AU
USA
UK
ES
FR
BR
TH
INSecurity Services Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Security Services Award actually pays — the right officer level, night and weekend penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Security Services Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per officer level — the calculator uses the adult rates from Table 4, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading on ordinary hours, and the night/weekend percentages below already include it.
- One night rate covers both windows: 6pm–midnight and midnight–6am Monday to Friday both pay 121.7% (146.7% casual) — 130% (155%) once someone is a permanent night worker.
- Overtime is 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200%, Monday to Saturday — calculated on the minimum hourly rate for every employment type, so casuals don’t add their loading to overtime.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including penalty rates — but not to overtime.
- Two traps worth knowing: more than 4 hours of higher-level duties makes the whole shift payable at the higher rate, and in most states and territories officers must hold a security licence before their first shift.
Who the award covers
- Patrolling, protecting, screening, watching or guarding people or property — by physical or electronic means
- Crowd, event and venue control
- Bodyguard and close protection services
- Security control rooms and monitoring centres
- Loss prevention and incidental traffic control
A business isn’t covered just because some staff perform incidental security functions — a venue’s own door staff or a shop’s in-house loss prevention usually stay under that industry’s award (Hospitality, Retail) — check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Security Services Award has five Security Officer levels, and each builds on the one below — a Level 3 may do everything a Level 1 and 2 can, plus more. What lifts an officer up the ladder is mostly technology and independence: the more complex the systems they operate and the less supervision they need, the higher the level.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $28.42 | $1080.10 | Static guard · Gatehouse officer · Basic crowd controller | Watches, guards or protects people, premises or property where complex computer technology isn’t required — entrance and exit control, basic alarms, basic crowd control — under general supervision. |
| Level 2 | $29.24 | $1111.00 | Mobile patrol officer · Screening officer · Crowd controller · Dog handler | First response to security incidents: patrolling two or more sites by vehicle, monitoring intrusion-detection or access-control equipment, x-ray and walk-through screening, frisk searches, controlling a dog. |
| Level 3 | $29.73 | $1129.80 | Computerised gatehouse officer · Building systems monitor | Works under limited supervision with higher-level computer skills: gatehouse control using computer systems with data input, monitoring complex fire alarms and building operation systems, airport x-ray monitoring. |
| Level 4 | $30.23 | $1148.70 | Monitoring centre operator · Security systems operator | Electronic surveillance from a monitoring centre: altering parameters in integrated building-management or security systems, programming access cards, auditing door access, coordinating officers by radio or computer. |
| Level 5 | $31.20 | $1185.70 | Monitoring centre team coordinator | The top level: coordinates the work of a monitoring-centre team, assists with training alongside supervisors and runs the most complex integrated security systems. |
- Level 1 is guarding without complex computer technology: static posts, gatehouses, basic alarms and basic crowd control under general supervision.
- Level 2 is where most licensed crowd controllers and patrol officers sit — first response to incidents, vehicle patrols across two or more sites, electronic monitoring, x-ray and frisk screening, dog handling.
- Levels 3 to 5 are about systems: computer-based gatehouses and building monitoring (Level 3), monitoring centres and integrated security systems (Level 4), and coordinating a monitoring-centre team (Level 5).
- Higher duties count fast: more than 4 hours at a higher level on a shift means the whole shift is paid at the higher rate.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Security Services 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 Security Services 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 Security Services Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 14). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Security Services 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, MA000016) — 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 level minimums are the adult rates from the award (Table 4), current at 1 July 2026. Broken shifts, aviation work and relieving arrangements add allowances on top, and enterprise agreements can differ. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
What is “permanent night work”?
When more than two-thirds of an employee’s ordinary shifts in the roster cycle comprise or include the period midnight–6am. Their weekday night rate then rises from 121.7% to 130% (146.7% to 155% for casuals).
Do casuals get their loading on overtime?
Not under this award. Overtime is 150% then 200% of the minimum hourly rate for all employment types — the 25% casual loading applies to ordinary hours only. It’s one of the quirks that catches generic calculators out.
Does super apply to penalty rates?
Yes — night, weekend 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.
Why does the calculator add a long service leave levy?
Victoria and the ACT run a dedicated portable long service leave scheme for the security industry, on top of their community-services and cleaning schemes — registered employers pay a quarterly levy on wages that funds the guard’s leave even if they change employer. The calculator adds it automatically when you select one of those states; untick the box if your workers aren’t registered. No other state currently runs a security-specific scheme.
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.
