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INJournalists Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Journalists Award actually pays — the right classification level, shift and weekend loadings, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Journalists Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per classification level from Schedule A, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading on top of the ordinary hourly rate — but that loading is deliberately excluded when calculating shiftwork, weekend and overtime rates (clause 10.4); it only applies to the plain ordinary-hours rate and to the public holiday rate (275% = 250% + 25%).
- Shift and weekend loadings are modest and don't stack: a 10% loading for morning/afternoon shifts, 17.5% (metro/magazine/wire/regional) or 15% (regional daily/country non-daily/digital) for night shifts, and 10% for Saturday/Sunday work — but clause 19.3 says only the highest single loading applies when a shift qualifies for more than one.
- Overtime defaults to time off in lieu (TOIL) at single time under clause 18.3 — cash payment at 150% (first 2 hours) / 200% (after) only applies "where mutually agreed." The calculator assumes the paid-overtime path; if your business runs TOIL instead, treat the overtime line as time banked, not cash paid.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including shift, weekend and public holiday loadings — but not to overtime.
- The trap: casual overtime is paid at 150%/200% of the plain ordinary hourly rate with no casual loading added on top (clause 10.4) — it's easy to assume the 25% loading carries through to overtime hours the way it does for ordinary hours, and it doesn't.
Who the award covers
- Journalism in its literary, artistic and photographic branches — gathering, writing or preparing news matter or commentary
- Metropolitan daily, regional daily, suburban and country non-daily newspapers
- Magazines, periodicals, journals, wire services and online/digital publications
- Cadets undertaking a graduate (up to 1 year) or standard (up to 3 year) cadetship
- Labour hire staff placed into the published media industry
Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing staff, Broadcasting and Recorded Entertainment employees, and Clerks (Private Sector) roles have their own awards. Editors, editors-in-chief and chiefs of staff of a metropolitan daily, and senior roles paid above the Level 11 rate with real editorial or managerial control, sit outside this award entirely.
Which level is your team member?
The Journalists Award classifies editorial employees into 3 bands spanning 13 levels, plus a Cadet entry point — but clause 11.6 is explicit that these definitions are indicators of skill only, used to fix the minimum rate, not to restrict the work an employee can be asked to do. Most working journalists sit in Band 1 (Levels 1–7); Band 2 (Levels 8–10) is for employees working independently on difficult assignments without direct supervision, and Band 3 (Levels 11–13) is reserved for the most senior editorial staff — and is largely outside the scope of this calculator (see below).
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadet (3rd year / graduate) | $28.92 | $1098.99 | Graduate cadet (diploma/degree, up to 1 year) · Standard cadet (up to 3 years) | Training in practical journalism from collection to publication under supervision. Paid at 90% of the Level 1 rate — the rate for a graduate cadet's single year, and a standard cadet's final year (1st year: 60%, 2nd year: 75%). |
| Level 1 (Band 1) | $32.13 | $1221.10 | Junior journalist · Junior photographer/artist | Has completed a cadetship or equivalent and is gaining experience across a wide range of practical areas, normally under broad supervision. |
| Level 2 (Band 1) | $33.04 | $1255.40 | Journalist, gaining independence | As training and experience build, assigned duties needing more independent initiative and judgment or more advanced skills than Level 1. |
| Level 3 (Band 1) | $34.46 | $1309.50 | Journalist · Suburban newspaper senior role (suburban cap) | Continuing progression through Band 1 — decreasing supervision, greater professional judgment. Suburban newspaper employees cannot be classified above this level. |
| Level 4 (Band 1) | $35.38 | $1344.50 | Journalist — established | Solid independent practice within Band 1, handling a broader range of stories or assignments with limited supervision. |
| Level 5 (Band 1) | $36.30 | $1379.50 | Senior journalist (developing) | Increasing autonomy and skill within Band 1, ahead of the most senior Band 1 grades. |
| Level 6 (Band 1) | $38.16 | $1450.20 | Senior journalist · Other (non-metro/suburban) penalty cap | Senior Band 1 practitioner. This is also the penalty-rate cap for employees not covered by the metro/magazine/wire/regional or suburban caps (clause 19.5(c)). |
| Level 7 (Band 1) | $39.83 | $1513.70 | Senior journalist · Senior photographer/artist | The top of Band 1 — requiring the least supervision and the greatest professional judgment before moving into Band 2. |
| Level 8 (Band 2) | $41.69 | $1584.20 | Journalist working independently · Metro/magazine/wire/regional penalty cap | Wide practical experience and advanced skills; works independently on difficult, responsible assignments. This is the penalty-rate cap for metropolitan daily, magazine, wire service and regional daily employees (clause 19.5(a)). |
| Level 9 (Band 2) | $44.46 | $1689.40 | Senior journalist · Country non-daily newspaper cap | Advanced independent practice, exercising initiative and judgment on difficult assignments, individually or in a team. Country non-daily newspaper employees cannot be classified above this level. |
- This calculator covers Cadet through Level 9 — the levels almost every SMB publisher actually hires into. Levels 10–13 exist in the award (rates up to $61.12/hour at Level 13) but are capped out of hours-of-work, overtime and shiftwork provisions for most outlet types, or reserved for senior editorial control roles outside award coverage altogether — check the award directly if you're classifying at that level.
- Outlet type caps the ceiling: country non-daily newspaper employees cannot be classified above Level 9, and regional daily or suburban newspaper employees cannot go above Level 10 (clause 11.7).
- Cadetship length depends on entry point: a graduate cadet (holds a relevant diploma or degree) serves up to 1 year and is paid the final-year (90%) rate throughout; a standard cadet serves up to 3 years, starting at 60% of Level 1 in year one, 75% in year two and 90% in year three.
- Levels 12 and 13, and Level 10 at a suburban newspaper or Level 9 at a country non-daily newspaper, are exempt from the award's hours-of-work, overtime and shiftwork/weekend provisions entirely (clause 4.9) — those employees are paid their classification rate regardless of when or how much they work.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Journalists 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 Journalists 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 Journalists Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 13). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Journalists 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, MA000067) — 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 Schedule A, current at 1 July 2026. This calculator covers Cadet through Level 9 — the levels most SMB publishers hire into. Levels 10–13 exist in the award but are capped for most outlet types or largely outside award coverage; check the award or your payroll adviser if you're classifying that senior. Treat every result here as a planning number, not final payroll advice.
Is there a first aid allowance under this award?
No — the Journalists Award doesn't provide one. Its allowances are built around the realities of the newsroom instead: sub-editing, evening-dress clothing, meals away from home, computer-screen spectacles, special-risk travel insurance and relocation costs.
Why is the weekend loading only 10%, when other awards pay 50% or more?
The Journalists Award treats Saturday and Sunday work as an ordinary-hours shift loading (10%), not a standalone weekend penalty — and it's not cumulative with the shift loadings, so an employee working a qualifying weekend night shift is paid the higher of the two loadings, not both stacked together.
How does overtime actually get paid — cash or time off?
By default, overtime is banked as time off in lieu at single time (clause 18.3(a)) — cash payment at 150%/200% only happens "where mutually agreed" between employer and employee. If your business always pays overtime in cash, make sure that agreement is in place; otherwise the award's default is TOIL, not pay.
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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