Apprentice Chef Wages 2026-27, First Year to Fourth
A first year apprentice chef under 21 is paid $16.20 an hour ($615.51 a week) from 1 July 2026, rising to $27.98 an hour in the fourth year. An adult apprentice, 21 or over at the start, is paid $23.56 in the first year. Which award applies depends on where the kitchen is: a hotel or pub, a standalone restaurant or cafe, or a registered club. The three awards set the same percentages of the same trade rate, so the minimum is identical to the cent in all of them, and every junior figure here is matched against one an award prints.
The short answer
Apprentice chefs are paid $16.20 an hour, or $615.51 for a 38-hour week, in the first year when under 21, whether or not they finished Year 12. An adult apprentice is paid $23.56 an hour in the first year. By the fourth year every apprentice is on $27.98 an hour, or the full trade rate of $29.45 with proficiency pay. After income tax and the Medicare levy, the first year leaves about $568.00 a week.
First year, under 21
$16.20
An hour, $615.51 a week
First year, adult
$23.56
An hour, 21 or over, $895.28 a week
Fourth year
$27.98
An hour, $1,063.15 a week
Take-home a week
$568.00
On $615.51, before the tax offset
Every figure is the award minimum from 1 July 2026 for ordinary hours, the same under the Hospitality, Restaurant and Clubs awards. Weekend and public holiday hours are paid at higher rates. An employer can pay more, and an enterprise agreement can set a higher rate.
Apprentice chef wages by year.
An apprentice chef earns $16.20, $19.14, $23.56 and $27.98 an hour in the first to fourth years. Each award sets the junior scale at 55%, 65%, 80%, 95% of the $1,119.10 weekly rate for Level 4, cook grade 3 (tradesperson), with no separate Year 12 scale. The adult column follows each award’s own adult apprentice rule. Each cell shows the hourly rate, the weekly rate for 38 ordinary hours, and what that week leaves after tax.
| Year | Under 21 | Adult, 21 or over |
|---|---|---|
| 1st yearJunior: 55% of cook grade 3 | $16.20$615.51 a week$568.00 after tax | $23.56$895.28 a week*$791.10 after tax |
| 2nd yearJunior: 65% of cook grade 3 | $19.14$727.42 a week$656.26 after tax | $25.74$978.10 a week*$847.42 after tax |
| 3rd yearJunior: 80% of cook grade 3 | $23.56$895.28 a week$791.10 after tax | $25.74$978.10 a week*$847.42 after tax |
| 4th yearJunior: 95% of cook grade 3 | $27.98$1,063.15 a week$905.25 after tax | $27.98$1,063.15 a week*$905.25 after tax |
- A 1st year apprentice chef is paid $16.20 an hour, $615.51 a week. An adult apprentice is paid $23.56.
- A 2nd year apprentice chef is paid $19.14 an hour, $727.42 a week. An adult apprentice is paid $25.74.
- A 3rd year apprentice chef is paid $23.56 an hour, $895.28 a week. An adult apprentice is paid $25.74.
- A 4th year apprentice chef is paid $27.98 an hour, $1,063.15 a week. An adult apprentice is paid the same.
The Hospitality and Restaurant awards print every junior weekly and hourly figure in clauses 19.1 and 18.3, and all three awards print every junior and adult hourly figure again in Schedule B. A weekly figure marked * is worked out from the rule, because no award prints it; the hourly figure beside it is printed. In the fourth year the junior rate is higher than the adult floor, so both are paid the same.
The cooking first year, $16.20 an hour, sits above the $14.73 a hairdressing apprentice without Year 12 starts on, on Apprentice Hairdresser Wages, and above the $14.73 the gardening award pays on Apprentice Landscaper Wages. Every award this site extracts is compared year by year on Apprentice Wages.
Which award covers an apprentice chef.
