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INWool Storage Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Wool Storage Award actually pays — the right level in the right stream, shift and weekend rates, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Wool Storage Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per stream and level — the calculator uses the adult wool storage rates from clause 16.1, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading, and the shift, weekend and public-holiday percentages here already include it — the award adds the loading on top of each penalty (Sunday casual is 225%).
- Saturday ordinary hours are tiered: 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200% (casual 175%/225%) — the calculator prices Saturday at the first-tier rate, so add the step-up for longer Saturdays.
- Overtime applies beyond 38 ordinary weekly hours and tiers at 2 hours, not the usual 3: 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200% (casual 175%/225%) — and overtime after noon Saturday or on a Sunday is a flat 200% (casual 225%).
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including shift and weekend penalties — but not to overtime.
- The trap: the ordinary-hours window is wide — 5am to 6.30pm, up to 12 ordinary hours a day, Monday to Friday — so early starts and long days inside the window carry no penalty at all, but a minute past the window is overtime.
Who the award covers
- Wool stores — receipt, handling, storage, blending, dumping and shipping of wool
- Raw wool testing laboratories — sampling and testing
- Skin and hide stores — receipt, handling, processing and storage
- Transport of skins, hides and wool within the industry
- Labour hire staff placed into wool storage, testing or skin and hide businesses
Shearing-shed wool handling sits under the Pastoral Award, general warehousing under the Storage Services and Wholesale Award, wool scouring and downstream processing under the Textile, Clothing, Footwear and Associated Industries Award, and office staff under the Clerks Award — check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Wool Storage Award runs three parallel streams — wool storage, wool testing, and skin and hide stores — each with its own short ladder. The calculator shows the wool storage stream, the one most stores use. Classification turns on licences, autonomy and responsibility rather than job titles, and Level 1 carries a built-in pay rise at 3 months.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 (first 3 months) | $26.00 | $988.00 | New store hand (first 3 months) | The entry rate for the first 3 months: opening, closing, sewing and branding bales, hand core sampling, feeding blending machines and general handling under routine supervision. |
| Level 1 (after 3 months) | $26.44 | $1004.90 | Store hand · Wool handler | The same Level 1 duties — the higher rate applies automatically once the employee passes 3 months of service. |
| Level 2 | $26.98 | $1025.20 | Wool presser · Dump-press operator · Forklift operator (licensed) | Works under limited supervision and holds the licence for the materials-handling equipment used (short of 20-tonne-plus cranes or forklifts): breaking out bales for shipping or blending, pressing, port marking. |
| Level 3 | $27.34 | $1039.10 | Sworn weigher · Forklift driver with recording duties · Out-store in charge | Minimal supervision, quality-control responsibility, keyboard skills and computerised inventory: recording and clerical work in receiving, weighing and shipping bales — or running an out-store. |
| Level 4 | $28.60 | $1086.80 | Senior store hand | The full scope of Level 3 duties with increased responsibility and skill application. |
| Level 5 | $29.45 | $1119.10 | Specialist operator (additional certification) | Level 4 plus additional certification or skills — the full scope of Level 4 duties at a higher standard. |
| Level 6 | $30.87 | $1173.00 | Most senior wool store employee | The top of the stream: the full scope of all lower-level duties with the highest degree of skill, knowledge and responsibility. |
- Track start dates: Level 1 pay steps up automatically after 3 months in every stream, and skin and hide stores add a second step at 12 months — the rise is the award’s, not the manager’s.
- Wool testing (5 levels, $26.00–$29.70/hour) and skin and hide stores (4 levels, $26.00–$29.70) run their own ladders a few cents off the storage rates — confirm the stream before you pick a level.
- Licences matter at Level 2: holding the appropriate licence for the materials-handling equipment used is part of the classification, not an optional extra.
- Wool testing Level 2 progresses through four quarterly pay steps inside the level — another date-driven rise payroll needs to track.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Wool Storage 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 Wool Storage 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 Wool Storage Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause. Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Wool Storage 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, MA000044) — 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 wool storage stream rates from clause 16.1, current at 1 July 2026. Wool testing and skin and hide stores have their own tables a few cents apart, and some levels carry time-based steps inside them. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
Which stream should I classify under?
The one that matches the work: wool storage for store and warehouse duties, wool testing for laboratory sampling and testing, and skin and hide stores for skins and hides. The ladders look similar but the rates and progression rules differ — wool testing Level 1 pays $26.49 after 3 months against $26.44 in storage, and skin and hide Level 1 keeps stepping up until 12 months.
How does the 3-month pay rise work?
Every stream starts Level 1 at $26.00/hour for the first 3 months of employment, then steps up automatically ($26.44 in wool storage). It isn’t a promotion decision — it’s written into the award, so payroll needs the start date, not a manager’s sign-off.
Does super apply to penalty rates?
Yes — shift, 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.
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.
