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INPlumbing Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Plumbing Award actually pays — the right classification level, the all-purpose trade and registration allowances, weekend overtime rates, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Plumbing Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per classification — the calculator uses the adult rates from clause 18.1, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- The all-purpose allowances are the trap: industry ($41.41/week for all plumbing and mechanical services employees), plumbing trade ($33.57, tradespersons and worker Level 2), registration ($44.76, registered tradespersons) and the special fixed allowance ($7.70) all fold into the ordinary hourly rate before every penalty and overtime multiplier. The calculator uses the bare minimums; add the allowances for compliance-grade numbers.
- Casuals get a 25% loading (with a 3-hour minimum engagement), and the weekend and public-holiday percentages here already include it.
- Weekends are overtime, not penalty rates — and the trades differ: plumbing employees get 150% for the first 2 Saturday hours then 200% after 2 hours or past noon, while sprinkler fitters get 200% for every Saturday hour. Sunday is 200% for everyone, minimum 4 hours.
- Overtime beyond 38 weekly hours steps at 2 hours, not 3: 150% for the first 2, then 200% (casuals: 175% / 225%).
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including the all-purpose allowances — but not to overtime, which covers most weekend work under this award.
Who the award covers
- Plumbing, gasfitting, roof plumbing and lead burning by contract
- Mechanical services — heating, air-conditioning and ventilation plumbing
- Irrigation installation, pipe-fitting and domestic engineering work
- Fire sprinkler fitting — erecting, testing, maintaining and repairing fire protection systems
- Employees in plumbing or fire sprinkler fitting occupations for any employer (it’s an occupational award too)
- On-hire employees placed into plumbing and fire sprinkler businesses
An employer already bound by another industry award that contains plumbing classifications keeps that award — general builders sit under the Building and Construction Award, electrical contractors under the Electrical Contracting Award, and in-house factory maintenance under the Manufacturing Award. Check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Plumbing Award runs one combined ladder for plumbing, mechanical services and sprinkler fitting: worker Levels 1(a)–1(d) at the bottom, then the trade levels from Tradesperson Level 1 (a trade certificate) up through special class to Advanced Tradesperson Level 2. Entry is time-based — the first three sub-levels move on months in the industry — and from there progression is by accredited modules and competency, not tenure.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worker Level 1(a) | $26.67 | $1013.60 | New entrant · First job in the industry | The entry point: someone who has never worked in on-site building construction before. Moves to Level 1(b) after 3 months. |
| Worker Level 1(b) | $27.20 | $1033.60 | Plumber’s labourer (3+ months in the industry) | Automatic after 3 months in the industry. |
| Worker Level 1(c) | $27.56 | $1047.30 | Plumber’s labourer (12+ months in the industry) | Automatic after 12 months in the industry. Progression from here is by skill, not time. |
| Worker Level 1(d) | $27.97 | $1062.90 | Plumber’s labourer · Sprinkler fitter’s assistant · Fire technician Level 1(d) | The substantive Level 1: a Certificate Level 1 (16 modules) or the skills equivalent — ensures the quality of their own work, basic fault-finding, discretion within their training. |
| Tradesperson Level 1 | $29.45 | $1119.10 | Licensed plumber · Gasfitter · Roof plumber · Sprinkler fitter tradesperson | The trade level: holds a trade certificate (or equivalent) in plumbing and mechanical services or sprinkler fitting — reads and applies plans, works under general supervision. |
| Tradesperson Level 2 | $30.38 | $1154.30 | Experienced tradesperson | Tradesperson Level 1 plus 3 additional modules (or the skills equivalent): provides trade guidance to the team across fabrication, installation, repair, testing and fault finding. |
| Special class Level 1 | $31.30 | $1189.40 | Tradesperson—special class | Trade plus 6 additional modules: precision trade skills, schedules and plans work, writes brief reports, knows the relevant Australian Standards — works under limited supervision. |
| Special class Level 2 | $32.13 | $1221.10 | Senior special-class tradesperson | Trade plus 9 additional modules: high-precision skills with specialised materials and techniques, provides trade guidance. |
| Advanced Tradesperson Level 1 | $33.06 | $1256.30 | Advanced plumbing/sprinkler tradesperson | Trade plus 10.5 additional modules: diagnostic skills across plumbing and mechanical services systems, concise written reporting. |
| Advanced Tradesperson Level 2 | $33.77 | $1283.10 | Most senior tradesperson | The top of the ladder (trade plus 12 modules): work organisation, maintenance planning, technical reports, assists with training, broad discretion. |
- Worker Levels 1(a)–1(c) are about tenure, not skill: level (a) on commencement, (b) after 3 months, (c) after 12 months. Track start dates — the rate moves by itself.
- Tradesperson Level 1 is the trade benchmark — a trade certificate or equivalent — and where the plumbing trade allowance ($33.57/week) and, for registered tradespersons, the registration allowance ($44.76/week) attach.
- There is also a Worker Level 2 (non-trade, Certificate Level 2) not shown in this table — it pays exactly the same $29.45/hour as Tradesperson Level 1.
- Above the trade level, progression is counted in modules beyond Tradesperson Level 1: 3 (Level 2), 6 and 9 (special class), 10.5 and 12 (advanced). Apprentices sit on their own scale as percentages of Tradesperson Level 1.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Plumbing 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 Plumbing 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 Plumbing Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 16). Working through the meal break needs an individual flexibility agreement — verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Plumbing 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, MA000036) — 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 18.1, current at 1 July 2026 — but under this award the legal ordinary rate also folds in the all-purpose allowances (industry, plumbing trade, registration, special fixed), apprentices have their own percentage scale, and sprinkler fitters carry extra weekly amounts. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
What actually goes into a plumber’s ordinary hourly rate?
More than the rate table shows. A registered tradesperson’s ordinary rate stacks the minimum plus industry ($41.41), plumbing trade ($33.57), registration ($44.76) and special fixed ($7.70) allowances — about $3.35 an hour on top — and every penalty and overtime hour is a percentage of that loaded rate. Paying penalties on the bare minimum is the classic underpayment under this award.
Is Saturday a penalty or overtime?
Overtime — from the first hour, with a 3-hour minimum. For plumbing and mechanical services employees it’s 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200% after 2 hours or past noon, whichever comes first. Sprinkler fitters are simpler and dearer: 200% for all Saturday work.
Does super apply to weekend rates?
Only on ordinary-time earnings — and under this award weekend work is overtime, so the 12% super guarantee generally doesn’t apply to it. Super does apply to ordinary weekday hours including the all-purpose allowances. The calculator applies exactly that split.
What about portable long service leave?
Plumbing and fire sprinkler work on building sites sits inside the same portable long service leave schemes as the broader construction industry — every state and territory runs one. It’s levied on the value of the building work, not wages (for example, NSW charges 0.25% and Queensland 0.575% of project cost, usually paid by the builder or principal contractor), so it doesn’t appear as a per-worker line in this calculator. Workers still accrue leave that follows them between employers — check the relevant state scheme for registration and entitlement details.
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.
