AU
USA
UK
ES
FR
BR
TH
INClubs Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Clubs Award actually pays — the right classification level, weekend penalties, late-work additions, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Clubs Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per classification level — the calculator uses the adult rates from clause 18.3, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading on weekday ordinary hours — but the Saturday (150%), Sunday (175%) and public holiday (250%) rates already absorb it, so casuals and permanents cost the same on weekends.
- Late and early work Monday to Friday adds flat dollars, not percentages: $2.95/hr from 7pm to midnight and $4.42/hr from midnight to 7am.
- Overtime applies beyond 38 ordinary weekly hours: 150% for the first 2 hours then 200% Monday to Friday, and 200% for anything from midnight Friday to midnight Sunday.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including penalty rates — but not to overtime.
- Maintenance and horticultural staff have their own penalty table — Saturday afternoon starts at 150% and steps to 200%, and Sunday is 200% — so don’t roster the greens crew off the bar staff’s rates.
Who the award covers
- Registered and licensed clubs — RSL, sporting, golf, bowling and recreation clubs
- Bar, food, beverage and gaming attendants — including TAB and gaming terminal staff
- Kitchen teams — kitchen attendants and cooks, up to chef de partie
- Guest service, front office, clerical and child care staff employed by a club
- Golf professionals — PGA Associates through to Lead Golf Professional
- Maintenance and horticultural staff, and labour hire placed into clubs
Pubs, taverns, hotels and casinos sit under the Hospitality Industry (General) Award and stand-alone restaurants under the Restaurant Award — the Clubs Award only applies where the employer is a registered or licensed club.
Which level is your team member?
The Clubs Award runs a single ladder from Introductory to Level 13, with nine streams sitting inside it — bar and gaming, kitchen, guest service, front office, clerical, child care, security, golf professionals, and maintenance. Find the stream that matches the role, then match the duties to a grade: a bar attendant, a grade 1 cook and a doorperson all land on the same Level 2 rate.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory | $25.74 | $978.10 | New entrant to the industry (first 3 months, up to 6 by agreement) | Hasn’t yet shown Level 1 competency — trains and is assessed for up to 3 months, then moves to Level 1. |
| Level 1 | $26.44 | $1004.90 | F&B attendant gr 1 · Kitchen attendant gr 1 · Guest service gr 1 · PGA Associate yr 1 | Basic tasks without customer service: picking up glasses, clearing plates, setting tables, kitchen cleaning, general assistance to higher grades. |
| Level 2 | $27.08 | $1029.10 | Bar attendant (F&B gr 2) · Cook gr 1 · Kitchen attendant gr 2 · Doorperson gr 1 · Clerical gr 1 | Serving members before formal training: dispensing and mixing drinks, waiting tables, taking money, attending a snack bar — or cooking breakfasts and snacks. |
| Level 3 | $27.97 | $1062.90 | F&B & gaming attendant gr 3 · Cook gr 2 · Fitness instructor · Forklift driver · Handyperson | Trained and trusted with more: gaming and TAB terminals, full cellar control, mixing sophisticated drinks, supervising lower grades, trained cooking duties. |
| Level 4 (trade) | $29.45 | $1119.10 | Commi chef (Cook gr 3) · F&B attendant gr 4 (tradesperson) · Clerical gr 3 · Guest service gr 4 | Trade-qualified: completed an apprenticeship or trade test — a commi chef, or a waiter carrying out specialised skilled duties in a fine dining room. The award’s “standard rate”. |
| Level 5 | $31.30 | $1189.40 | Demi chef (Cook gr 4) · F&B & gaming attendant gr 5 · Front office supervisor · Assistant golf professional | Supervision or serious trust: locking and securing the premises, running the counting room, supervising and training staff, or bar stock control. |
| Level 6 | $32.13 | $1221.10 | Chef de partie (Cook gr 5) · Child care worker gr 3 · Manager of a club under $500k revenue | Chef de partie or equivalent with supervision, ordering and stock control — or managing a small club with gross annual revenue under $500,000. |
- Introductory level is temporary by design — up to 3 months (6 by mutual agreement) while a new entrant trains toward Level 1 competency.
- Trade qualifications set the floor at Level 4: a cook with an apprenticeship or trade test (commi chef) can’t be paid below the Level 4 rate.
- The table above carries the operational levels (Introductory–Level 6), where most club hiring happens. Manager Levels 7–13 sit above it — $32.94 to $40.53 an hour, banded by club revenue and responsibility.
- Salary changes the rules at the top: club managers paid at least 20% above their minimum annual rate fall outside the overtime and penalty provisions entirely (50% above disapplies more).
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Clubs 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 Clubs 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 Clubs Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 17). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Clubs 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, MA000058) — 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 18.3, current at 1 July 2026. Junior, apprentice and manager-level rates differ, and the maintenance and horticultural stream has its own penalty table. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
Why does my casual get the same Saturday rate as a permanent?
Because the Clubs Award writes its weekend rates as inclusive of the casual loading: Saturday is 150% and Sunday 175% for everyone. The 25% casual loading only shows up as a separate line on weekday ordinary hours — a quirk that makes weekend casuals better value here than under most hospitality awards.
We employ the greens crew too — same penalties?
No. Maintenance and horticultural employees have their own table: ordinary rates until noon Saturday, then 150% stepping to 200%, and 200% all Sunday. The calculator models the general club stream (bar, gaming, kitchen, guest service), so run grounds staff separately.
Does super apply to penalty rates?
Yes — weekend penalties and late-work additions 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.
Get started
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.
