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INPharmaceutical Industry Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Pharmaceutical Industry Award actually pays — the right grade, Saturday and Sunday rates, chemical-handling allowances, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Pharmaceutical Industry Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per grade (clause 15.1(a)), current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026 — weekly and hourly are both published in the award, so no derivation from a daily rate is needed.
- Casual loading is 25% (clause 11.1) — but unlike many awards, it is NOT paid on overtime hours (clause 11.2), so the calculator’s casual overtime figures are the bare overtime percentage rather than the loading stacked on top.
- Weekday work outside the ordinary spread of hours is overtime from the first hour (150% for 2 hours, then 200%) — the same trap as working outside spread in clerical-style awards, easy to miss if rosters run early or late shifts.
- Shift loadings stack separately from overtime: 115% for afternoon or permanent-night-adjacent shifts, 130% for permanent night work, and 150%/200% for non-successive shifts — check clause 20.2 if the business runs shifts.
- A rostered day off worked without a replacement day attracts 250% — the same rate as a public holiday, and one of the more expensive traps in this award.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including shift loadings and the chemical-handling allowances that are wage-related — but not to overtime.
Who the award covers
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing and production — tableting, packaging, compounding, quality work
- Warehouse and distribution staff supporting pharmaceutical manufacture
- Grade 1 employees on commencement, at 3 months and at 12 months of service
- Employees required to handle scheduled chemicals, work sterile areas, or wear a respirator or dust mask
- Both manufacturing/production and warehouse/distribution streams — same rates, parallel task structures
Community and hospital pharmacy staff sit under the Pharmacy Industry Award, not this one — check which side of the counter the role sits on before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Pharmaceutical Industry Award runs a four-grade ladder that applies identically to manufacturing/production and warehouse/distribution staff. Grade 1 has three automatic pay-point steps — on commencement, after 3 months, after 12 months — with no reclassification needed to move through them; Grades 2 to 4 are separate classifications based on skill, judgment and supervision.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 — on commencement | $27.08 | $1029.10 | New starter — basic packaging, loading/unloading, cleaning, basic VDU entry | Point of entry. Works under direct supervision on detailed instructions: basic packaging by hand or machine, correcting minor feed problems, loading/unloading lines, cleaning machinery, or basic screen-based data entry. |
| Grade 1 — after 3 months | $27.41 | $1041.60 | Grade 1 duties, same tasks, automatic progression | Same Grade 1 duties as on commencement — the rate steps up automatically after 3 months of service, no reclassification needed. |
| Grade 1 — after 12 months | $27.72 | $1053.50 | Grade 1 duties, top pay point | Same Grade 1 duties — the final automatic step, reached after 12 months of service in the grade. |
| Grade 2 | $27.97 | $1062.80 | Broader production or warehouse tasks under direct supervision | A broader range of activities than Grade 1, requiring greater skill and responsibility, still performed under direct supervision. |
| Grade 3 | $28.77 | $1093.10 | Skilled production/warehouse work with some judgment | Tasks requiring significant skill; may exercise judgment within defined procedures, working under general (not direct) supervision. |
| Grade 4 | $29.61 | $1125.30 | Senior operator or team lead — highest classification | The award’s top level: significant expertise, broader problem-solving, and may supervise Grade 1–3 employees. |
- Grade 1’s three pay points are time-based, not duty-based — the same new-starter tasks, just a higher rate as service accrues to 3 and then 12 months.
- The jump to Grade 3 is about supervision: general supervision and some exercise of judgment within set procedures, versus Grade 1–2’s direct supervision.
- Grade 4 is the only classification with a supervisory element built into its definition — significant expertise plus the ability to oversee Grade 1–3 staff.
- Manufacturing/production (Schedule A.1) and warehouse/distribution (Schedule A.2) are parallel streams with equivalent indicative tasks and identical rates — classify by which stream the role actually sits in, then apply the same grade ladder.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Pharmaceutical 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 Pharmaceutical 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 Pharmaceutical Industry Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 14). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Pharmaceutical 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, MA000069) — 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 grade minimums are the adult rates from clause 15.1(a), current at 1 July 2026 (PR799280, PR799349, PR799505). Both weekly and hourly are published in the award itself. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
What’s the difference between the three Grade 1 pay points?
Nothing about the job changes — it’s the same entry-level duties. The rate simply steps up automatically at 3 months and again at 12 months of service, without any reclassification process.
Does casual loading apply to overtime here?
No — this award specifically excludes casual loading from overtime hours (clause 11.2), which is unusual. A casual working overtime is paid the overtime percentage on the ordinary hourly rate, not the loaded casual rate plus the overtime percentage on top.
What’s the rostered-day-off trap?
If an employee is asked to work a rostered day off and isn’t given a substitute day off in its place, that day is paid at 250% — the same premium as a public holiday. It catches employers who treat an RDO as just another flexible work day.
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.
