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Mannequins and Models Award Pay Calculator

Work out what a week of house modelling work actually pays — the standard rate, evening and Saturday loadings, casual engagements and super, calculated the way the award says.

How the Mannequins and Models Award is applied

The standard rate is $1,061.50/week or $27.93/hour for an adult house mannequin or model, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026 — this is the only rate the award has.
Casuals on an hourly engagement get the standard 25% loading; casuals booked for still photography, TV or movie work are instead paid $135.86 per hour or part thereof as a fixed engagement rate (clause 16.2(a)) — very different from the hourly loading model, so check how the booking was actually structured.
Evening (Mon–Wed, 6pm–9pm) and Saturday (7am–6pm) work inside ordinary hours don’t attract a percentage penalty — they add a flat $6.69/hour and $13.80/hour respectively on top of the ordinary rate.
Sunday work is paid at a straightforward 200% of the minimum hourly rate — no separate casual uplift on top, the 200% already covers it.
The ordinary-hours spread is tight and day-specific — Mon–Wed 9am–9pm, Thu–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat 7am–6pm. Anything outside those windows is overtime, not a penalty rate, even if it’s still within the 38-hour week.
Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including the evening/Saturday flat additions and Sunday penalty — but not to overtime.

Who the award covers

House mannequins and models employed directly by a business (retail, fashion, promotional)
Full-time and part-time house models on a regular pattern of hours
Casual house models paid by the hour for in-house or floor work
Casual models engaged per-session for still photography, TV or movie appearances
Junior models aged 15–17 on the award’s percentage rates

Employees already covered by a modern enterprise award or enterprise instrument, or by a State reference public sector award, sit outside this award — check before you classify.

Which level is your team member?

The Mannequins and Models Award is unusually simple to classify under: there is exactly one adult classification, house mannequin or model (clause 16.1), covering anyone 18 or older engaged to model or display merchandise. There’s no ladder to climb — the work that varies is how someone is engaged, not what they’re called.

Level	Per hour	Per week (38h)	Typical roles	The test
House mannequin or model	$27.93	$1061.50	House mannequin · House model · In-store or showroom model	Any adult (18 or older) employed to model or display merchandise for an employer — this is the only classification in the award, and also its standard rate.

Adults (18+) are all "house mannequin or model" — the same rate whether the work is in-store, showroom or promotional.
Juniors are paid a percentage of the adult rate: 15 years old = 60%, 16 = 75%, 17 = 90% (clause 16.1(b)).
Casual house models paid by the hour use the standard casual structure below — but casuals booked for still photography, TV or movie appearances are paid a fixed per-engagement rate instead (clause 16.2), not an hourly rate plus loading.
Runway or live modelling bookings have their own per-booking schedule (clause 16.2(b)) that varies by duration — this calculator is built for the hourly house-model structure, not runway bookings.

Allowances that can apply on top

Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Mannequins and Models 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):

Annual leave loading17.5% on paid annual leave (clause 23.2)

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 Mannequins and Models 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 Mannequins and Models Award requires:

Rest breakEngagements of 4+ continuous hours: a 15-minute rest break, timed so it doesn’t interrupt the work where continuity matters.

Meal breakNo more than 5 continuous hours without a meal break of at least 45 minutes (reducible to 30 by agreement) — the employee can leave the venue for the whole break.

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

Calculate a week under the Mannequins and Models 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 territoryOrdinary hours (Mon–Sat, within spread)Mon–Wed 9am–9pm, Thu–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat 7am–6pm — the award’s ordinary-hours spread (clause 14)Evening hours (Mon–Wed, 6pm–9pm)A flat $6.69/hour on top of the ordinary rate (clause 22.1(a)(i)) — not a multiplierSaturday hours (7am–6pm)A flat $13.80/hour on top of the ordinary rate (clause 22.1(a)(ii)) — not a multiplierSunday hoursA genuine 200% multiplier (clause 22.2) — casual loading is already absorbed into the 200%Public holiday hoursThe award sets no separate public holiday penalty; the NES entitlement to a day off, or payment at the applicable overtime rate if worked, applies — shown here at a conservative planning figure

Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000117) — 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 $27.93/hour and $1,061.50/week figures are the adult rates from the award (clause 16.1), current at 1 July 2026. Junior rates (15–17 years) are a set percentage of these. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.

Why are the evening and Saturday penalties flat dollars, not percentages?

That’s how this award writes them (clause 22.1) — an extra $6.69/hour for Monday–Wednesday evening work (6pm–9pm) and an extra $13.80/hour for Saturday work (7am–6pm), added straight onto the ordinary rate rather than multiplying it.

How are casual photography or TV bookings paid?

Differently from an hourly casual shift. Still photography and TV/movie appearances are paid a fixed $135.86 for each hour or part thereof (clause 16.2(a)), and runway or live modelling has its own per-booking schedule (clause 16.2(b)). Neither is the ordinary rate plus a loading — budget for the booking fee, not an hourly rate.

Does super apply to the evening and Saturday additions?

Yes — the flat evening and Saturday additions and the Sunday penalty are all ordinary-time earnings, so the 12% super guarantee applies. Genuine 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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