Fast Food Award Pay Rates 2026-27: Every Level
Minimum rates under the Fast Food Industry Award 2020 (MA000003), effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
The short answer
A Fast food employee level 1 is paid $27.81 an hour or $1,056.80 a week full-time. A casual at the same classification is paid $34.76 an hour, including the 25% casual loading. On that full-time wage, take-home pay after income tax and the Medicare levy is $46,848 a year, or $1,802 a fortnight.
MA000003 rates by classification.
All 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast food employee level 1 | $1,056.80 | $27.81 | $34.76 | $46,848 |
| Fast food employee level 2 | $1,119.10 | $29.45 | $36.81 | $49,051 |
| Fast food employee level 3—in charge of one or no person | $1,136.40 | $29.91 | $37.39 | $49,663 |
| Fast food employee level 3—in charge of 2 or more people | $1,150.40 | $30.27 | $37.84 | $50,158 |
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.
MA000003 junior rates by age.
The award pays a junior employee a percentage of the adult rate. The percentages below are read from the award text, and the dollar figures are worked out from the adult weekly rate. Each table says exactly how, and which of its figures were checked against rates the award itself prints.
Clause 15.2: Junior rates
What each percentage is a percentage of, in the words of the clause: “An employer must pay a junior employee, as defined in clause 2, Definitions, the minimum percentage of the adult rate applicable to the employee’s classification in clause 15.1 for ordinary hours of work as follows:”
| Age | Percentage of adult rate |
|---|---|
| Under 16 years of age | 40% |
| 16 years of age | 50% |
| 17 years of age | 60% |
| 18 years of age | 70% |
| 19 years of age | 80% |
| 20 years of age | 90% |
| 21 years of age | 100% |
| Classification | Under 1640% | 1650% | 1760% | 1870% | 1980% | 2090% | 21100% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast food employee level 1 | $11.12$422.72 a week | $13.91$528.40 a week | $16.69$634.08 a week | $19.47$739.76 a week | $22.25$845.44 a week | $25.03$951.12 a week | $27.81$1,056.80 a week |
| Fast food employee level 2 | $11.78$447.64 a week | $14.73$559.55 a week | $17.67$671.46 a week | $20.62$783.37 a week | $23.56$895.28 a week | $26.51$1,007.19 a week | $29.45$1,119.10 a week |
| Fast food employee level 3, in charge of one or no person | $11.96$454.56 a week | $14.95$568.20 a week | $17.94$681.84 a week | $20.93$795.48 a week | $23.92$909.12 a week | $26.91$1,022.76 a week | $29.91$1,136.40 a week |
| Fast food employee level 3, in charge of 2 or more people | $12.11$460.16 a week | $15.14$575.20 a week | $18.16$690.24 a week | $21.19$805.28 a week | $24.22$920.32 a week | $27.25$1,035.36 a week | $30.27$1,150.40 a week |
Each cell is the hourly rate, with the full-time weekly rate beneath it. The award prints the percentages. The dollar figures are worked out from them, as follows.
Each weekly figure is the adult weekly rate multiplied by the percentage, rounded to the nearest cent with an exact half cent rounding up. Each hourly figure is that weekly figure divided by the 38 ordinary hours in a full-time week, rounded to the nearest cent.
Every figure in this table matches the award. 24 of the 28 junior rates are printed in Schedule A of the award, and each printed figure agrees to the cent. The 4 at 100% are the adult rate itself, and each one equals it.
