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INAnimal Care Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Animal Care Award actually pays — vet nurse and animal attendant classification levels, the after-1pm Saturday penalty, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Animal Care Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per classification — the calculator uses the adult weekly-stream rates from clause 15.2, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading (already included in the percentages above) and a 3-hour minimum engagement per shift.
- The Saturday penalty only starts at 1pm — 150% for the first 3 hours, then 200% (casuals 175% / 225%). Saturday morning is plain time, the rule employers most often get backwards.
- Sunday ordinary hours are 200% (225% casual); public holidays 250% (275% casual) with a 4-hour minimum engagement.
- Overtime applies beyond 38 ordinary weekly hours: 150% for the first 3 hours, then 200% (casuals: 175% / 225%). Veterinary surgeons are different — their overtime is ordinary-time pay or time off in lieu.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including penalty rates — but not to overtime.
Who the award covers
- Veterinary practices and animal hospitals — vet nurses, receptionists and practice managers
- Animal care facilities — boarding kennels, catteries, shelters and pounds
- Animal attendants and assistants — grooming, feeding, cleaning and animal handling
- Veterinary surgeons in private practice, from new graduates to senior surgeons (salary stream)
- Animal care industry inspectors authorised under animal welfare legislation (salary stream)
Pet shops sit under the Retail Award, zoos and wildlife parks under the Amusement, Events and Recreation Award, and racing stables under the Horse and Greyhound Training Award — check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Animal Care Award has three separate streams: a weekly-rated ladder for practice managers, veterinary nurses, receptionists, animal attendants and assistants (the one this calculator models), plus annual-salary streams for veterinary surgeons and animal care inspectors. Most clinic and kennel hires sit on the weekly ladder — classify by qualification and the supervision the role actually needs.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory level | $25.74 | $978.10 | New starter with no industry experience (first 3 months) | The training level: routine tasks to set procedures with on-the-job training. Moves to Level 1 within 3 months. |
| Level 1 | $26.44 | $1004.90 | Animal attendant · Kennel hand · Junior receptionist | Works under direct supervision with close checking: basic animal care, grooming, feeding, cleaning and restraint as instructed, basic reception and phone duties. |
| Level 2 | $28.24 | $1073.10 | Experienced animal attendant · Receptionist · Clinic assistant | Limited discretion within established routines: general animal care, daily clinic routines and hygiene, reception under reduced supervision, stock control help. |
| Level 3 | $29.45 | $1119.10 | Qualified veterinary nurse (Cert III) · Senior receptionist | AQF Level 3 qualified or working at trade level with limited supervision: routine patient monitoring, accounts, animal first aid, supervising juniors. The award’s “standard rate”. |
| Level 4 | $32.13 | $1221.10 | Veterinary nurse (Cert IV) · Surgical/anaesthesia nurse | AQF 4 competencies: full veterinary nursing — anaesthesia monitoring, radiography, pathology procedures, surgical preparation and post-operative care. |
| Level 5 — Practice manager | $33.77 | $1283.10 | Practice manager | Overall responsibility for the day-to-day running of the practice: HR, stock, clinical administration, bookkeeping and customer management, accountable to broad direction only. |
- The calculator shows the weekly stream (clause 15.2) — the award’s main ladder. Veterinary surgeons are salary-based: from $67,582 for a new graduate (Level 1A, ≈$34.20/hr) to $95,593 for a senior surgeon (Level 4, ≈$48.38/hr). Inspectors run $67,582–$77,032.
- The Introductory level is strictly temporary — a new starter with no industry experience moves to Level 1 within 3 months, no exceptions.
- Qualifications set the floor: Certificate III (or equivalent trade-level experience) means at least Level 3; Certificate IV competencies — anaesthesia monitoring, radiography, surgical nursing — mean Level 4.
- Level 5 is reserved for the practice manager: the person accountable for the whole practice’s day-to-day running, not just a senior nurse with extra duties.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Animal Care 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 Animal Care 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 Animal Care Award requires:
Veterinary surgeons are excluded from the paid rest break entitlement. The full rules live in clause 14 of the award.
Calculate a week under the Animal Care 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, MA000118) — 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 classification minimums are the adult rates from the award’s weekly stream (clause 15.2), current at 1 July 2026. Junior rates run 50% (under 17) to 90% (age 20), and shiftworkers have their own penalty table — 115% for a shift finishing after 8pm, 130% where most hours fall between midnight and 8am. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
What about the vets themselves?
Veterinary surgeons sit in a separate salary stream: $67,582 a year for a new graduate (Level 1A) rising to $95,593 for a senior surgeon (Level 4). Their overtime is also different — ordinary-time pay or time off in lieu rather than penalty multipliers. This calculator models the weekly-rated clinic team: nurses, receptionists, attendants and the practice manager.
When does the Saturday penalty actually start?
At 1pm — not midnight Friday. Saturday morning is plain time; from 1pm the first 3 hours are 150% (175% casual) and anything beyond that is 200% (225% casual). If your clinic runs Saturday consults until 2pm, only the last hour attracts the penalty.
Does super apply to penalty rates?
Yes — Saturday-afternoon, 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.
