Electrical Award Pay Rates 2026-27: Every Grade
Minimum rates under the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award 2020 (MA000025), effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Every rate below is the all-purpose rate the award requires: the clause 16.2 minimum plus the allowances clause 16.3(a) adds to it.
The short answer
An Electrical worker grade 1 is paid at least $27.53 an hour or $1,046.31 a week full-time, and a qualified tradesperson at grade 5 is paid $31.13 an hour or $1,182.82 a week. Those are the clause 16.2 minimums of $26.44 and $29.45 plus the $41.41 a week industry allowance every employee is paid, and from grade 5 the $22.31 tool allowance. An electrical mechanic who may be required to use an unrestricted licence adds the $40.29 licence allowance, which makes grade 5 $32.19 an hour. A casual at grade 5 is paid $38.91 an hour, including the 25% loading. On the grade 5 wage, take-home pay after income tax and the Medicare levy is $51,305 a year, or $1,973 a fortnight.
Clause 16.2 prints lower figures than these, and a rate table copied from it underpays. At grade 5 the gap is $63.72 a week, the industry and tool allowances the award requires to be paid for all purposes.
MA000025 rates by grade.
All ten grades, from the clause 16.2 minimum to the all-purpose rate an employer must pay, with the casual rate and what each takes home after tax. Grades 1 to 4 add the industry allowance; grade 5 and above add the tool allowance as well.
| Grade | 16.2 minimum | Allowances | Weekly | Hourly | Casual hourly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical worker grade 1labourer | $26.44$1,004.90 a week | +$41.41 | $1,046.31 | $27.53 | $34.41 | $46,478 |
| Electrical worker grade 2assisting a tradesperson | $26.66$1,013.10 a week | +$41.41 | $1,054.51 | $27.75 | $34.69 | $46,767 |
| Electrical worker grade 3works under direction | $27.55$1,046.90 a week | +$41.41 | $1,088.31 | $28.64 | $35.80 | $47,963 |
| Electrical worker grade 4Purchasing clerk/storeperson | $28.44$1,080.60 a week | +$41.41 | $1,122.01 | $29.53 | $36.91 | $49,154 |
| Electrical worker grade 5Electrical tradesperson level 1 | $29.45$1,119.10 a week | +$63.72 | $1,182.82 | $31.13 | $38.91 | $51,305 |
| Electrical worker grade 6Electrical tradesperson level 2 | $30.38$1,154.30 a week | +$63.72 | $1,218.02 | $32.05 | $40.06 | $52,549 |
| Electrical worker grade 7Electrician special class | $32.13$1,221.10 a week | +$63.72 | $1,284.82 | $33.81 | $42.26 | $54,911 |
| Electrical worker grade 8Advanced electrical tradesperson level 1 | $33.77$1,283.10 a week | +$63.72 | $1,346.82 | $35.44 | $44.30 | $57,104 |
| Electrical worker grade 9Advanced electrical tradesperson level 2 | $34.46$1,309.50 a week | +$63.72 | $1,373.22 | $36.14 | $45.18 | $58,037 |
| Electrical worker grade 10Advanced electrical tradesperson level 3 | $37.24$1,415.00 a week | +$63.72 | $1,478.72 | $38.91 | $48.64 | $61,768 |
The hourly and casual figures are the ones Schedule B of the award prints. The weekly figures are the clause 16.2 minimum plus the allowances, which the award leaves to be added up and the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide prints as a total. Hourly figures are the weekly rate over 38 ordinary hours. Take-home is an estimate for a single Australian resident for tax purposes with no study loan debt and no Medicare levy surcharge, worked out with the same Wage Calculator used across this site. Superannuation is paid on top and never deducted from these rates.
Rates with the electrician’s licence allowance.
Clause 18.3(b): “An electrical worker who is an electrical mechanic who holds and in the course of their duties may be required to use an unrestricted licence must be paid an all-purpose allowance of $40.29 per week.” The allowance is all-purpose, so it is added before overtime, penalties and leave are worked out (Schedule B.1.2). It is not paid for holding a licence alone: the employee must be an electrical mechanic who may be required to use it in their duties.
