Clerks Award Pay Rates 2026-27: Every Level
Minimum rates under the Clerks—Private Sector Award 2020 (MA000002), effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
The short answer
A Level 1 Year 1 clerical employee is paid $26.97 an hour or $1,024.70 a week full-time. A casual at the same classification is paid $33.71 an hour, including the 25% casual loading. On that full-time wage, take-home pay after income tax and the Medicare levy is $45,713 a year, or $1,758 a fortnight.
MA000002 rates by classification.
All 10 classifications, with the casual rate the award publishes and what each one actually takes home after tax.
| Classification | Weekly | Hourly | Casual hourly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1—Year 1 | $1,024.70 | $26.97 | $33.71 | $45,713 |
| Level 1—Year 2 | $1,073.10 | $28.24 | $35.30 | $47,425 |
| Level 1—Year 3 | $1,106.20 | $29.11 | $36.39 | $48,595 |
| Level 2—Year 1 | $1,119.10 | $29.45 | $36.81 | $49,051 |
| Level 2—Year 2 | $1,139.90 | $30.00 | $37.50 | $49,787 |
| Level 3 | $1,182.10 | $31.11 | $38.89 | $51,279 |
| Call centre principal customer contact specialist | $1,190.40 | $31.33 | $39.16 | $51,573 |
| Level 4 | $1,241.40 | $32.67 | $40.84 | $53,376 |
| Level 5 | $1,291.80 | $33.99 | $42.49 | $55,158 |
| Call centre technical associate | $1,415.10 | $37.24 | $46.55 | $59,518 |
Take-home is an estimate for a single Australian resident for tax purposes with no study loan debt and no Medicare levy surcharge, calculated with the same Wage Calculator used across this site. Superannuation is paid by your employer on top of these rates and is never deducted from them.
Where these figures come from.
Provenance
Verified- Award
- Clerks—Private Sector Award 2020 (MA000002)
- Effective from
- 1 July 2026
- Consolidated to
- 1 July 2026
- Determinations
- PR799280, PR799283, PR799440
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-06
- Cross-checked
- 10 of 10 rates against Schedule B
Every rate above was read from the award text at the Fair Work award library and then checked a second time against Schedule B of the same award, which republishes the hourly rates. Casual rates are the award’s own published figures rather than our multiplication, because the award rounds differently from a calculator. Nothing here is copied from another pay site.
What this page does not cover.
Listed as plainly as what it does, because a rate page that hides its gaps is how the wrong number ends up on a payslip.
Penalty rates
Overtime, weekend and shift loadings are set separately in the award.
Junior rates
Employees under 21 are paid a percentage of the adult rate for their level.
Allowances
First aid, meal and vehicle allowances are published separately.
Clerks Award Pay Rates questions, answered.
What are the clerks' pay rates for 2026?
The Clerks—Private Sector Award starts at $1,024.70 a week, $26.97 an hour, for a Level 1 Year 1 employee from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. The scale runs to $37.24 an hour for a call centre technical associate.
Who gets a pay rise in July 2026?
Everyone paid at an award minimum. The Fair Work Commission runs an Annual Wage Review each year and the result applies from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. It lifts the National Minimum Wage and every modern award rate, including this one. If you are paid above the award minimum, your employer is not required to pass the increase on.
What are the legal Clerks award rates for 2026?
There is no single legal rate. Each modern award sets its own minimums by classification, and which award covers you depends on your industry and the work you do. The figures on this page are the legal minimums for clerical and administrative work in the private sector under the Clerks—Private Sector Award.
What is the average salary for a clerk in Australia?
An average is a market figure, not a legal one, and this page does not publish one. What it publishes is the floor: the least an employer may lawfully pay for each classification. Many clerical roles pay above it, but none may lawfully pay below it.
Does the clerks award cover call centre work?
Yes. The award carries call centre classifications alongside the general clerical levels, from principal customer contact specialist through to call centre technical associate at $1,415.10 a week. All are listed in the table above.
See what an award rate leaves you with.
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