 25 points, so a casual Sunday is 150 + 25 = 175%.
Public holiday, added: $27.81 x 250% = $69.53 an hour. Compounded: $27.81 x 281.25% = $78.22. The compounded figure overstates the award by $8.69 an hour.
Sunday, added: $48.67. Compounded: $52.14, which is $3.47 an hour too high.
The error runs both ways. An employee who compounds the rates will think they are underpaid when they are not, and an employer who pays the compounded figure is paying above the award without meaning to.
Weekday evenings after 6pm
Ordinary hours worked after 6pm Monday to Friday attract 125% for full-time and part-time staff and 150% for casuals. Hours earlier in the same shift stay at the base rate: on a shift that finishes at 9pm, only the hours after 6pm carry the penalty.
The row in Table 12 is headed "Monday to Friday", so it does not reach the weekend. Ordinary hours on a Saturday evening are paid at the Saturday 125%, and on a Sunday evening at the Sunday 150%. For a full-time Level 1 employee, an hour after 6pm is worth $34.76 on a Thursday, the same $34.76 on a Saturday, and $41.72 on a Sunday. Shiftwork is paid under a separate clause, covered next.
Shiftwork penalty rates
Clause 24.1 defines shiftwork by its start time: "a shift starting at or after 6.00pm on one day and before 5.00 am on the following day". Clause 25.1 then pays full-time and part-time shiftworkers 130% from midnight Sunday to midnight Friday, 150% on Saturday and 175% on Sunday.
| Level | Monday to Friday shift (130%) | Saturday shift (150%) | Sunday shift (175%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $36.15 | $41.72 | $48.67 |
| Level 2 | $36.99 | $42.68 | $49.79 |
| Level 3 | $37.56 | $43.34 | $50.56 |
| Level 4 | $38.29 | $44.18 | $51.54 |
| Level 5 | $39.86 | $45.99 | $53.66 |
| Level 6 | $40.44 | $46.67 | $54.44 |
| Level 7 | $42.47 | $49.01 | $57.17 |
| Level 8 | $44.19 | $50.99 | $59.48 |
Example: a full-time Level 1 employee works 8 hours of shiftwork from a 10pm Tuesday start. Pay for the shift is 8 x $36.15 = $289.20.
Baking production employees have two further shift rates in clause 25.2: 112.5% for an early morning shift starting at or after 2.00am and before 6.00am, and 130% for a night shift starting at or after midnight and before 2.00am. Table 12 itself has no early morning row.
Shiftwork can also change your leave. Under clause 28.2, a shiftworker regularly rostered on Sundays and public holidays in a business that runs shifts around the clock, 7 days a week, gets 5 weeks of annual leave a year instead of 4. What that means in hours is in annual leave on a 38-hour week.
Clause 24.1: shiftwork is "a shift starting at or after 6.00pm on one day and before 5.00 am on the following day". Clause 25.1(a) to (c): 130% midnight Sunday to midnight Friday, 150% Saturday, 175% Sunday, for full-time and part-time employees. Clause 25.2: baking production early morning shift 112.5%, night shift 130%. Clause 28.2(a): "an employee who is a shiftworker regularly rostered to work on Sundays and public holidays in a business in which shifts are continuously rostered 24 hours a day for 7 days a week." FWC consolidated award, checked 21 July 2026.
Public holiday rates in retail
Ordinary hours on a public holiday are paid at 225% for full-time and part-time employees, which is $62.57 an hour at Level 1 and $76.48 at Level 8. Casuals get 250%, from $69.53 to $84.98. So permanent retail staff get double time and a quarter, not double time and a half; only casuals reach 250%.
The percentage is the same in every state. Which days count as public holidays is not, so check the list for where you work: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA, SA, Tasmania, ACT or NT. How retail compares with awards that pay 250% is in is public holiday pay double time?, and what a casual is owed for a public holiday they are not rostered on is in public holiday pay for casuals.
The public holiday pay calculator works out the pay for a public holiday you work, or the base pay for one you have off.
Retail penalty rates in NSW and other states
Retail penalty rates in NSW match every other state. The General Retail Award is a national modern award, and Table 12 has no state rows or state variations. A shop run by a company is a national system employer under section 14(1)(a) of the Fair Work Act, and section 13 makes the people it employs national system employees. Almost every NSW retail worker is in the national system, so the award rates are the same as in Victoria or Queensland.
The only state difference that touches penalty pay is the public holiday calendar, which decides which days attract 225% or 250%. Use the NSW public holidays page for the current list.
s 13: "A national system employee is an individual so far as he or she is employed, or usually employed, as described in the definition of national system employer in section 14, by a national system employer, except on a vocational placement." s 14(1)(a): "a constitutional corporation, so far as it employs, or usually employs, an individual;". Compilation No. 73, compilation date 7 July 2026, retrieved 14 September 2026.
