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INAmusement and Events Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Amusement and Events Award actually pays — the right grade, Sunday and public-holiday penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Amusement and Events Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per grade — the calculator uses the adult rates from clause 16.1, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading on ordinary hours — but not on overtime. Casual overtime is paid at the same 150%/200% as permanent staff (clause 11.5).
- There is no Saturday penalty for ordinary hours — Saturday daytime is plain time under this award. Sundays are 150%, with a 4-hour minimum engagement.
- Public holidays are 250% for most employees, with the same 4-hour minimum. Exhibition-stand crews are the exception: 200%, or ordinary pay plus time off in lieu.
- Overtime applies beyond 38 ordinary weekly hours: 150% for the first 3 hours, then 200% — and a 10-hour break is required between shifts, with every hour at 200% until it’s taken.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including penalty rates — but not to overtime.
Who the award covers
- Theme parks, carnivals, amusement parks and arcades
- Zoos, animal parks and aquariums
- Museums, galleries, heritage, tourism and cultural centres
- Leisure and recreation centres, sporting and convention complexes
- Ten pin bowling, go-kart venues and golf facilities
- Exhibition-stand builders for trade shows and public promotions
Businesses whose main activity is fitness services follow the Fitness Industry Award; registered clubs, travelling shows and on-site construction or electrical contracting have their own awards — check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Amusement, Events and Recreation Award runs one linear ladder: an Introductory level for the first three months, then Grades 1 to 10. Classification follows skill, training and supervision — the structure moves from “works under direct supervision” at Grade 1, to trade level at Grade 4, to genuine management above it. Most venue teams sit between Grades 1 and 4.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory | $25.74 | $978.10 | New starter (first 3 months) | Entering the industry and training toward Grade 1 — this level lasts up to 3 months. |
| Grade 1 | $26.44 | $1004.90 | Ride attendant · Tour guide · Usher · Admissions attendant · Cleaner/gardener | Initial training done; routine tasks under direct supervision — greeting, ushering, grooming animals, cleaning, basic labouring. Not handling cash. |
| Grade 2 | $27.08 | $1029.10 | Ticket seller · Cashier · Receptionist · Ride/games operator · Security officer | Handles cash, bookings and EFTPOS, operates rides and registers — works under routine supervision with limited discretion. |
| Grade 3 | $27.97 | $1062.90 | Supervisor (small team) · Specialised animal carer · Cocktail waiter · Basic lifeguard · CCTV security | Works from complex instructions under general supervision, coordinating a small team when asked; work is subject to final checking only. |
| Grade 4 | $29.45 | $1119.10 | Tradesperson · Exhibition technician · Animal trainer · Senior security officer | Trade certificate or equivalent competency — the award’s standard rate, and the benchmark for allowances and apprentice percentages. |
| Grade 5 | $30.38 | $1154.30 | Tradesperson or technician supervising staff | A technician or tradesperson who also supervises staff, general hands and technicians — or projects, including basic administration. |
| Grade 6 | $31.29 | $1189.20 | Head technician · Museum technician · Restoration officer · Senior animal attendant · Assistant golf professional | Senior technical or specialist roles — including assisting in a golf professional shop and delivering coaching. |
| Grade 7 | $32.13 | $1221.10 | Department supervisor (5+ staff) · Administrative or financial coordinator | Generally works without supervision and is accountable for output: financial and operational reporting, directing the work of a team. |
| Grade 8 | $33.77 | $1283.10 | Advanced technical or post-trade specialist | Advanced engineering or technical skills, post-trade or diploma-level qualifications — or duties of a more advanced or complex level. |
- Grade 1 is broad by design — ride attendants, ushers, tour guides, admissions and cleaning all live here once the 3-month Introductory period is done.
- Cash handling moves people up: ticket sellers, cashiers and ride operators handling money are Grade 2, not Grade 1.
- Grade 4 is trade level and the award’s standard rate — trade-qualified cooks, exhibition technicians and animal trainers sit here, and allowances are benchmarked against it.
- The calculator shows the Introductory level and Grades 1–8. Grades 9 and 10 are golf-course specialist roles — turf superintendents and PGA Golf Professionals — with the same mechanics at higher rates.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Amusement and Events Award adds allowances for particular duties and situations — being the designated first aid officer, working overtime without notice, using your own car. They’re small lines individually, but they’re legal entitlements and they add up. The common ones (1 July 2026 amounts):
The calculator below doesn’t include allowances — add the ones that apply to your team on top of the result. The full list lives in the award’s allowances clause.
Break entitlements under the Amusement and Events Award
Breaks are part of the award too — and missed or worked-through breaks usually carry a penalty rate, so they belong in the roster, not just the tea room. Here’s what the Amusement and Events Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 15). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Amusement and Events Award
Enter the week as it’s actually rostered. Weekend, evening and public-holiday hours are paid at the award’s penalty rates; anything beyond 38 hours is priced as overtime; super is applied to ordinary-time earnings only.
Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000080) — first full pay period on or after that date.
This week’s numbers
Nothing is stored or sent — the maths runs on this page.
Are these the exact legal rates?
The grade minimums are the adult rates from clause 16.1, current at 1 July 2026. Juniors are a percentage of these — from 55% under 17 to 85% at 19 — and apprentices are set against the Grade 4 standard rate. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
Do I owe a penalty for Saturday work?
Not for ordinary hours — unusually, this award has no Saturday penalty, so Saturday daytime is plain time (casuals still get their 25% loading). Sundays are different: 150%, with a minimum 4-hour engagement.
We build exhibition stands — does anything change?
Yes. Exhibition employees have their own layer: flexible weekly or hourly loadings, a 200% public-holiday rate (or ordinary pay plus time off in lieu), and overtime triggers based on 12-hour shifts and 2-week roster cycles. The calculator models the general rules — talk to your adviser before setting exhibition rosters.
Does super apply to penalty rates?
Yes — Sunday and public-holiday penalties on ordinary hours are ordinary-time earnings, so the 12% super guarantee applies. True overtime is excluded. The calculator applies exactly that split.
This is a general calculator, not legal advice. It applies the award’s published adult minimums to the hours you enter — it can’t see your enterprise agreement, allowances or individual arrangements, and junior, apprentice and shiftwork rates differ. Always confirm pay against the award, your agreement or your adviser. If you believe something here is materially wrong or out of date, please contact us — we’ll review it promptly.
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Tommy applies the right award rates to every shift as you roster — penalties, loading and super included. Start with your email and your numbers come along.