The award does not print these totals. Each is the clause 16.3(a) sum with the licence allowance added, and every weekly, hourly and casual figure below matches the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide published on 7 August 2026 to the cent.
| Grade | Weekly | Hourly | Casual hourly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical worker grade 5Electrical tradesperson level 1 | $1,223.11 | $32.19 | $40.24 | $52,729 |
| Electrical worker grade 6Electrical tradesperson level 2 | $1,258.31 | $33.11 | $41.39 | $53,974 |
| Electrical worker grade 7Electrician special class | $1,325.11 | $34.87 | $43.59 | $56,336 |
| Electrical worker grade 8Advanced electrical tradesperson level 1 | $1,387.11 | $36.50 | $45.63 | $58,528 |
| Electrical worker grade 9Advanced electrical tradesperson level 2 | $1,413.51 | $37.20 | $46.50 | $59,462 |
| Electrical worker grade 10Advanced electrical tradesperson level 3 | $1,519.01 | $39.97 | $49.96 | $63,192 |
Grades 3 and 4 on antenna and serviceperson work.
The tool allowance is also paid below grade 5 to electrical workers performing the duties of a television antenna installer or erector, or a television, radio or electronic equipment serviceperson (clause 18.3(g)(ii)). For them the all-purpose rate is higher again. These totals are printed in the pay guide, not the award.
| Grade | Weekly | Hourly | Casual hourly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical worker grade 3works under direction | $1,110.62 | $29.23 | $36.54 | $48,752 |
| Electrical worker grade 4Purchasing clerk/storeperson | $1,144.32 | $30.11 | $37.64 | $49,943 |
How the all-purpose rate is built.
Clause 16.3(a) of the award, in full: “The all-purpose rate to be paid to an employee, other than an apprentice, will be the sum of the minimum rate in the table in clause 16.2, the industry allowance in clause 18.3(a), and, where applicable, the tool allowance in clause 18.3(g), the electrician’s licence allowance in clause 18.3(b), the leading hand allowance in clause 18.3(c), the nominee allowance in clause 18.3(d), the electrical distribution line maintenance and tree clearing allowance in clause 18.3(e) and the rate for ordering materials in clause 18.3(f).”
Only the industry allowance is added without the words “where applicable”, and Schedule B describes it as payable to all employees. At grade 5 the sum is $1,119.10 + $41.41 industry + $22.31 tool = $1,182.82 a week, which over 38 hours is $31.13 an hour. Adding the $40.29 licence allowance gives $1,223.11 a week, $32.19 an hour.
Clause 16.3(b): “The weekly all-purpose rate of pay is payable for all purposes of the award and will be included as appropriate when calculating payments for overtime, all forms of paid leave, annual leave loading, public holidays and pro rata payments on termination.” Overtime at 150% of a grade 5 rate is therefore $46.70 an hour, not 150% of $29.45.
The Vehicle Repair Award, which lists an automotive electrician at R6, pays no allowance for all purposes, so its clause 16.2 figures are the rates payable there, as Vehicle Repair Award Pay Rates shows.
All-purpose allowances.
Every allowance in clause 18.3 is paid for all purposes. The wage-related ones are set as a percentage of the grade 5 minimum of $1,119.10 a week (Schedule C.1.1), so they rise with it each year.
| Allowance | Amount | % of standard rate | Paid to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry allowanceClause 18.3(a) | $41.41a week | 3.7% | every employee other than an apprentice; an apprentice is paid a percentage of it (clause 16.4) |
| Electrician’s licence allowanceClause 18.3(b) | $40.29a week | 3.6% | An electrical worker who is an electrical mechanic who holds and in the course of their duties may be required to use an unrestricted licence must be paid an all-purpose allowance of $40.29 per week. |
| Tool allowanceClause 18.3(g) | $22.31a week | CPI | Electrical workers at grade 5 and beyond, electrical workers performing the duties of television antenna installer/erector or television/radio/electronic equipment serviceperson, and apprentices in full (clause 16.4) |
| Leading hand allowance, in charge of 3 to 10 employeesClause 18.3(c) | $48.12a week | 4.3% | an employee specifically appointed to be a leading hand, above the rate of the highest classification supervised or their own, whichever is higher |
| Leading hand allowance, in charge of 11 to 20 employeesClause 18.3(c) | $67.15a week | 6% | an employee specifically appointed to be a leading hand, above the rate of the highest classification supervised or their own, whichever is higher |
| Leading hand allowance, in charge of more than 20 employeesClause 18.3(c) | $90.65a week | 8.1% | an employee specifically appointed to be a leading hand, above the rate of the highest classification supervised or their own, whichever is higher |
| Nominee allowanceClause 18.3(d) | $102.96a week | 9.2% | An electrical mechanic who holds the relevant State electrical licence and acts as a nominee for an electrical contractor must be paid an additional all-purpose allowance of at least $102.96 per week. |
| Electrical distribution line maintenance and tree clearing allowanceClause 18.3(e) | $86.17a week | 7.7% | An all-purpose allowance of $86.17 per week must be paid to employees engaged on tree clearing and work associated with the maintenance of electrical distribution lines. |
| Rate for ordering materials, 4 or more days in a pay periodClause 18.3(f)(ii) | $22.38a week | 2% | an employee in the building and construction industry left in charge of a job of one week or more who orders its materials, not with the leading hand allowance |
| Rate for ordering materials, fewer than 4 daysClause 18.3(f)(ii) | $4.48a day | 0.4% | the same, for periods shorter than 4 days |
Overtime, Sunday and public holiday rates.