Worked examples
Three rosters at the 1 July 2026 minimum rates. Each hour is paid at its rounded hourly rate, which is how the figure appears on a payslip.
Part-time Level 3: a 30-hour week
Mia's agreed 30 ordinary hours are spread over five days, including two late weekday shifts and both weekend days. Her base rate is $28.89 an hour.
| Day | Hours | Working | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 6, all before 6pm | 6 x $28.89 | $173.34 |
| Thursday, finishing 9pm | 6, of which 3 after 6pm | 3 x $28.89 + 3 x $36.11 | $195.00 |
| Friday, finishing 9pm | 6, of which 3 after 6pm | 3 x $28.89 + 3 x $36.11 | $195.00 |
| Saturday | 8 | 8 x $36.11 | $288.88 |
| Sunday | 4 | 4 x $43.34 | $173.36 |
| Week | 30 | $1,025.58 |
The same 30 hours at the base rate would be 30 x $28.89 = $866.70, so penalties add $158.88 to Mia's week. More than half of that comes from the weekend.
Casual Level 1: weekends only
Jack works 8 hours on Saturday and 6 on Sunday. Saturday: 8 x $41.72 = $333.76. Sunday: 6 x $48.67 = $292.02. Weekend total: $625.78.
A payroll that compounded the loading (156.25% and 187.5%) would show 8 x $43.45 + 6 x $52.14 = $660.44, which is $34.66 more than the award requires.
Full-time Level 4: a public holiday
Sam works a normal 7.6-hour day on a public holiday. Pay: 7.6 x $66.26 = $503.58, against 7.6 x $29.45 = $223.82 for the same hours on an ordinary weekday.
Check your payslip
- Find your level and base rate. The General Retail Award pay rates page lists all eight classifications with weekly, hourly and casual rates, plus allowances.
- Sort your hours into bands. Weekday before 6pm, weekday after 6pm, Saturday, Sunday, public holiday, and any shiftwork. Each band has one rate.
- Multiply and add. Hours in each band x the rate from the tables above. Compare the total with the gross on your payslip.
- Get a second opinion. The Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay Calculator works out award pay for your situation, and its answer should match the tables here.
For a normal week of evenings and weekends, use the penalty rates calculator. For a shift that fell on a public holiday, use the public holiday pay calculator.
Retail penalty rates: questions
Do retail workers get penalty rates?
Yes. Full-time and part-time employees get 125% after 6pm Monday to Friday and on Saturdays, 150% on Sundays and 225% on public holidays. Casuals get 150%, 150%, 175% and 250% (cl 22.1, Table 12).
What are the retail pay rates for 2026?
From 1 July 2026 the minimum is $27.81 an hour at Level 1, rising to $33.99 at Level 8, and $34.76 to $42.49 for casuals. Weekly rates and allowances are on the General Retail Award pay rates page.
What is the Sunday rate for retail workers?
150% for full-time and part-time staff, which is $41.72 an hour at Level 1. Casuals get 175%, or $48.67 at Level 1.
What is the public holiday rate in retail?
225% for full-time and part-time staff ($62.57 at Level 1) and 250% for casuals ($69.53). Permanent staff do not get double time and a half under this award.
Do retail workers get paid more after 6pm?
Yes, on weekdays. Ordinary hours after 6pm Monday to Friday are paid at 125%, or 150% for casuals. Saturday and Sunday evenings stay at the Saturday or Sunday rate.
Is the casual loading added to or multiplied by the penalty rate?
Added. A casual Sunday is 175%, not 187.5%, and a casual public holiday is 250%, not 281.25%.
What are retail penalty rates in NSW?
The same as in every other state. The General Retail Award is national, and almost every NSW retail worker is in the national system (Fair Work Act s 13 and s 14(1)(a)). Only the list of public holidays differs.
Are retail penalty rates different in Queensland?
No. Queensland retail workers under the General Retail Award get the same 125%, 150% and 225% rates, and casuals the same 150%, 175% and 250%.
How do I calculate my retail penalty rate?
Multiply your base hourly rate by the percentage for the hours. A Level 2 employee on a Saturday gets $28.45 x 125% = $35.56 an hour. The penalty rates calculator does the whole week.
Do part-time retail workers get the same penalty rates as full-time?
Yes. Table 12 has a single column for full-time and part-time employees, so the percentages and the dollar rates are identical.
What is the night shift rate in retail?
Shiftwork, meaning a shift that starts at or after 6pm and before 5am, is paid at 130% Monday to Friday, 150% on Saturday and 175% on Sunday for full-time and part-time employees (cl 25.1). At Level 1 that is $36.15, $41.72 and $48.67 an hour.
Author & reviewer
Sarah has spent over a decade advising Australian SMBs on Fair Work, NES compliance, and payroll. Based in Sydney, she has worked across hospitality, retail and professional services.