The kitchen’s employer decides the award, not the qualification. Three awards cover most commercial kitchens, and each one sets its own cooking apprentice scale, even though the figures come out the same. Each row below reads its first and fourth year rates from that award’s own clause.
| Where you cook | Award | First year | Fourth year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel, pub, tavern, motel, resort, casino or caterer, and a restaurant run in or with one | Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 (MA000009)clauses 4.2, 19.1 and 19.5Hospitality Award Pay Rates | $16.20adult $23.56 | $27.98adult $27.98 |
| Standalone restaurant, cafe, reception centre, night club or roadhouse | Restaurant Industry Award 2020 (MA000119)clauses 4.2, 18.3 and 18.5Restaurant Award Pay Rates | $16.20adult $23.56 | $27.98adult $27.98 |
| Registered and licensed not-for-profit club, such as an RSL, bowls, golf or leagues club | Registered and Licensed Clubs Award 2020 (MA000058)clauses 4.3, 18.5(a) and 18.5(e)Clubs Award Pay Rates | $16.20adult $23.56 | $27.98adult $27.98 |
A restaurant inside a hotel or motel is under the Hospitality award, not the Restaurant award: clause 4.2 of the Restaurant award leaves out a restaurant run in or with premises of an employer the Hospitality award covers. The Hospitality award in turn leaves out registered clubs, which have their own award. Each award has its own clauses for weekend, public holiday and overtime rates, allowances and rostering, so the right one still matters even though the apprentice minimums agree. How the kitchen attendant grades compare across the hospitality and restaurant awards is on Kitchen Hand Pay Rate.
Mature age apprentice chef wages.
A mature age apprentice chef, 21 or over at the start and starting on or after 1 January 2014, is paid $23.56 an hour ($895.28 a week) in the first year, which is 80% of the trade rate. From the second year the floor is the award’s lowest adult rate, the Introductory level rate of $25.74 an hour ($978.10 a week), or the junior rate for the year if that is higher. The Hospitality award sets the rule in clause 19.5, the Restaurant award in 18.5 and the Clubs award in 18.5(e).
An adult apprentice therefore earns more than a junior one in the first, second and third years, and the same in the fourth, when the junior rate of $27.98 is higher than the Introductory level floor.
Moving to an apprenticeship with your current employer
An employee who signs a training agreement as an adult apprentice with the employer they already work for cannot have their minimum rate cut by it, provided they were employed for at least 6 months full-time, or 12 months part-time or as a regular casual, immediately before. They keep the minimum rate of the classification they were in. Under the Hospitality award this is clause 19.5(c) and (d), under the Restaurant award 18.5(c) and (d), and under the Clubs award 18.5(e)(iii).
Proficiency pay in the fourth year.
A fourth year cooking apprentice can be paid the full trade rate, $29.45 an hour ($1,119.10 a week), before the apprenticeship ends. All three awards pay it on the same terms: Hospitality clause 19.3, Restaurant 18.4 and Clubs 18.5(c). Proficiency pay applies to apprentices who have successfully completed their schooling in a given year, and how much of the fourth year it covers depends on how many times the apprentice has reached the standard of proficiency.
| Standard of proficiency reached | Fourth year pay |
|---|---|
| Once | $27.98 an hour for the first 9 months, then $29.45 |
| Twice | $27.98 an hour for the first 6 months, then $29.45 |
| On all three occasions | $29.45 an hour for the whole year |
While it is paid, proficiency pay is worth $55.95 a week over the $1,063.15 fourth year rate. The Hospitality and Restaurant awards print both fourth year figures, with and without proficiency, in Schedule B.
Take-home pay after tax, year by year.
A first year apprentice chef on $32,007 a year keeps about $29,536 after tax. The figures below are for an Australian resident for tax purposes, working the full year with no study loan and no Medicare levy surcharge, on ordinary hours only. Superannuation is paid by the employer on top, at the rate the Super Guarantee Calculator uses.
| Year | Under 21 | Adult, 21 or over |
|---|---|---|
| 1st year | $29,536 a year$568.00 a week$3,841 super | $41,137 a year$791.10 a week$5,587 super |
| 2nd year | $34,125 a year$656.26 a week$4,539 super | $44,066 a year$847.42 a week$6,103 super |
| 3rd year | $41,137 a year$791.10 a week$5,587 super | $44,066 a year$847.42 a week$6,103 super |
| 4th year | $47,073 a year$905.25 a week$6,634 super | $47,073 a year$905.25 a week$6,634 super |
These are the figures a payslip withholds against, worked out with the same Wage Calculator used across this site. The low income tax offset is applied at tax time instead: on the first year rate it is worth $700 for the year, lifting the week to about $581.46. Kitchen rosters often run into weekends, and weekend hours are paid above these rates. The Income Tax Calculator shows any year’s income bracket by bracket.
