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INPest Control Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Pest Control Award actually pays — the right licence level, weekend and shift penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Pest Control 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, and every penalty and overtime rate below is the award’s own combined figure — not a generic add-on.
- Afternoon and night shift loadings (115%/120%, casuals 140%/145%) don’t apply on top of weekend or public holiday rates — only the higher one is paid.
- Overtime is 150% for the first 2 hours then 200% (casuals 175%/225%), and each day’s overtime stands alone rather than averaging across the week.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including penalty rates — but not to overtime.
- Call-backs after leaving the premises carry a minimum 4-hour payment at overtime rates — a real cost for after-hours emergency callouts.
Who the award covers
- Control and eradication of pests, vermin, feral animals and weeds in homes, businesses and civic buildings
- Inspection of buildings, structures, trees and stored goods for pest activity
- Termite, bird and other pest barrier installation, maintenance and inspection
- Fumigation work in all forms
- Labour hire staff placed into pest control work
Employers already covered by the Clerks — Private Sector Award, Local Government Industry Award or Manufacturing Award for this work sit under those awards instead — check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Pest Control Award has one ladder of five levels, and licensing does most of the sorting: Levels 3–5 require a pest operator’s certificate, so the paperwork usually settles the question.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $25.74 | $978.10 | New entrant, under 6 months in the industry | No previous pest control experience. Capped at under 6 months at this level. |
| Level 2 | $26.44 | $1004.90 | Trainee technician working toward a licence | Employed 6+ months, or has applied for a Fumigator or Pest Control Technician licence and is undertaking the accredited course. |
| Level 3 (standard rate) | $27.08 | $1029.10 | Licensed Pest Control Technician or Fumigator (single licence) | Holds a pest operator’s certificate and a licence as either a Fumigator or Pest Control Technician. The award’s standard rate. |
| Level 4 | $27.62 | $1049.60 | Dual-licensed technician | Licensed to operate as both a Fumigator and a Pest Control Technician. |
| Level 5 | $29.72 | $1129.50 | Pest Inspector | Qualified to operate as a Pest Inspector. |
- Level 1 is capped at under 6 months in the industry — after that, or once someone starts the accredited licensing course, they move to Level 2.
- Level 3 is the first licensed level — a single Fumigator or Pest Control Technician licence — and it’s the award’s standard rate, used to index every wage-related allowance.
- Holding both licences (Fumigator and Pest Control Technician) lifts someone to Level 4; a Pest Inspector qualification is Level 5.
- Shiftwork loadings don’t stack with weekend or public holiday penalties — the higher rate applies, not both.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Pest Control 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 Pest Control 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 Pest Control Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 15). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Pest Control 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, MA000097) — 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 clause 16.1, current at 1 July 2026. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
What’s the verminous or decomposed body allowance?
A distinctive $123.08 per-occasion payment for work involving verminous or decomposed human remains — not something most calculators outside this industry ever need to model.
Why don’t shift and weekend penalties stack?
The award explicitly says shift loadings aren’t payable where the employee already qualifies for overtime, weekend or public holiday penalty rates — only the higher rate applies.
Does super apply to penalty rates?
Yes — weekend, shift and public-holiday penalties on ordinary hours are ordinary-time earnings, so the 12% super guarantee applies. True overtime is excluded.
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.
