Cleaning Services Award 2025 Pay Rates (MA000022)

Plain-English Summary

Who does this award cover?

The Cleaning Services Award covers employees who perform cleaning work in the contract cleaning industry across Australia. If you work as a cleaner, janitor, window cleaner, carpet cleaner, or cleaning supervisor for a company that provides cleaning services to other businesses or premises, this award applies to you. It covers roughly 180,000 workers, many of whom work part-time, casual, or across multiple sites.

This award covers the contract cleaning industry specifically -- that is, businesses whose primary function is providing cleaning services to clients. It does NOT cover cleaners who are employed directly by the business they clean for (those workers are typically covered by the award that applies to that business -- for example, a cleaner employed by a hotel is under the Hospitality Award, MA000009). It also does not cover domestic cleaners working in private households. See clause 4.1 for the full coverage terms.

How classification levels work

The award has three classification levels (clause 14 and Schedule A). Level 1 covers general cleaning duties including sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, dusting, and emptying bins. Level 2 covers employees who operate specialised cleaning equipment such as scrubbing machines, high-pressure washers, or perform window cleaning at heights. Level 3 covers cleaning supervisors who coordinate teams, handle rostering, manage supplies, and report to management. Your employer must pay you at the level that matches the work you actually perform.

Shift work is the norm

Cleaning work commonly happens outside normal business hours. The award recognises this with specific shift loadings for early morning, afternoon, and night work (clause 26). If you regularly work permanent night shifts, you receive a 30% loading on your base rate. These loadings are on top of your base hourly rate and apply to every hour of the relevant shift. Understanding which loading applies to your shift pattern can mean a significant difference in your weekly pay.

Classification Levels and Base Rates

All rates effective 1 July 2025. Source: Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review 2024-25.

Hourly rate = weekly rate / 38 (clause 21.1). Casual rate = hourly rate x 1.25 (clause 11.1).

Penalty Rates

All penalties are calculated on the base hourly rate (clause 26 and clause 28).

Full-Time and Part-Time Employees

Casual Employees

Casual penalty rates include the 25% casual loading. Saturday casual = base x 1.75 (not base x 1.25 x 1.50). See clause 26.4.

Worked Examples

Example 1: Casual cleaner working a Sunday

Sami is a casual Level 1 cleaner who works a 4-hour Sunday shift at an office building.

• Base rate: $25.85/hr
• Sunday casual rate: 225% = $25.85 x 2.25 = $58.16/hr
• Total for 4 hours: $232.64 gross
• Clause reference: clause 26.4

Example 2: Full-time permanent night shift cleaner

Kim is a permanent Level 1 cleaner who works a fixed night shift (10pm to 6am) every weeknight.

• Base rate: $25.85/hr
• Permanent night shift loading: 130% = $25.85 x 1.30 = $33.61/hr
• Total for 38-hour week: $1,277.18 gross
• Compared to a day-shift cleaner earning $982.30/week, Kim earns an extra $294.88 per week from the night shift loading alone.
• Clause reference: clause 26.2(b)

Example 3: Part-time window cleaner on a public holiday

Ali is a part-time Level 2 cleaner (window cleaning) who works 5 hours on a public holiday.

• Base rate: $26.70/hr
• Public holiday rate: 250% = $26.70 x 2.50 = $66.75/hr
• Total for 5 hours: $333.75 gross
• Plus: Ali is entitled to a substitute day off or an extra day of annual leave (clause 32)
• Clause reference: clause 26.3(c)

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the minimum shift length for cleaners?

For full-time and part-time employees, the minimum daily engagement is 3 hours (clause 10.5). For casual employees, the minimum engagement is also 3 hours per shift (clause 11.2). At the Level 1 casual rate ($32.31/hr), the minimum payment for any casual shift is $96.93 gross. Many cleaning contracts involve split shifts across different sites, and each separate engagement must meet the minimum.

2. Can my employer make me work split shifts?

Yes, but with restrictions. A split shift is where your work is broken into two separate periods with an unpaid break of more than one hour (clause 21.3). The maximum spread of hours for a split shift is 12 hours. You are entitled to a split shift allowance for each split shift you work. Both parts of the shift must independently meet the minimum engagement rules.

3. Do I get paid for travel between cleaning sites?

If your employer requires you to travel between sites during a single shift, the travel time counts as time worked and must be paid at your applicable rate (clause 25.1). However, travel from your home to your first site and from your last site to your home is not paid. If your employer requires you to travel to a site that is further away than your usual site, you may be entitled to a travel allowance to cover the extra distance (clause 25.2).

4. I work a 5am to 8am early morning shift. Do I get a loading?

Yes. An early morning shift that starts before 6:00am attracts the shift loading of 115% for permanent employees or 140% for casuals (clause 26.2(a) and 26.4). This loading applies to all hours of the shift, not just the hours before 6am. So your entire 5am to 8am shift would be paid at the loaded rate.

5. What happens if I am injured using cleaning chemicals at work?

Your employer is required to provide you with training and personal protective equipment (PPE) for any hazardous chemicals you use (Work Health and Safety regulations, not the award itself). If you are injured at work, you are entitled to workers' compensation under your state's workers' compensation scheme. The award itself provides for paid personal leave (sick leave) of 10 days per year for permanent employees (clause 31), and your employer cannot make you use annual leave instead of personal leave for a work-related illness or injury.

Check Your Rate

Working as a cleaner and want to make sure your pay is correct? Use our free calculator to check your exact rate.

Check your pay rate now

Select your level (general cleaner, equipment operator, supervisor), tell us your employment type and shift pattern, and get an instant breakdown of your rate -- including the shift loadings that many cleaning employers get wrong.

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• creator: Fair Work Commission
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Home > Awards > Cleaning Services Award (MA000022)

Rates current as of 1 July 2025. Source: Fair Work Commission, CC BY 4.0. This information is general in nature and is not legal advice. Always verify rates against the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT) at calculate.fairwork.gov.au.