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INSalt Industry Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Salt Industry Award actually pays — the right classification level, shift and weekend penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Salt Industry 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; the shift, weekend and public-holiday multipliers below already include it, matching the award’s own casual figures.
- Weekday day-shift hours are paid flat — the award has no evening penalty for day workers, but rostered afternoon/night shift attracts 115% (140% casual) and permanent night shift 130% (155% casual).
- Saturday and Sunday hours for shiftworkers are ordinary hours, not overtime — paid at 150%/200% (175%/225% casual) — and penalty rates don’t apply on top of overtime (clause 22.4).
- Overtime applies beyond 38 ordinary weekly hours, Monday to Saturday: 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200% (casuals: 175%/225%); Sunday overtime is a flat 200% (225% casual), and public-holiday overtime is 250%.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including the industry allowance and shift/weekend penalties — but not to overtime.
Who the award covers
- Producing, gathering, extracting, harvesting, storing and packaging salt
- Brine handling, processing, refining and treating of salt
- Distributing, transporting, shipping and conveying salt
- Servicing, maintaining and repairing plant, equipment or camp facilities used in salt operations
- Labour hire staff placed principally to perform salt industry work at a covered site
Work covered by the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award sits outside this award (except the salt-specific activities in clause 4.2) — and any employee already covered by an enterprise or state reference public sector award isn’t covered here either.
Which level is your team member?
The Salt Industry Award runs five levels across four classification groups — services, production and haulage, processing, and maintenance trades — set out verbatim in Schedule A. Classify by the skill and judgment the role actually requires, not the job title, and remember progression past Level 4 needs the employer to formally appoint the employee to it.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 — Introductory | $27.31 | $1037.58 | New starter completing site induction · working under direct supervision | Undertaking standard induction training — conditions of employment, plant safety, first aid procedures, site movement and quality procedures — and performing routine duties under direct supervision. |
| Level 2 — Basic | $28.06 | $1066.28 | General labourer · washplant/conveyor attendant · stores and dispatch assistant · laboratory assistant | Has completed induction and can competently carry out basic, semi-skilled work — lumping, sewing, cleaning, machine attendance, basic stores records, or operating mobile equipment that doesn’t need a specialised licence. |
| Level 3 — Intermediate | $29.12 | $1106.38 | Brine operator · washplant or conveyor operator · shiploader · licensed mobile plant operator | Competently carries out semi-skilled work across a broad range of plant and equipment, exercising discretion within their skill level under routine supervision — including brine flow control and operating plant that needs a specialised licence. |
| Level 4 — Competent | $30.19 | $1147.08 | Trade-qualified maintenance employee · shift supervisor · stock controller · certified lab technician | Trade-qualified (or equivalent practical experience) and applies skills in complex but routine situations needing discretion and judgment — planning tasks, taking responsibility for others’ work, and needing only limited supervision. The award’s “standard rate” and the base for all wage-related allowances. |
| Level 5 — Advanced | $31.38 | $1192.28 | Senior production/processing lead · advanced maintenance tradesperson | Has met Level 4 and is assessed as competent in work requiring in-depth skill or a broad, integrated skill set — often non-routine, applying known skills to new situations — and provides guidance to others. |
- Levels 1–3 apply across the services, production/haulage and processing groups — the ladder runs from supervised induction work (Level 1) through semi-skilled plant operation with discretion (Level 3).
- Level 4 is the trade-qualified tier (or equivalent practical experience) and is the only level open to maintenance trades employees as well as the other three groups — it’s also the award’s "standard rate" used to calculate every wage-related allowance.
- Level 5 sits above Level 4 for production/haulage, processing and maintenance trades employees only — it does not apply to the services group.
- The hourly rates already include the $27.98/week industry allowance (clause 19.3(b)), which is payable for all purposes — so don’t add it again on top of the classification rate.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Salt 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 Salt 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 Salt Industry Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 15). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Salt 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, MA000107) — 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, and already include the industry allowance. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser — junior and training-wage arrangements aren’t modelled here.
Why is there no evening penalty for day-shift workers?
The Salt Industry Award doesn’t have one — ordinary day-shift hours are paid at the flat classification rate. The award’s penalties are built around rostered shiftwork instead: afternoon/night shift and permanent night shift both attract a loading, and that’s what the calculator applies once you select a shift bucket.
Are Saturday and Sunday shifts overtime?
Not automatically. For a rostered shiftworker, Saturday and Sunday hours worked as ordinary hours are penalty-rated (150%/200%, or 175%/225% casual) rather than paid as overtime — and the award is explicit that overtime and penalty rates don’t stack on the same hour (clause 22.4).
Does super apply to the industry allowance?
Yes — the industry allowance is paid for all purposes and forms part of ordinary-time earnings, so the 12% super guarantee applies to it along with base pay and shift/weekend penalties. True overtime hours are excluded from super.
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.
