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INArchitects Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Architects Award actually pays — the right experience grade, the annual salary converted to weekly and hourly, overtime, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Architects Award is applied
- Minimum pay is an annual salary per experience grade and pay point (clause 13.1), current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026 — weekly and hourly are the award’s own published conversions (weekly = annual × 6 ÷ 313, hourly = weekly ÷ 38), not a generic ÷52 estimate.
- Casuals get a 25% loading on ordinary hours, but that loading is not paid on overtime (clause 10.2) — so a casual’s overtime rate equals the permanent rate.
- There is no evening, Saturday or Sunday penalty in this award at all — a genuine gap compared with awards like Retail or Hospitality, and worth knowing before assuming weekend work costs more.
- Overtime is a single flat 150% of the minimum hourly rate for all time worked outside the spread of ordinary hours — no tiered first-hours/after-hours structure.
- Public holiday work is treated as overtime, not a separate penalty (clause 23.3) — it’s paid at the same flat 150%, which the calculator models as the public holiday bucket.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including the salary itself — but not to overtime, so a week with a lot of overtime carries a smaller super contribution proportionally.
Who the award covers
- Employers of architects, in respect of employees in the Schedule A classifications
- Graduates of Architecture working toward registration
- Registered Architects at any experience grade
- Labour hire staff placed into architectural practices
Academic staff of a university or college of advanced education aren’t covered, nor are employees already covered by an enterprise award, enterprise instrument, or a State reference public sector award. This is an occupational award — it covers architects to the exclusion of any other modern award once it applies.
Which level is your team member?
The Architects Award uses a two-level ladder built around registration, not seniority alone. Level 1 (Graduate) has three pay points; Level 2 splits into 2(a) Experienced Graduate and 2(b) Registered Architect, each also with pay points. Progression through the ladder follows an annual competency review, not a fixed pay scale.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 — Graduate (Entry) | $34.40 | $1307.20 | Graduate architect, first year | Undertakes initial professional architectural tasks of limited scope, under supervision from more senior professionals, applying principles learned in the undergraduate course. |
| Level 1 — Graduate (1st pay point) | $36.22 | $1376.30 | Graduate architect, progressing | Progression within Level 1 following the annual competency review — increasing individual judgment in applying architectural principles and techniques. |
| Level 1 — Graduate (2nd pay point) | $38.04 | $1445.40 | Graduate architect, most experienced | The top of Level 1 — developing the professional judgment needed to progress to Level 2(a), still reviewed by higher-level professionals for validity and method. |
| Level 2(a) — Experienced Graduate of Architecture | $39.77 | $1511.30 | Experienced graduate, not yet registered | Plans and conducts professional architectural work without detailed supervision (guidance available on unusual features) — usually on more responsible assignments requiring real experience, but not yet registered. |
| Level 2(b) — Registered Architect (Entry) | $39.77 | $1511.30 | Newly registered architect | Same duties as Level 2(a), but registered as an architect under Australian legislation. Entry pay point matches the 2(a) rate exactly. |
| Level 2(b) — Registered Architect (1st pay point) | $41.00 | $1558.00 | Registered architect, progressing | Progression within Level 2(b) following the annual competency review, still working on responsible assignments requiring professional experience. |
| Level 2(b) — Registered Architect (2nd pay point) | $42.23 | $1604.80 | Registered architect, most experienced | The top of the award’s ladder — a registered architect at the most experienced pay point, working without detailed supervision on complex assignments. |
- Level 1 is the graduate entry point — three pay points track growing independence as the graduate applies architectural principles under supervision.
- The move to Level 2(a) is about autonomy: planning and conducting work without detailed supervision, on more responsible assignments — but not yet registered.
- Registration is the dividing line, not pay: Level 2(b) Entry pays exactly the same as Level 2(a) — the difference is that the employee is registered as an architect under Australian legislation (clause 4.2).
- Progression through pay points and from Graduate to Registered Architect is gated by an annual competency review against the Prescribed Competencies in the National Competency Standards in Architecture (clause 13.3), not automatic time-based advancement.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Architects 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.
Calculate a week under the Architects 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, MA000079) — first full pay period on or after that date.
This week’s numbers
Nothing is stored or sent — the maths runs on this page.
Why does a salary award show hourly rates?
The award itself publishes both a weekly and an hourly rate alongside each annual salary (clause 13.1) — weekly is annual × 6 ÷ 313, rounded to the nearest 10 cents, and hourly is weekly ÷ 38. The calculator uses those award figures directly rather than a generic ÷52 conversion.
Do I owe a weekend penalty?
No — this award has no evening, Saturday or Sunday penalty rate at all. The only premium above the ordinary rate is the flat 150% overtime rate for hours outside the spread of ordinary hours.
What happens to pay on a public holiday?
Public holiday work is expressly deemed to be overtime under clause 23.3, not a separate public-holiday penalty — so it’s paid at the same flat 150% rate as any other overtime, which is what the calculator’s public holiday bucket reflects.
What’s the difference between Level 2(a) and 2(b) Entry?
Nothing in the pay — they’re the same rate. The difference is registration: a 2(b) employee is registered as an architect under Australian legislation, while a 2(a) employee is an experienced graduate doing similar work but not yet registered.
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.
