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INFuneral Industry Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Funeral Award actually pays — the right grade, weekend and after-hours removal penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Funeral Industry Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per grade — the calculator uses the adult rates from clause 15.1, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading on ordinary hours, and the penalty percentages below already include it.
- The award’s distinctive penalty is for removals: 150% (175% casual) for the first 3 hours between 7pm and midnight, stepping to 200% (225%) after — and 200% (225%) flat for any removal touching midnight–7am.
- Ordinary hours sit between 7am and 7pm Monday–Friday; work outside that span is overtime at 150% for the first 3 hours, then 200% (casuals: 175% / 225%).
- Public holidays pay 200% — lower than most awards — but Saturdays step up to 200% after 3 hours, and weekend work carries a 2-hour minimum (4 hours for a funeral on a Saturday). Sunday is a quirk: it’s a flat 200% for everyone, including casuals, for the first 3 hours — the casual loading only kicks in (taking it to 225%) after 3 hours.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including penalty rates — but not to overtime.
Who the award covers
- Funeral homes and funeral directors — arranging and conducting funerals
- Removal of deceased human remains, including after-hours call-outs
- Mortuary staff and embalmers, from trainees to fully qualified
- Coffin manufacturing — staining, polishing, machining and assembly
- Ancillary funeral services, plus on-hire labour and group training trainees in the industry
Cemetery businesses are excluded outright — clause 4.3 carves out the cemetery industry, which has its own award. And if another award’s classification fits the work better, that award applies (clause 4.7) — check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Funeral Award has one classification ladder with six grades (clause 12), split between the funeral home side — assistants, conductors, arrangers, embalmers — and the coffin manufacturing side. Grades turn on role and qualification, with one hard rule at the bottom: nobody stays at Grade 1 longer than 6 months.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | $25.74 | $978.10 | Funeral director’s assistant (first 6 months) · Coffin draper | An entry grade with a hard time limit: a maximum of 6 months. Covers assistants, coffin drapers and adult employees not mentioned in Grades 2–6. |
| Grade 2 | $26.44 | $1004.90 | Funeral director’s assistant (preparation work) · Embalmer in training · Coffin stainer | Preparation work, unqualified embalming under supervision, coffin staining and finishing — or any Grade 1 duties after the first 6 months. |
| Grade 3 | $27.08 | $1029.10 | Funeral conductor · Funeral arranger · Woodworking machine operator | The client-facing grade: conducting and arranging funerals — or operating a woodworking machine without the full Grade 5 skill set. |
| Grade 4 | $27.97 | $1062.90 | Embalmer | An embalmer — or an unqualified employee working beyond Grade 3 skills. |
| Grade 5 | $29.45 | $1119.10 | Coffin maker (qualified) · Polishing section all-rounder · Machinist who grinds and sets cutters | The skilled manufacturing grade: all polishing functions, all woodworking machines including grinding and setting blades, or qualified coffin making end to end. The award’s “standard rate”. |
| Grade 6 — Embalmer qualified | $30.38 | $1154.30 | Qualified embalmer (AIE-eligible) | Eligible for the Australian Institute of Embalming (or equivalent) and qualified for reconstructive artistry, cosmetic enhancement and embalming for transhipment. |
- Grade 1 is strictly temporary — a maximum of 6 months. After that, the same duties are Grade 2 work at Grade 2 pay, automatically.
- Grade 3 is the client-facing grade: funeral conductors and arrangers sit here regardless of tenure.
- Embalming has its own three-step path: in training or under supervision is Grade 2, a working embalmer is Grade 4, and a fully qualified embalmer (AIE-eligible, reconstructive and transhipment work) is Grade 6.
- Coffin manufacturing climbs separately: staining and finishing at Grade 2, woodworking machines at Grade 3, and the full skill set — all machines, grinding and setting blades, qualified coffin making — at Grade 5.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Funeral Industry 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 Funeral Industry 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 Funeral Industry Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 14). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Funeral Industry 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, MA000105) — 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 15.1, current at 1 July 2026. Shiftworkers have separate penalty arrangements (clause 20), and Saturday and evening-removal rates step up from 150% to 200% after 3 hours. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
What do I pay for a night-time removal?
It depends on the clock. A removal worked between 7pm and midnight pays 150% (175% casual) for the first 3 hours, then 200% (225%). If any part of the removal falls between midnight and 7am, the whole job is 200% (225% casual) — with a 2-hour minimum for full-time staff. Being recalled before 7am or after 7pm also carries a 1-hour minimum per recall.
Which grade is a funeral director’s assistant?
Grade 1 for the first 6 months at most — the award caps time at that grade. From then on, the same duties are Grade 2. An assistant doing preparation work is Grade 2 from the start, and conducting or arranging funerals is Grade 3.
Does super apply to penalty rates?
Yes — weekend, public-holiday and removal 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.
