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Corrections and Detention Award Pay Calculator

Work out what a week under the Corrections and Detention (Private Sector) Award actually pays — the right classification level, night and weekend penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.

How the Corrections and Detention Award is applied

Minimum rates are set per classification and stream — the calculator uses the Correctional stream rates from clause 15.1(a), current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
Casuals get a 25% loading that IS added on top of night, weekend and public-holiday penalties (Saturday 175%, Sunday 225%, public holidays 275%) — but overtime for casuals is calculated on the minimum rate excluding the loading, so casual overtime equals the permanent rate. Both confirmed against the FWO’s official pay guide.
The night span (6pm–6am, Monday to Friday) attracts a 115% penalty — rising to 130% for employees on permanent night work — on top of the usual day/weekend structure.
Overtime is 150% for the first 3 hours Monday to Saturday, then 200%; Sunday and public holiday overtime is a flat 200% and 250% respectively.
A call-back to duty after leaving the workplace is paid a minimum of 3 hours (Monday to Saturday) or 4 hours (Sunday and public holidays) at the applicable overtime rate.
Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including night and weekend penalties on ordinary hours — but not to overtime.

Who the award covers

Private operation of correctional facilities and custody centres
Court custody management services and court security
Private operation of detention facilities and detainee services
Prisoner and detainee escort and transport services
Catering staff employed in connection with private corrections or detention operations

Building and construction work, clerical staff covered by the Clerks Award, and general security guarding covered by the Security Services Industry Award sit outside this award unless the employer is acting as a sub-contract operator.

Which level is your team member?

This award runs three separate classification streams — Correctional, Detention and Catering — each with its own schedule. Most private corrections operators sit in the Correctional stream, which is what this calculator uses; pick the Detention or Catering equivalent by comparable responsibility if that’s your team.

Level	Per hour	Per week (38h)	Typical roles	The test
Trainee	$26.35	$1001.20	Trainee	Undergoing training in correctional duties at a correctional facility.
Correctional Officer Level 1	$28.32	$1076.20	Correctional Officer	Performs custody, security and welfare duties at Level 1 (also covers Perimeter/Security Level 2, paid the same rate).
Correctional Officer Level 2	$30.87	$1173.10	Correctional Officer (senior)	Performs custody, security and welfare duties at Level 2, with additional responsibilities.
Court Security Officer	$28.07	$1066.60	Court Security Officer	Provides security services for court facilities. This is the award’s standard-rate classification (also covers Perimeter/Security Level 1, paid the same rate).
Court Security Supervisor	$30.16	$1146.10	Court Security Supervisor	Supervises court security officers.
Custody Officer	$29.45	$1119.10	Custody Officer	Responsible for the custody and transport of prisoners or detainees.
Prisoner Escort Transport Officer	$29.45	$1119.10	Prisoner Escort Transport Officer (PETO)	Responsible for prisoner escort and transport duties.
Correctional Supervisor Level 1	$35.11	$1334.20	Correctional Supervisor	Manages correctional officers at Level 1.
Correctional Supervisor Level 2	$36.51	$1387.40	Senior Correctional Supervisor	Senior supervisor with broader management responsibility at Level 2.

The Correctional stream (Schedule A) runs from Trainee up to Correctional Supervisor Level 2, with Court Security Officer set as the award’s standard rate for clause cross-references.
Two Perimeter/Security levels exist alongside Correctional Officer Levels 1 and 2 and Court Security Officer — they’re paid identically to those levels, so they’re folded into the same rows here rather than listed separately.
The Detention stream (Schedule B, 4 levels) and Catering stream (Schedule C, 7 levels) run in parallel for facilities that employ detention services or catering staff directly — Catering Introductory is the lowest rate in the whole award at $978.10/week.
Progression through Correctional Officer and Supervisor levels is about scope of responsibility and appointment, not just time served — check the position’s actual duties against Schedule A before classifying.

Allowances that can apply on top

Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Corrections and Detention 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):

First aid allowance — appointed first aid officer$4.91/shift (capped at $21.12/week)

Dog handler’s allowance — where the employer doesn’t provide animal services directly5% of the weekly minimum rate

Meal allowance — qualifying overtime occasion$22.15 per occasion

Vehicle allowance — own motor vehicle used for work$1.01/km

Vehicle allowance — own motorcycle used for work$0.34/km

Duty away — breakfast, lunch and dinner while on duty away from base$25.93 breakfast/lunch · $43.23 dinner

Annual leave loading17.5% on paid annual leave

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 Corrections and Detention 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 Corrections and Detention Award requires:

Meal breakAn unpaid meal break of at least 30 minutes — no more than 5 hours of work without one unless agreed otherwise, at times suiting operations.

Rest breaks (shiftworkers)Paid rest breaks of at least 10 minutes, timed around operational requirements and the employee’s wishes.

On-duty mealsWhere operations demand it, staff may eat on duty without a set break and take equivalent time off at ordinary rates instead.

From the award’s breaks clause (clause 14). Verify the current award text before relying on it.

Calculate a week under the Corrections and Detention 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.

Classification levelEmployment typeState or territoryDay span hours (0600–1800, Mon–Fri)Night span hours (1800–0600, Mon–Fri)Ordinary hours worked in the night span, Monday to Friday — casuals get the 15% penalty plus their 25% loading (140% total), confirmed against the FWO pay guide.Saturday hoursSunday hoursPublic holiday hours

Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000110) — 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 Correctional stream rates from the award (clause 15.1(a)), current at 1 July 2026. Detention and Catering stream rates differ — treat this result as a planning number and confirm the right stream against the award or your payroll adviser.

What’s the difference between the day span and night span penalty?

Hours worked 6am–6pm Monday to Friday are ordinary rate (100%); hours worked 6pm–6am the same days attract a 115% penalty, rising to 130% if the employee is permanently rostered on nights. It’s separate from — and stacks before — the Saturday, Sunday and public holiday penalties.

Why don’t casual overtime rates include the 25% loading?

The award says so directly (clause 11.2(a)): casual overtime is calculated on the plain minimum hourly rate, not the loaded casual rate — so a casual’s overtime pays exactly the same as a permanent’s. Penalty rates are the opposite: the FWO’s pay guide confirms casuals get the 25% loading on top of night, weekend and public-holiday penalties (e.g. 175% on Saturday, not 150%). Applying one rule to both is a common payroll trap under this award.

Does super apply to night and weekend penalties?

Yes — night span, Saturday, Sunday and public holiday penalties on ordinary hours are ordinary-time earnings, so the 12% super guarantee applies. 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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