Ordinary hours for day workers are worked Monday to Friday, within a spread of 6.00 am to 6.00 pm (clauses 13.2 and 13.3), so Saturday work is overtime. Overtime on a Saturday, Sunday, rostered day off or public holiday is paid for at least 4 hours (clause 20.3). A casual is paid 187.5% and 250% for overtime and 250% on a Sunday, because the loading is added before the overtime rate is applied. Every figure below is printed in Schedule B, which works each one from the all-purpose hourly rate.
| Grade | Overtime, first 2 hours (150%) | Overtime, after (200%) | Sunday (200%) | Public holiday (250%) | Casual public holiday (312.5%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical worker grade 1 | $41.30 | $55.06 | $55.06 | $68.83 | $86.03 |
| Electrical worker grade 2 | $41.63 | $55.50 | $55.50 | $69.38 | $86.72 |
| Electrical worker grade 3 | $42.96 | $57.28 | $57.28 | $71.60 | $89.50 |
| Electrical worker grade 4 | $44.30 | $59.06 | $59.06 | $73.83 | $92.28 |
| Electrical worker grade 5 | $46.70 | $62.26 | $62.26 | $77.83 | $97.28 |
| Electrical worker grade 6 | $48.08 | $64.10 | $64.10 | $80.13 | $100.16 |
| Electrical worker grade 7 | $50.72 | $67.62 | $67.62 | $84.53 | $105.66 |
| Electrical worker grade 8 | $53.16 | $70.88 | $70.88 | $88.60 | $110.75 |
| Electrical worker grade 9 | $54.21 | $72.28 | $72.28 | $90.35 | $112.94 |
| Electrical worker grade 10 | $58.37 | $77.82 | $77.82 | $97.28 | $121.59 |
With the licence allowance a grade 5 employee is paid $48.29 and $64.38 an hour for overtime, $64.38 on a Sunday and $80.48 on a public holiday, figures the pay guide prints and the award does not.
Apprentices and junior employees.
Apprentices are paid a percentage of the grade 5 minimum plus the tool allowance and a share of the licence and industry allowances, by year and by whether they finished Year 12. Every year is set out on Apprentice Electrician Wages.
Clause 16.2 sets its rates for an employee other than an apprentice, and the award has no junior percentages outside the apprentice scales. An employee under 21 who is not an apprentice is paid the rate for their grade.
Who this award covers.
Clause 4.1 covers employers in the industry of electrical services provided by electrical, electronics and communications contractors, and their employees in the Schedule A classifications. Labour hire and group training employers placing people in that industry are covered too (clauses 4.4 and 4.5).
An electrician employed by a manufacturer is generally outside it and may be covered by the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award, whose clause 4.10(h) in turn leaves out employees of electrical contractors. Its rates are on Manufacturing Award Pay Rates.
What a qualified electrician is paid under this award, grade by grade, is on Electrician Wage.
Where these figures come from.
Provenance
Verified- Award
- Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award 2020 (MA000025)
- Effective from
- 1 July 2026
- Consolidated to
- 1 July 2026
- Determinations
- PR799280, PR799306, PR799463
- Source updated
- 8 July 2026
- Retrieved
- 19 September 2026
- Pay guide
- Published 7 August 2026
- Cross-checked
- 544 printed figures
The clause 16.2 minimums, the clause 18.3 allowances and the clause 16.3(a) rule were read from the award text at the Fair Work award library. Each all-purpose rate was then worked out and compared with every figure the award and the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide print: 290 ordinary, overtime, shift and penalty figures in Schedule B tables B.2.1, B.2.2, B.2.3, B.2.4, B.3.1, B.3.2, 234 figures in the pay guide’s full-time and casual tables, and every allowance against Schedule C and the guide. All agree to the cent, and no variation dated after 1 July 2026 appears in the award text. Nothing here is copied from another pay site.
Printed in the pay guide only
The award prints the parts of every weekly all-purpose rate, not the total, and prints no rate that includes the licence allowance or the tool allowance below grade 5. Those figures are the clause 16.3(a) sum, and the pay guide is the only published document that prints them. Where the guide and the award differ, the award applies.