Already decided, not yet in force
Fair Work Commission determination PR813654, made on 26 August 2026 following [2026] FWCFB 75 and [2026] FWCFB 222, replaces clause 15.2 with the table below. It comes into operation on 1 December 2026, so none of the figures above use it yet. In the determination’s words: “Percentages in the above table take effect in relation to a particular employee from the start of the employee’s first full pay period starting on or after the specified date.”
| Age | From 1 December 2026to 30 June 2027 | From 1 July 2027to 30 November 2027 | From 1 December 2027to 30 June 2028 | From 1 July 2028to 30 November 2028 | From 1 December 2028to 30 June 2029 | From 1 July 2029 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 16 years of age | 40% | 40% | 40% | 40% | 40% | 40% |
| 16 years of age | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% |
| 17 years of age | 60% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 60% |
| 18 years of age and employed by the employer for 6 months or less | 70% | 70% | 70% | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| 18 years of age and employed by the employer for more than 6 months | 75% | 80% | 85% | 90% | 95% | 100% |
| 19 years of age and employed by the employer for 6 months or less | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% |
| 19 years of age and employed by the employer for more than 6 months | 85% | 90% | 95% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| 20 years of age and employed by the employer for 6 months or less | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% |
| 20 years of age and employed by the employer for more than 6 months | 95% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
No dollar figures are shown for these dates, because the adult rates the percentages apply to can change before then. Source: determination PR813654, retrieved 14 September 2026.
Where these figures come from.
Provenance
Verified- Award
- Fast Food Industry Award 2020 (MA000003)
- Effective from
- 1 July 2026
- Consolidated to
- 1 July 2026
- Determinations
- PR799280, PR799284, PR799442
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-06
- Cross-checked
- 4 of 4 rates against Schedule A
Every rate above was read from the award text at the Fair Work award library and then checked a second time against Schedule A 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. The junior percentages were read from the award in the same way. The junior dollar figures are worked out from them, and each junior table says which of its figures were checked against rates the award itself prints. 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.
Junior casual and penalty rates
The junior figures on this page are ordinary-hours minimums. Casual loading, weekend, public holiday and overtime rates for juniors are not worked out here.
Overtime
Overtime is paid for hours beyond the ordinary ones and is set separately in the award.
Enterprise agreements
A large employer may have an agreement that applies instead of the award.
Fast Food Award Pay Rates questions, answered.
What is the pay rate for fast food workers?
Under the Fast Food Industry Award, a level 1 fast food employee is paid $27.81 an hour, or $1,056.80 a week full-time, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. A casual at level 1 is paid $34.76 an hour including the 25% loading. A restaurant or cafe and a hotel or pub each have their own award, set out on Restaurant Award Pay Rates and Hospitality Award Pay Rates, so which one covers a food business depends on the business rather than the job title.
What are the fast food award pay rates for 2026 in Australia?
There are four adult classifications: level 1 at $27.81, level 2 at $29.45, and level 3 at $29.91 or $30.27 an hour depending on how many people you are in charge of. All four are listed above with weekly, casual and take-home figures.
Which fast food has the highest pay?
The award sets a floor, not a ranking. Every fast food employer covered by the Fast Food Industry Award must pay at least these rates, and an individual employer or enterprise agreement may pay above them. This page publishes the legal minimum, not what any particular brand pays.
How much does KFC pay per hour at 15?
A 15-year-old is under 16, so clause 15.2 of the Fast Food Industry Award sets their minimum at 40% of the adult rate for their level. At level 1 that is $11.12 an hour, the same figure Schedule A of the award prints, and it does not include the casual loading. Determination PR813654 changes some junior rates from 1 December 2026, but not the rate for employees under 16. Who moves, and by how much, is on Pay Changes from 1 December 2026. The award names no employer. A business it covers may pay above this floor, and a large employer may have an enterprise agreement that applies instead of the award. The same age under the retail and hospitality awards, and the rest, is compared on Junior Pay Rates.
What is the difference between level 3 rates?
Level 3 splits by supervision. In charge of one or no person is $29.91 an hour, and in charge of 2 or more people is $30.27 an hour. Both are listed separately in the table above.
See what an award rate leaves you with.
Enter your hourly rate and hours to work out take-home pay for your own roster.
Open the pay calculatorFast Food Industry Award 2020 penalty rates.