How the pay moves up.
The rate steps up with each year of the apprenticeship. Under the Hospitality and Restaurant awards an apprentice who started after 23 January 2020 can move up sooner, on competency: where the state or territory apprenticeship law allows it and the training contract does not say otherwise, stage 2 starts at 25% of the Certificate III competencies or after 12 months, stage 3 at 50% or 12 months later, and stage 4 at 75% or 12 months later again, whichever comes first (Hospitality clause 19.1(c), Restaurant 18.3(b)). The Hospitality award also sets a three year version with 9 month steps. The Clubs award sets its scale by year.
- Time at training and assessment counts as time worked and is paid (Hospitality and Restaurant clause 12.7, Clubs 12.10 and 12.11).
- Training fees and required textbooks are reimbursed by the later of 6 months after the apprenticeship or stage starts and 3 months after training starts, provided progress is satisfactory.
- Block release training that needs an overnight stay comes with reasonable travel and accommodation costs paid by the employer.
- An apprentice under 18 cannot be required to work overtime unless they agree, under all three awards, nor shiftwork under the Hospitality and Clubs awards, nor late work under the Clubs award. Except in an emergency, no apprentice can be required to work overtime or shiftwork that stops them attending training.
A school-based apprentice is paid the apprentice hourly rate for every hour worked, including off-the-job training, which for a full-time school student is 25% of the hours worked on the job each week (Schedule D.4 of each award), and moves 12 months up the scale for every 2 years of employment.
From apprentice to qualified chef.
A cook who has completed the apprenticeship is a cook grade 3 (tradesperson), a commis chef or equivalent, at Level 4. Each award says a person who has completed a full apprenticeship is paid no less than the standard rate, which is $29.45 an hour, $1,119.10 a week. A fourth year apprentice on $1,063.15 is on 95% of it. Cook grades 4 and 5, the demi chef and chef de partie levels, and casual rates for chefs are on Chef Pay Rate.
| Under all three awards | Weekly | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice, first year, under 21 | $615.51 | $16.20 |
| Adult apprentice, first year | $895.28 | $23.56 |
| Apprentice, fourth year | $1,063.15 | $27.98 |
| Cook grade 3 (tradesperson), qualified | $1,119.10 | $29.45 |
Where these figures come from.
Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 (MA000009)
- Effective from
- 1 July 2026
- Consolidated to
- 1 July 2026
- Determinations
- PR799280, PR799290, PR799447
- Retrieved
- 6 September 2026
- Printed figures matched
- 16
- Weekly rates worked out
- 4
Read from the Fair Work award library. Junior scale clause 19.1, adult rule clause 19.5.
Restaurant Industry Award 2020 (MA000119)
- Effective from
- 1 July 2026
- Consolidated to
- 1 July 2026
- Determinations
- PR799280, PR799399, PR799554
- Retrieved
- 9 September 2026
- Printed figures matched
- 16
- Weekly rates worked out
- 4
Read from the Fair Work award library. Junior scale clause 18.3, adult rule clause 18.5.
Registered and Licensed Clubs Award 2020 (MA000058)
- Effective from
- 1 July 2026
- Consolidated to
- 1 July 2026
- Determinations
- PR799280, PR799338, PR799494
- Retrieved
- 9 September 2026
- Printed figures matched
- 16
- Weekly rates worked out
- 8
Read from the Fair Work award library. Junior scale clause 18.5(a), adult rule clause 18.5(e).
Across the three awards 48 printed figures were matched to the cent, and a single cent of difference stops the data being rebuilt. Nothing here is copied from another pay site. Rates change from the first full pay period on or after the effective date, so a payslip covering the changeover can lawfully carry the older rate for part of the period.
What this page does not cover.
Weekend, public holiday and overtime rates
Schedule B of each award prints apprentice rates for Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and overtime in dollars. This page shows ordinary hours only and does not reproduce them.
