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INTextile and Clothing Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Textile and Clothing Award actually pays — the right skill level, Saturday and Sunday penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Textile and Clothing Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per skill level or storeworker grade — the calculator uses the adult rates from clauses 19.1–19.3, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading on top of the base rate, and every penalty and overtime multiplier below already includes it for casual employees.
- Saturday work is split in two: the first 3 hours are paid at 150% (175% casual), then it jumps to 200% (225% casual) after 3 hours — track hours within the shift, don’t apply one flat Saturday rate.
- Overtime uses a 3-hour threshold, not the 2-hour threshold common in most other awards: 150% for the first 3 hours beyond 38 ordinary weekly hours, then 200% (casuals: 175% / 225%).
- Public holiday work has a minimum payment of 3 hours at 250% (275% casual) — again shorter than the 4-hour minimum many other awards use.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including Saturday, Sunday and public holiday penalties — but not to overtime payments.
Who the award covers
- Textile industry — spinning, weaving, dyeing, knitting, wool and fibre processing, printing of fabrics
- Clothing industry — designing, cutting, manufacturing, processing and finishing garments and apparel
- Footwear industry — making, cutting and repairing boots, shoes and all component parts
- Bag making, button making and haberdashery
- Storeworkers and warehouse employees engaged in these industries
- Labour hire and group training staff placed into textile, clothing or footwear businesses
Electricians, clerical staff (Clerks—Private Sector Award) and maintenance tradespersons (Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award) have their own awards — check before you classify. Textile, clothing and footwear mechanics/tradespersons stay under this award.
Which level is your team member?
The Textile and Clothing Award runs on a skill-level ladder from Trainee through Skill Level 5, plus a separate Storeworker grade structure (1–4) for warehouse staff. Classify by the skills and responsibility actually exercised on the job, not the job title — most production staff sit at Skill Levels 1–3, with Level 4 reserved for trade-qualified or equivalent workers.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trainee | $25.74 | $978.10 | New entrant · Induction and basic skills training (up to 3 months) | A new entrant undergoing up to 3 months of approved training under totally defined procedures, constant direct supervision and progressive assessment, before moving to Skill Level 1. |
| Skill Level 1 | $26.44 | $1004.90 | Machinist · Process worker · General hand | Works to defined procedures individually or in a team, performs basic tasks, and applies basic quality control to their own work. |
| Skill Level 2 | $27.08 | $1029.10 | Machinist performing intermediate tasks · Team production worker | Has Skill Level 1 skills plus the ability to perform intermediate tasks and understand quality control causes of deviation in their own work. |
| Skill Level 3 | $27.97 | $1062.90 | Skilled machinist · Multi-machine operator | Exercises discretion and judgment, performs complex tasks or operates a variety of machines (some requiring Level 2 skills), and is responsible for quality assurance in their own work. |
| Skill Level 4 | $29.45 | $1119.10 | Tradesperson (Certificate III) · Pattern maker · Garment/shoe maker working independently | The award’s standard rate — trade-qualified or equivalent, works largely independently, plans and resolves problems, and can make a whole garment or a whole shoe to specifications. |
| Skill Level 5 | $31.30 | $1189.40 | Senior technical specialist · Production support/training lead | Has comprehensive knowledge of the enterprise’s products and processes, applies specialised technical knowledge to product development, production or training, and works independently to a general work plan. |
| Storeworker Grade 1 | $27.08 | $1029.10 | New storeworker · Picking, packing, receiving goods | Works under routine supervision, stores and packs goods per procedure, prepares documentation and does basic VDU/equipment operation. Rate shown is on commencement; it rises after 3 and 12 months. |
| Storeworker Grade 2 | $27.97 | $1062.80 | Licensed forklift/materials-handling operator | Entry requires proven Grade 1 skills; works from procedures under limited supervision, holds a materials-handling licence, and does basic non-trades warehouse maintenance. |
| Storeworker Grade 3 | $28.77 | $1093.10 | Senior storeworker · Supervisor of up to 10 storeworkers | Responsible for quality control standards, exercises discretion, may supervise up to 10 employees, and develops or refines store layout. |
| Storeworker Grade 4 | $29.61 | $1125.30 | Warehouse lead hand · Inventory controller (10+ storeworkers) | Runs a warehouse or a large section of one, provides on-the-job training, and acts in a leading hand capacity for more than 10 storeworkers, holding a warehousing certificate. |
- Skill Level 4 is the award’s “standard rate” anchor — it needs trade-level skill (Certificate III or equivalent experience) and the ability to make a whole garment or a whole shoe to specifications, working largely independently.
- Storeworkers sit on their own grade table, not the general skill levels — Grade 1 has three time-based pay points (on commencement, after 3 months, after 12 months), so the same person’s rate rises automatically with tenure.
- This award also has a separate Wool and Basil stream (General hand, Operator Grades 1–3, Senior Operator Grades 1–2) for wool-processing work — not modelled here as most SMBs in clothing, footwear and textile manufacturing use the general skill levels; check the award directly if you run a wool-processing operation.
- Warehouse employees (as distinct from storeworkers) are paid $6.00/week less than the equivalent Storeworker rate under clause 19.4 — a detail easy to miss when setting up payroll.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Textile and Clothing 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 Textile and Clothing 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 Textile and Clothing Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 18). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Textile and Clothing 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, MA000017) — 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 skill-level and storeworker-grade minimums are the adult rates from the award (clauses 19.1–19.3), current at 1 July 2026. Junior and apprentice rates are a percentage of these, and the Wool and Basil stream has its own separate rate table. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
Why does Saturday have two different rates?
The award splits Saturday into two windows: the first 3 hours worked are paid at 150% (175% for casuals), then every hour after that jumps to 200% (225% for casuals). It’s one of the few awards that tiers a single day this way — most others use one flat Saturday rate.
Why is overtime calculated after 3 hours instead of 2?
This award sets its overtime threshold at 3 hours into a shift, not the more common 2-hour mark used by many other modern awards. Get this wrong and you’ll either underpay the third hour or overpay hours that are still within the standard tier.
Does super apply to Saturday and Sunday penalties?
Yes — Saturday, Sunday 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.
