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INMobile Crane Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week hiring out mobile cranes and operators actually pays — the right classification level, the industry allowance, overtime and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Mobile Crane Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per classification level — the calculator uses the clause 16.1 rates, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Every employee — casual or permanent, at every level — also gets an all-purpose industry allowance of $63.79/week on top of the classification rate (clause 16.2); the calculator folds it into the ordinary hourly rate before applying any loading, exactly as the award requires.
- Casuals get a 25% loading, applied on top of the classification rate plus the industry allowance.
- Ordinary hours are Monday to Friday, 6am–6pm, up to 38 a week — there is no separate evening or weekend penalty bucket in this award: any Saturday, Sunday or after-hours work is overtime, not a penalty-rated ordinary shift.
- Overtime is 150% for the first 2 hours and 200% after (casuals: 175% / 225%) Monday to Saturday; Sunday overtime is a flat 200% (225% casual); public holidays are 250% (275% casual) for all time worked.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including the industry allowance — but not to overtime. The trap: employers sometimes pay the bare classification rate and forget the all-purpose allowance sits underneath every penalty and loading calculation, not just the pay packet.
Who the award covers
- Mobile crane, EWP and rigging operators hired out to clients with their equipment
- Doggers, riggers and slew-crane operators across all capacity ranges
- Mobile hydraulic (elevated work) platform operators
- Heavy low-bed transport operators moving cranes and plant
- Labour-hire and group-training apprentices placed into mobile crane hire businesses
Clerical and administrative staff, and any employer already bound by the Manufacturing and Associated Industries Award or the Building and Construction General On-site Award, sit outside this award — check which one actually covers the work being done.
Which level is your team member?
Mobile crane work has a single, purely technical ladder — seven levels (MCE1 to MCE7) set by slew-crane capacity, rigging responsibility and EWP reach, each gated by a specific licence or ticket. There’s no judgement call here: classify by the highest capacity/qualification the person is actually engaged to work at.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 (MCE1) | $31.13 | $1182.89 | Dogger · Counterweight/gear truck driver · EWP operator (up to 17m) · Slew crane operator (up to 20t) | Holds a dogging licence, or a boom-type EWP licence, or a Heavy Rigid licence plus a slew crane licence up to 20 tonnes. |
| Level 2 (MCE2) | $32.06 | $1218.09 | Slew crane operator (21–60t) · Franna (non-slew) operator · Basic rigger · EWP operator (17–28m) | Holds a Heavy Rigid licence plus a slew crane licence up to 60 tonnes, a non-slew crane licence, a basic rigger ticket, or a boom-type EWP licence. |
| Level 3 (MCE3) | $32.98 | $1253.19 | Slew crane operator (61–100t) · Intermediate rigger · EWP operator (28m+) | Holds a Heavy Combination licence plus a slew crane licence up to 100 tonnes, an intermediate rigger’s licence, or a boom-type EWP licence. |
| Level 4 (MCE4) | $33.81 | $1284.89 | Slew crane operator (101–200t, no boom trailer) · Advanced rigger · Heavy low-bed transport operator | Holds a Heavy Combination licence, a dogger’s ticket and a slew crane licence over 100 tonnes, an advanced rigger ticket, or a Multi Combination licence. |
| Level 5 (MCE5) | $35.45 | $1346.89 | Slew crane operator (201–300t, or <100t with boom trailer or luffing fly jib) | Holds a slew crane licence over 100 tonnes, a Heavy Combination licence and a dogger’s ticket. |
| Level 6 (MCE6) | $36.14 | $1373.29 | Slew crane operator (301–400t, or <200t with luffing fly jib) | Holds a slew crane licence over 100 tonnes, a Heavy Combination licence and a rigger’s ticket. |
| Level 7 (MCE7) | $37.06 | $1408.29 | Slew crane operator (401t+, or <200t with Superlift attachment) | Holds a slew crane licence over 100 tonnes, a Heavy Combination licence and an intermediate rigger ticket. The award’s most senior classification. |
- Every level names the exact licence that unlocks it — a dogging licence and a 20-tonne slew ticket is Level 1; a 100-tonne-plus slew licence with an intermediate rigger ticket is Level 7. Match the ticket, not the job title.
- Capacity bands step up through the middle levels (21–60t, 61–100t, 101–200t, 201–300t, 301–400t, 401t+) — always classify by the largest crane the person is rostered to operate, not their average day.
- Riggers sit inside the same ladder by seniority — basic rigger at Level 2, intermediate at Level 3 or 7, advanced at Level 4 — rather than a separate rigging scale.
- Higher duties bite hard here: if someone operates a higher-capacity crane for any part of a day, the whole day is paid at that higher level (clause 16.3) — there’s no pro-rata for a one-off big lift.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Mobile Crane 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 Mobile Crane 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 Mobile Crane Award requires:
From the award’s breaks and overtime clauses. Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Mobile Crane 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, MA000032) — 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, plus the all-purpose industry allowance. This award has no general junior rate scale — classification is by licence and equipment, not age. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
Do I owe a weekend penalty for Saturday work?
Not as a standalone penalty rate — this award doesn’t have one. Ordinary hours are Monday to Friday only, so any Saturday, Sunday or after-hours work is paid as overtime instead (200% Saturday after 2 hours, 200% flat on Sunday, 250% on a public holiday).
Why does the calculator add $63.79 before working out penalties?
Because the award does. The industry allowance is payable "for all purposes" (clause 18.2(a)), meaning it sits inside the ordinary hourly rate used to calculate every loading, penalty and leave payment — not just added to the final pay packet.
If an operator jumps onto a bigger crane for an hour, do I pay the higher rate for the whole day?
Yes — clause 16.3 (higher duties) pays the higher classification rate for the entire day, even if the higher-level work was only part of it.
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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