Waiting apprentices
The Hospitality and Clubs awards also set a waiting apprenticeship paid in six-month stages. It is a different trade and is not shown.
Aged care, health and fast food
A cooking apprentice in aged care is under the Aged Care Award 2010, and one in a health service can be under the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020. Both set apprentice percentages without printing a dollar figure to check against, so neither is published here. A takeaway business can be under another award again.
Apprentices who started before 2014
The adult apprentice rules on this page apply to apprentices who started on or after 1 January 2014. Older arrangements are not shown.
Trainees
Traineeships are paid under the National Training Wage in Schedule E of the Miscellaneous Award, not these rates.
Enterprise agreements and above-award pay
Some hotel groups and clubs have enterprise agreements with their own apprentice rates, and many kitchens pay above the award. Everything here is a minimum.
Apprentice Chef Wages questions, answered.
What is a 1st year apprentice chef paid in 2026-27?
$16.20 an hour, or $615.51 a week full-time, for an apprentice under 21. That is 55% of the $1,119.10 rate for a cook grade 3 (tradesperson), and it is the same under the Hospitality, Restaurant and Clubs awards. An adult apprentice, 21 or over at the start, is paid $23.56 an hour in the first year. Take-home on the junior rate is about $568.00 a week after income tax and the Medicare levy.
Is an apprentice chef paid the same in a hotel, a restaurant and a club?
Yes, at the minimum. Three different awards apply: the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 in a hotel, pub, motel, resort, casino or catering business, the Restaurant Industry Award 2020 in a standalone restaurant, cafe, reception centre or roadhouse, and the Registered and Licensed Clubs Award 2020 in a registered club. All three set the cooking apprentice scale at 55%, 65%, 80%, 95% of the same $1,119.10 trade rate, so every year pays the same figure to the cent. Each award has its own clauses for weekend and overtime rates, allowances and rostering, which is why the right one still matters.
What does a mature age apprentice chef get paid?
$23.56 an hour in the first year, $895.28 a week, then $25.74 an hour in the second and third years and $27.98 in the fourth. Each award pays an adult apprentice who started on or after 1 January 2014 the greater of 80% of the trade rate and the first year rate, then the greater of its lowest adult rate, the Introductory level rate, and the junior rate for the year. Someone who worked for the same employer for 6 months full-time, or 12 months part-time or as a regular casual, keeps the rate of their old classification instead.
What is proficiency pay for a 4th year apprentice cook?
The full trade rate, $29.45 an hour, paid for part or all of the fourth year instead of the $27.98 fourth year rate. It applies to apprentices who have successfully completed their schooling in a given year. An apprentice who has reached the standard of proficiency on one occasion gets it for the last 3 months of the fourth year, on two occasions for the last 6 months, and on all three for the whole year. That is worth $55.95 a week while it is paid.
Does Year 12 change an apprentice chef wage?
No. None of the three awards splits the cooking apprentice scale by Year 12, so a first year apprentice under 21 is paid $16.20 an hour whether or not they finished school. That differs from the Hair and Beauty, General Retail, Gardening and Landscaping, Manufacturing, Vehicle Repair, Electrical Contracting and Plumbing and Fire Sprinklers awards, where Year 12 lifts the early years, as Apprentice Wages sets out. Under the plumbing award, for one, it takes a first year apprentice under 21 from $16.56 to $18.11 an hour, as Apprentice Plumber Wages shows.
What is a 3rd year apprentice chef paid?
$23.56 an hour, $895.28 a week, which is 80% of the trade rate. An adult apprentice in the third year is paid $25.74 an hour. The second year pays $19.14 an hour junior and $25.74 adult, and the fourth $27.98 for both, before any proficiency pay.
How much does a chef earn after the apprenticeship?
At least $29.45 an hour, $1,119.10 a week, as a cook grade 3 (tradesperson), a commis chef or equivalent, at Level 4 under each of the three awards. That is the trade rate every apprentice percentage is taken from, and each award says someone who has completed a full apprenticeship is paid no less. Cook grades 4 and 5, a demi chef and a chef de partie, are paid more, as Chef Pay Rate sets out.