Clause 21 prices 6 conditions on ordinary hours, each as a percentage of the minimum hourly rate. Schedule A prints the dollar figure for every classification, so the tables below are the award’s own arithmetic. They cover 56 classifications.
The short answer
A full-time or part-time Fast food employee level 1 is paid $34.76 an hour on a Saturday, $34.76 on a Sunday and $62.57 on a public holiday, against $27.81 for ordinary hours. A casual at the same level is paid $41.72, $41.72 and $69.53 on the same three days.
Full-time and part-time adult employees—ordinary and penalty rates
| Classification | Ordinary hours100% | Evening work – Monday to Friday – between 10.00pm and midnight110% | Evening work – Monday to Friday– after midnight and before 6.00am115% | Saturday125% | Sunday – level 1125% | Sunday – levels 2 and 3150% | Public holiday225% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast food employee level 1 | $27.81 | $30.59 | $31.98 | $34.76 | $34.76 | n/a | $62.57 |
| Fast food employee level 2 | $29.45 | $32.40 | $33.87 | $36.81 | n/a | $44.18 | $66.26 |
| Fast food employee level 3—in charge of one or no person | $29.91 | $32.90 | $34.40 | $37.39 | n/a | $44.87 | $67.30 |
| Fast food employee level 3—in charge of 2 or more people | $30.27 | $33.30 | $34.81 | $37.84 | n/a | $45.41 | $68.11 |
Casual adult employees—ordinary and penalty rates
| Classification | Ordinary hours125% | Evening work – Monday to Friday – between 10.00pm and midnight135% | Evening work – Monday to Friday – after midnight and before 6.00am140% | Saturday150% | Sunday – level 1150% | Sunday – levels 2 and 3175% | Public holiday250% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast food employee level 1 | $34.76 | $37.54 | $38.93 | $41.72 | $41.72 | n/a | $69.53 |
| Fast food employee level 2 | $36.81 | $39.76 | $41.23 | $44.18 | n/a | $51.54 | $73.63 |
| Fast food employee level 3—in charge of one or no person | $37.39 | $40.38 | $41.87 | $44.87 | n/a | $52.34 | $74.78 |
| Fast food employee level 3—in charge of 2 or more people | $37.84 | $40.86 | $42.38 | $45.41 | n/a | $52.97 | $75.68 |
The award publishes 4 ordinary-hours tables in all. The two above are the adult scale; the rest price junior, apprentice and trainee classifications off the same percentages.
The casual loading is added, not multiplied
the casual percentage is the full-time percentage plus the casual loading in points, not multiplied by it. Saturday is 125% of the minimum hourly rate for a full-time or part-time employee and 150% for a casual, which is 125 plus 25. Multiplying by 1.25 would give 156.25%, which appears nowhere in the award. Every one of the 6 priced conditions sits exactly 25 percentage points above its full-time figure.
Read from Table 6—Penalty rates. A casual weekend rate cannot be worked out by taking the full-time weekend rate and adding a quarter.
The percentage applies to the minimum hourly rate.
Table 6—Penalty rates says so, and Schedule A calculates its dollar columns on that figure. Not every award uses the same base, so a percentage read here does not transfer to another award.
The award contains no clause saying penalties are cumulative, and none saying they are not. This page states only what the award states.
Where these figures come from
Verified- Percentages stated in
- Clause 21
- Dollars printed in
- Schedule A, tables A.1.1 and A.2.1
- Dollars effective from
- 1 July 2026, PR799284
- Percentages last varied
- date not stated
Every percentage was read twice, once in clause 21 and once in the heading of the schedule column that prices it, and Olivia Harper checked the dollar figures against the printed ordinary hours dollar and the printed percentage, ROUND_HALF_UP to the cent. Retrieved from the Fair Work award library on 2026-09-06, award consolidated to 1 July 2026.
What a penalty rate is, and what the other awards published here state, is on Penalty Rates. This page carries only what Fast Food Industry Award 2020 (MA000003) states itself.