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INPoultry Processing Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Poultry Processing Award actually pays — the right process employee level, weekend and shift penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Poultry Processing Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per Process Employee level — the calculator uses the adult rates from clause 15.1, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading on weekday ordinary hours only — on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and overtime the loading disappears and the penalty is calculated on the base rate.
- Sunday ordinary hours are 175% — noticeably lower than the 200% most awards pay — and both weekend days require agreement with your employees to be ordinary hours at all.
- Overtime is 150% for the first 3 hours and 200% after, Monday to Saturday; Sunday overtime is 200% and public holiday overtime 250%, each day standing alone.
- The leading hand allowance is all-purpose — it joins the rate of pay before penalties and loadings are calculated, and it’s based on the highest classification supervised.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including penalty rates — but not to overtime.
Who the award covers
- Poultry processing plants — killing, processing and preparation of uncooked poultry
- Packing, wholesaling and distribution of poultry, poultry products and by-products
- Cooking operations where they’re incidental to processing uncooked poultry
- Chicken, turkey, duck and other poultry processing lines
- Labour hire staff placed into poultry processing businesses
Red-meat processing belongs to the Meat Industry Award, seafood plants to the Seafood Processing Award, and further manufacturing of cooked poultry products typically sits under the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award — check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Poultry Processing Award has a single ladder of six Process Employee levels, built around skills and progression rather than job titles. New hires enter at Level 1 for their first 3 months, and Schedule A ties each level above that to indicative tasks — classify by the skills the person is required to exercise, not what the roster calls them.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $26.25 | $997.40 | New starter — structured induction and training | The point of entry: induction, quality-systems training, direct supervision and minimal discretion. Stays here for the first 3 months or until capable of working at a higher level. |
| Level 2 | $26.95 | $1024.10 | Crate washer operator · Feather removal · Rehanging poultry · Carton strapping | Responsible for the quality of their own work with minimal judgment — loading/unloading the crate washer, rehanging on the line, operating scales. |
| Level 3 | $27.31 | $1037.70 | Processing equipment operator · Packer · Production records | A broader range of processing tasks with some discretion — quality assessment, packing and presentation — and may train Level 1–2 employees. |
| Level 4 | $27.66 | $1051.20 | Specialist operator · Small team supervisor | Specialist skills: operates complex equipment, may supervise small teams and helps maintain quality systems. |
| Level 5 | $28.01 | $1064.30 | Advanced specialist · Trainer · Section supervisor | Advanced specialist with significant supervisory and training responsibility — solves problems within their area. |
| Level 6 | $28.73 | $1091.70 | Senior supervisor · Specialist managing work groups | The top level: senior supervisory or specialist role with broad operational responsibilities. |
- Level 1 is a time-boxed entry level: structured induction under direct supervision, for the first 3 months or until the employee can do Level 2 work.
- Level 2 is where most line work sits — crate washing, feather removal, rehanging, strapping — with responsibility for the quality of your own work.
- Training others is a Level 3 signal, supervising a small team is Level 4, and significant supervisory responsibility pushes to Level 5 or 6.
- A leading hand of any level gets the all-purpose allowance on top — calculated against the highest classification they supervise, if that’s higher than their own.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Poultry Processing 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 Poultry Processing 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 Poultry Processing Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 14). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Poultry Processing 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, MA000074) — 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 15.1, current at 1 July 2026. Junior employees have their own percentage scale, and shiftworkers a separate penalty table. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
Why is Sunday only 175%?
That’s the award’s own figure — clause 20.2 sets Sunday ordinary hours at 175% for all employees, below the 200% standard in most awards. Note that ordinary weekend hours first require agreement between you and your employees; without it, weekend work is overtime (200% on Sunday).
Do casuals get their loading on weekends?
No. The 25% casual loading applies to weekday ordinary hours only. On Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and overtime, casuals are paid the same penalty as permanents, calculated on the base minimum rate — 150%, 175% and 250% respectively.
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. 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.