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.
Shiftwork rates
Schedule B prints afternoon, night and permanent night shift rates and shiftworker overtime for every grade. The extraction checks every one of them, but this page does not publish them.
Other allowances
Multistorey, towers, first aid, meal, travel, fares and living away allowances are not all-purpose and are not added to any rate here.
Leading hand totals
The leading hand allowance is paid above the highest classification supervised, so no single total rate can be printed for it.
Apprentices
Apprentices are paid a percentage of the grade 5 rate plus allowances, set out by year on the Apprentice Electrician Wages page.
Enterprise agreements
An enterprise agreement can set higher rates than the award. None is published here.
Which grade applies
Schedule A sets the grade by qualification, training modules and experience, not by job title. This page publishes the rates, not the assessment.
Notice of termination is not on this page either. Clause 30.1 asks an employee who resigns for 1 to 4 weeks’ notice by continuous service, and lets an employer deduct up to a week’s wages from one aged 18 or over who gives less. The Notice Period Calculator works it out, with the notice an employer must give.
Nor is time off instead of overtime pay. Clause 20.7 lets an employee agree to take overtime as time off, hour for hour, within 6 months, as the Time in Lieu Calculator works out.
Electrical Award Pay Rates questions, answered.
What is the Electrical Award pay rate for 2026-27?
From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, an Electrical worker grade 1 is paid at least $27.53 an hour, $1,046.31 a week full-time, and a qualified tradesperson at grade 5 is paid $31.13 an hour, $1,182.82 a week. The scale runs to $38.91 an hour at grade 10. An electrical mechanic who may be required to use an unrestricted licence is paid $40.29 a week more, which makes grade 5 $32.19 an hour. Every one of those figures includes the allowances the award pays for all purposes.
Why is the Electrical Award rate higher than the clause 16.2 table?
Because clause 16.2 prints the minimum rate before allowances, and clause 16.3(a) makes the all-purpose rate the sum of that minimum, the $41.41 industry allowance and, where they apply, the other clause 18.3 allowances. At grade 5 the clause 16.2 rate is $29.45 an hour, and the industry and tool allowances take it to $31.13. Schedule B prints the higher figure as the ordinary hourly rate, and overtime and penalty rates are worked out from it. A pay rate that quotes $29.45 for a grade 5 employee leaves out $63.72 a week.
Who does the Electrical Award cover?
Employers in electrical services provided by electrical, electronics and communications contractors, and their employees in the award's classifications (clause 4.1). Clause 4.3 says electrical services include maintaining power distribution lines and installing electric light and power, and the wiring, repair and maintenance of electrical installations and appliances, including fire and security alarms, data and communications cabling, refrigeration and air conditioning, and instrumentation. It also covers labour hire and group training employers placing people in that industry. Manufacturers of power station plant and businesses whose primary purpose is making or selling plant and equipment are outside it (clause 4.2).
What is the casual rate under the Electrical Award?
Clause 11.2 adds a 25% casual loading to the ordinary hourly rate, and Schedule B applies it to the all-purpose rate, so a casual is paid $34.41 an hour at grade 1, $38.91 at grade 5 and $48.64 at grade 10. With the licence allowance a grade 5 casual is paid $40.24. Casual overtime is 187.5% for the first 2 hours and 250% after that, and a casual is paid 312.5% on a public holiday.
What overtime does the Electrical Award pay?
A full-time or part-time employee is paid 150% of the ordinary hourly rate for the first 2 hours of overtime and 200% after that, 200% for all work on a Sunday and 250% on a public holiday (clauses 20.1 and 20.4). At grade 5 that is $46.70, $62.26, $62.26 and $77.83 an hour. Ordinary hours for day workers are worked Monday to Friday, so Saturday work is overtime, and overtime on a Saturday, Sunday, rostered day off or public holiday is paid for at least 4 hours (clause 20.3).
Is the Electrical Award pay guide the same as the award?
The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes a pay guide for MA000025 that prints the all-purpose totals the award leaves to be added up, including the rates with the licence allowance. Every figure on this page was checked against the guide published on 7 August 2026 and agrees to the cent. The guide itself says that where it and the award differ, the award applies, which is why this page reads the award first.
When do Electrical Award rates change?
From the first full pay period on or after 1 July each year, after the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review. The rates here took effect on 1 July 2026 under determination PR799306, and the award text was consolidated to 1 July 2026. The industry, licence, leading hand, nominee, line maintenance and ordering materials allowances are set as percentages of the grade 5 minimum, so they rise with it. The tool allowance is an expense allowance and moves with a consumer price index figure instead.
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