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INMining Industry Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Mining Industry Award actually pays — the right classification, shift and weekend penalties, casual loading and 12% super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Mining Industry Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per level — the calculator uses the adult Schedule B rates (industry allowance included), current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casual loading is 25%, all-purpose, and is already reflected in the casual rate used throughout the calculator.
- Afternoon and night shift add 15% Monday to Friday; permanent night shift adds 30% — a bigger night-shift gap than most awards.
- The Saturday-before-noon rule is easy to miss: the first 3 hours before noon are 150%, everything after — before or after noon — is 200%. Continuous shiftworkers instead get a flat 200% for all hours, any day.
- Overtime runs on the standard 38-hour week: 150% for the first 3 hours Monday to Saturday noon, then 200%, with Sunday and public holiday overtime both at flat rates (200% and 250%).
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including shift and weekend penalties — but not to overtime.
Who the award covers
- Surface mining and mineral haulage
- Underground mining
- Ore processing, smelting and refining
- Mineral services roles on a mining operation
- Mining maintenance trades (fitters, electricians and dual-trade staff)
- Full-time, part-time and casual mining employees
Black coal mining and coal export terminals sit under their own separate awards — check coverage before applying this one to a coal site.
Which level is your team member?
The Mining Industry Award runs one ladder across seven levels, from Entry Level Introductory to Level 7 Dual Trade Instrumentation. Not every level is open to every role — Services, Surface, Processing and Underground groups generally run Entry to Level 2 or 3, while Maintenance Trades employees progress through to Level 7. Classify by the competency the employer has assessed, not the job title.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Level — Introductory | $27.53 | $1046.31 | New starter completing site induction | Undertaking standard induction training — conditions of employment, mine and plant safety, first aid, site movement and quality procedures — under direct supervision. |
| Level 1 — Basic | $28.65 | $1088.71 | General hand · basic plant duties | Has completed induction and is assessed competent to carry out basic, semi-skilled work. |
| Level 2 — Intermediate | $29.67 | $1127.61 | Plant operator · process worker | Competent across a broader range of plant and equipment functions, exercising discretion within their skill level under routine supervision. |
| Level 3 — Competent | $30.54 | $1160.51 | Trade-certificated tradesperson · experienced operator | The award’s standard rate. Applies skills in complex but routine situations, plans tasks, selects equipment and takes responsibility for others’ work under limited supervision. |
| Level 4 — Advanced | $32.51 | $1235.31 | Senior tradesperson · leading hand | Meets Level 3 requirements and performs tasks needing in-depth skill or a broad integration of skills, including non-routine work, and provides guidance to others. |
| Level 5 — Advanced Specialist | $34.56 | $1313.21 | Post-trade qualified specialist | Meets Level 4 requirements and holds a trade qualification plus additional post-trade knowledge; provides guidance to others. |
| Level 6 — Dual Trade | $36.20 | $1375.51 | Dual-trade tradesperson | Holds a dual trade qualification or equivalent, with high-precision skills in more than one trade area, qualified on complex mechanical, hydraulic or electrical machinery. |
| Level 7 — Dual Trade Instrumentation | $37.62 | $1429.51 | Dual-trade instrument technician | Meets Level 6 requirements plus additional post-trade instrumentation knowledge, applying advanced dual-trade instrument/electrical skills. |
- Level 3 — Competent is the award’s standard rate and reference point for allowances. Most trade-qualified operators and experienced hands sit here.
- Levels 5 to 7 are reserved for Maintenance Trades employees holding post-trade or dual-trade qualifications — Services, Surface, Processing and Underground groups don’t progress this far.
- The industry allowance (3.7% of the standard rate, all-purpose) is already built into every rate above — don’t add it again on top.
- Junior rates are simpler here than most awards: under 17 is 75% of the adult rate, at 17 it’s 85%, and 18 and over is the full adult rate.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Mining 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 Mining 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 Mining Industry Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clauses (clauses 14 and 20.6). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Mining 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, MA000011) — 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 Schedule B rates (industry allowance included), current at 1 July 2026. Junior rates, continuous-shiftworker rosters and cycle/remote-location leave arrangements sit outside this calculator. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
Do I need to add the industry allowance on top of these rates?
No — the rates used here already include the 3.7% all-purpose industry allowance from Schedule B. Adding it again would overpay, and because it’s all-purpose it would also distort super calculations.
What’s different about Saturday shifts?
The cut-off is noon, not a flat day rate: the first 3 hours before noon are 150%, and everything else — later in the morning or any time after noon — is 200%. Continuous shiftworkers skip this entirely and get 200% for all hours worked, any day.
Does super apply to shift penalties?
Yes — afternoon, night, weekend and public-holiday 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.
