Clerks -- Private Sector Award 2025 Pay Rates (MA000002)

Plain-English Summary

Who does this award cover?

The Clerks -- Private Sector Award covers employees who do clerical and administrative work in private businesses across Australia. If you work in an office doing tasks like data entry, filing, answering phones, processing invoices, bookkeeping, reception, or general admin, this award likely applies to you. It covers roughly 500,000 workers, making it one of the most widely used Modern Awards in the country.

This award does NOT cover you if your employer is in local government, state government, or the Commonwealth public sector. It also does not apply if your work is covered by a more specific industry award (for example, if you do admin work in a legal firm covered by the Legal Services Award, that award takes priority -- see clause 4.2).

How classification levels work

Your pay rate depends on your classification level, which is set by the type of work you actually do -- not your job title. There are five levels (clause 14 and Schedule A). Level 1 covers entry-level clerical work like filing and basic data entry. Level 5 covers senior administrative roles involving team leadership and complex decision-making. Your employer must classify you at the level that matches your actual duties. If your duties change, your classification should change too.

What about part-time and casual workers?

Part-time employees get the same hourly rate as full-time employees, plus the same entitlements on a pro-rata basis (clause 10.3). Casual employees receive a 25% loading on top of the base hourly rate (clause 11.1). This loading compensates casuals for not getting paid leave, notice of termination, or redundancy 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 13.1). Casual rate = hourly rate x 1.25 (clause 11.1).

Penalty Rates

All penalties are calculated on the base hourly rate (clause 22 and clause 26).

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 22.3 and clause 28.4.

Worked Examples

Example 1: Full-time Level 2 clerk works a Sunday

Sarah is a Level 2 clerk (accounts payable) who works an 8-hour shift on a Sunday to cover month-end processing.

• Base rate: $27.26/hr
• Sunday rate: 200% = $27.26 x 2.0 = $54.52/hr
• Total for 8 hours: $436.16 gross
• Clause reference: clause 26.1(b)

Example 2: Casual Level 1 data entry on a public holiday

Jake is a casual Level 1 (Year 1) worker covering a public holiday.

• Base rate: $25.74/hr
• Public holiday casual rate: 275% = $25.74 x 2.75 = $70.79/hr
• Minimum engagement for casuals: 3 hours (clause 11.2)
• Minimum pay for that shift: $212.37 gross
• Clause reference: clause 26.2, clause 11.2

Example 3: Part-time Level 3 with overtime

Priya is a part-time Level 3 clerk who normally works 25 hours per week. Her employer asks her to work an extra 4 hours on a Wednesday.

• Base rate: $28.24/hr
• She is contracted for 25 hours. Hours 26 and 27: regular rate ($28.24/hr) if within agreed hours range, or overtime at 150% ($42.36/hr) if outside agreed hours (clause 10.5)
• Hours 28 and 29: same test applies
• If all 4 extra hours are overtime: first 2 hours at 150% = $42.36/hr, next 2 hours at 200% = $56.48/hr
• Total overtime pay: (2 x $42.36) + (2 x $56.48) = $197.68 gross
• Clause reference: clause 10.5, clause 28.1(a)

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the ordinary hours for clerks under this award?

Ordinary hours are a maximum of 38 per week, or an average of 38 per week over a roster cycle of up to 4 weeks (clause 13.1). The ordinary span of hours is 7:00am to 7:00pm Monday to Friday, unless the employer and employee agree to a different spread (clause 13.3). If your employer asks you to start before 7:00am or finish after 7:00pm, shift penalties apply under clause 22.

2. Can my employer change my roster without notice?

Your employer must give you at least 7 days' notice of a roster change, or 3 days if the business has fewer than 15 employees (clause 13.5). If your employer changes your roster with less notice, you are entitled to overtime rates for any hours that fall outside your original roster until proper notice has been given.

3. Do I get a pay increase each year at Level 1?

Yes. Level 1 has three pay points: Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3 (Schedule A, clause A.1.1). You automatically progress from Year 1 to Year 2 after 12 months of service, and from Year 2 to Year 3 after 24 months. No performance review is required -- the progression is based on time served. After Year 3, further pay increases only come through reclassification to Level 2 or through the annual Fair Work Commission wage review.

4. I am a casual. Am I entitled to overtime rates?

Yes. Casual employees are entitled to overtime rates on top of the casual loading. For casuals, overtime kicks in after 38 hours in a week, or after 7.6 hours in a day (clause 28.3). The casual overtime rates are 175% for the first 2 hours and 225% after that (clause 28.4). These rates already include the casual loading, so they are applied to the base hourly rate (not the casual hourly rate).

5. What is the minimum shift length for casuals?

A casual employee must be engaged and paid for a minimum of 3 consecutive hours for each engagement (clause 11.2). Even if your employer only needs you for 1 hour, they must pay you for 3 hours. At Level 1 Year 1 casual rate ($32.18/hr), the minimum payment for any casual shift is $96.54 gross.

Check Your Rate

Not sure if you are being paid correctly? Use our free pay rate calculator to check your exact rate based on your classification level, employment type, and the hours you work.

Check your pay rate now

Enter your details and get an instant breakdown of what you should be earning -- including penalty rates, overtime, and casual loading. Every result cites the specific award clause so you can verify it yourself.

Schema Markup Suggestions

FAQ Schema (FAQPage)

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Table Schema (Dataset)

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• name: "Clerks Private Sector Award MA000002 Pay Rates July 2025"
• description: "Classification levels and hourly pay rates for the Clerks Private Sector Award, effective 1 July 2025"
• temporalCoverage: "2025-07-01/.."
• creator: Fair Work Commission
• license: CC BY 4.0

Breadcrumb Schema

Home > Awards > Clerks -- Private Sector Award (MA000002)

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.