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INLocal Government Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Local Government Award actually pays — the right classification level, weekend and overtime rules, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Local Government Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per classification level — the calculator uses the adult rates from clause 16.1, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading on the minimum hourly rate, but that loading is excluded when calculating penalty rates and overtime for casual employees (clause 11.1) — the calculator applies the loading only to ordinary hours.
- Weekend penalties are 150% (Saturday) and 175% (Sunday) of the minimum rate for most employees — but recreation centre and community services employees are not entitled to any weekend penalty for hours worked 5am–10pm (clause 22.3), a distinctive carve-out worth checking before rostering those teams.
- Overtime (Monday–Saturday before noon) is 150% for the first 2 hours then 200% after; hours from Saturday noon and all day Sunday are a flat 200%; public holidays are 250%.
- Public holiday work is paid at 250% of the minimum hourly rate with no additional casual loading on top (clause 28.2) — casual and permanent public-holiday rates are the same multiplier.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including weekend penalties — but not to overtime. The award’s trap: a call-back to work after hours attracts a minimum 3-hour payment at the overtime rate (clause 21.5(c)), even for a 20-minute job.
Who the award covers
- Councils, local councils, county councils, municipal councils and shire councils
- Other local government bodies created under or regulated by state or territory local government legislation
- Corporations controlled by one or more local government entities
- Operational, administrative, technical, trades and professional staff across the sector
- Recreation centre and community services employees (with their own weekend rules — see below)
CEOs (however described), nurses (Nurses Award), doctors (Medical Practitioners Award), university-qualified early childhood teachers (Educational Services Teachers Award) and local government associations sit outside this award — check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Local Government Award runs an 11-level skill-based ladder (Schedule A) spanning operational, administrative, technical, trades and professional employees — one of the widest ranges of any modern award. Classification follows the skills, qualifications and responsibilities actually required for the role, not the job title on the org chart. Most council field and support staff sit at Levels 1–5; the levels above cover trades leadership, specialists and management.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $27.11 | $1030.10 | Entry-level operational worker · Labourer · Cleaner (new starter) | Entry level: basic tasks under direct supervision, minimal experience or qualifications required. |
| Level 2 | $27.97 | $1062.90 | Operational worker · Parks and gardens assistant · Customer service assistant | Duties beyond Level 1, working under supervision, typically Year 10 education or equivalent. |
| Level 3 | $29.03 | $1103.00 | Senior operational worker · Administrative assistant · Plant operator | Operational work beyond Level 2, or entry administrative work — Certificate II or a non-trades Certificate III. |
| Level 4 | $29.45 | $1119.10 | Trade-qualified worker (Cert IV/trade cert) · Senior administrative officer · Library technician | Operational, administrative or entry trades work beyond Level 3 — trade certificate or Certificate IV equivalent. The award’s standard rate. |
| Level 5 | $31.30 | $1189.40 | Post-trade tradesperson · Team leader · Technical officer | Technical, administrative or trades work beyond Level 4 — post-trade certificate or diploma level. |
| Level 6 | $33.87 | $1287.20 | Senior technical officer · Coordinator · Supervisor of trades staff | Administrative, technical or trades responsibility beyond Level 5 — diploma or advanced diploma. |
| Level 7 | $34.46 | $1309.50 | Specialist technical officer · Graduate professional (engineer, planner) | Specialist technical work beyond Level 6, or entry-level graduate professional work — degree or diploma. |
| Level 8 | $37.24 | $1415.00 | Professional advisor · Project manager · Senior planner/engineer | Professional or specialist advisory work and project management — degree plus additional skills training and considerable experience. |
| Level 9 | $39.83 | $1513.70 | Key specialist · Principal professional | Key specialist or experienced professional work — relevant degree or equivalent with extensive practical experience. |
| Level 10 | $43.54 | $1654.40 | Senior manager · Director of a business unit | Senior manager reporting to a senior executive officer, with an operational and strategic management focus. |
| Level 11 | $49.09 | $1865.60 | Senior executive officer (not CEO) | Senior executive officer with overall responsibility and accountability for significant council functions — the top level below CEO. |
- Levels 1–3 are entry and general operational work, distinguished mainly by supervision level and whether Year 10 schooling, Certificate II or a non-trades Certificate III is held.
- Level 4 is the award’s standard rate and the entry point for trade-qualified staff (Certificate IV or trade certificate) as well as senior administrative work.
- Levels 5–7 track rising technical, trades and graduate-professional responsibility — post-trade certificate through to degree-qualified specialists.
- Levels 8–11 are genuine management and senior-professional roles: project managers and principal specialists at 8–9, then senior managers and senior executive officers (short of the CEO) at 10–11.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Local Government 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 Local Government 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 Local Government Award requires:
From the award’s meal breaks clause (clause 15). The award sets no separate paid rest breaks. Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Local Government 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, MA000112) — 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 (clause 16.1), current at 1 July 2026. The award also allows annualised wage arrangements (clause 18) for salaried roles, which aren’t modelled here. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
Why don’t weekend hours cost more for our recreation centre staff?
The award specifically exempts recreation centre and community services employees from Saturday and Sunday penalty rates for ordinary hours worked between 5am and 10pm (clause 22.3). If your roster falls entirely in that window, those shifts are paid at the ordinary rate, not the weekend penalty.
Does casual loading apply to overtime and penalties?
No — clause 11.1 excludes the 25% casual loading from overtime and penalty rate calculations. The calculator reflects this: casual overtime and public-holiday rates use the same multiplier as permanent staff, applied to the minimum hourly rate.
What’s the minimum payment if someone is called back to work?
Clause 21.5(c) guarantees at least 3 hours’ pay at the applicable overtime rate every time an employee is recalled to work — even if the actual job takes 20 minutes. It’s a common trap for councils rostering after-hours callouts (e.g. water main breaks or storm response).
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.
