Funeral Industry Award 2025 Pay Rates (MA000037)
Plain-English Summary
Who does this award cover?
The Funeral Industry Award covers employees working in funeral directing, embalming, mortuary services, cemetery operations, crematorium operations, and the transport of deceased persons across Australia. If you work as a funeral attendant, hearse driver, embalmer, mortuary technician, cemetery labourer, crematorium operator, or funeral director, this award applies to you. It covers roughly 15,000 workers.
This award does NOT cover employees who work solely in cemetery grounds maintenance without any funeral-related duties (who may fall under the Gardening and Landscaping Services Award, MA000101), or administrative staff in funeral businesses who perform only clerical work (who may fall under the Clerks Award, MA000002). The coverage test is whether the employee's work is connected to funeral, burial, or cremation services.
How classification levels work
The award has five classification levels from Level 1 (entry-level attendant) through Level 5 (branch manager/senior funeral director). Each level maps to a set of duties and required qualifications. Level 1 covers entry-level roles like funeral attendant, chapel hand, and cemetery labourer. Level 3 covers qualified roles like embalmer and crematorium operator. Level 5 covers senior management roles. Your employer must classify you based on what you actually do, not what they call your position.
On-call and irregular hours
The funeral industry has a unique working pattern due to the unpredictable nature of death. On-call provisions are particularly important -- employees may be required to be available outside ordinary hours for body transfers, urgent preparations, or family requests. The on-call allowance compensates for this requirement to remain available.
Classification Levels and Base Rates
All rates effective 1 July 2025. Source: Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review 2024-25.
| Level | Typical Roles | Weekly Rate | Hourly Rate | Casual Rate (incl. 25% loading) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Funeral attendant, chapel hand, cemetery labourer | $882.80 | $23.23 | $29.04 |
| Level 2 | Experienced funeral attendant, mortuary assistant, hearse driver | $906.20 | $23.85 | $29.81 |
| Level 3 | Embalmer, funeral director (under supervision), crematorium operator | $918.00 | $24.16 | $30.20 |
| Level 4 | Qualified funeral director, senior embalmer | $951.40 | $25.04 | $31.30 |
| Level 5 | Branch manager, senior funeral director | $993.60 | $26.15 | $32.69 |
Hourly rate = weekly rate / 38. Casual rate = hourly rate x 1.25.
Penalty Rates
All penalties are calculated on the base hourly rate.
Full-Time and Part-Time Employees
| When you work | Penalty | Level 1 example | Level 3 example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday (ordinary hours) | 100% | $23.23/hr | $24.16/hr |
| Saturday | 150% | $34.85/hr | $36.24/hr |
| Sunday | 200% | $46.46/hr | $48.32/hr |
| Public holiday | 250% | $58.08/hr | $60.40/hr |
| Overtime -- first 2 hours (Mon-Sat) | 150% | $34.85/hr | $36.24/hr |
| Overtime -- after 2 hours (Mon-Sat) | 200% | $46.46/hr | $48.32/hr |
| Overtime -- Sunday | 200% | $46.46/hr | $48.32/hr |
| Overtime -- public holiday | 250% | $58.08/hr | $60.40/hr |
Casual Employees
| When you work | Penalty (on base rate) | Level 1 example | Level 3 example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday (ordinary hours) | 125% | $29.04/hr | $30.20/hr |
| Saturday | 175% | $40.65/hr | $42.28/hr |
| Sunday | 225% | $52.27/hr | $54.36/hr |
| Public holiday | 275% | $63.88/hr | $66.44/hr |
Casual penalty rates include the 25% loading. For example, Saturday casual = base x 1.75 (not base x 1.25 x 1.50). The casual loading is already built into the penalty multiplier.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Casual funeral attendant working a Saturday funeral
Alex is a casual Level 1 funeral attendant called in for a 4-hour Saturday funeral service.
- Base rate: $23.23/hr
- Saturday casual rate: 175% = $23.23 x 1.75 = $40.65/hr
- Total for 4 hours: $162.60 gross
Example 2: Full-time embalmer working a public holiday
Sarah is a permanent Level 3 embalmer who works a 7.6-hour shift on ANZAC Day.
- Base rate: $24.16/hr
- Public holiday rate: 250% = $24.16 x 2.50 = $60.40/hr
- Total for 7.6 hours: $459.04 gross
Example 3: Part-time hearse driver with overtime
James is a part-time Level 2 hearse driver whose agreed hours are 5 hours per day. He works 8 hours on a Wednesday due to multiple services.
- Base rate: $23.85/hr
- First 5 hours (ordinary): 100% = $23.85/hr x 5 = $119.25
- Next 2 hours (OT first 2 hours): 150% = $23.85 x 1.50 = $35.78/hr x 2 = $71.56
- Last 1 hour (OT after 2 hours): 200% = $23.85 x 2.00 = $47.70/hr x 1 = $47.70
- Total for the shift: $238.51 gross
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do I get paid extra for being on-call?
Yes. If your employer requires you to be available outside ordinary hours (which is common in the funeral industry due to the unpredictable nature of the work), you are entitled to an on-call allowance. This compensates you for the restriction on your personal time even when you are not actively working.
2. What is the minimum shift length for casuals?
Casual employees must be engaged for a minimum of 3 hours per shift. At Level 1 casual rate ($29.04/hr), the minimum payment for any casual shift is $87.12 gross.
3. Do cemetery workers fall under this award?
Cemetery workers who perform duties related to burial services, grave preparation, and cemetery maintenance as part of a funeral or cemetery operation are covered by this award. However, workers who solely perform gardening or landscaping in cemeteries without any funeral-related duties may be covered by the Gardening and Landscaping Services Award (MA000101).
Check Your Rate
Working in the funeral industry? Use our free calculator to check exactly what you should be earning for every hour.
Select your role (funeral attendant, embalmer, funeral director, cemetery worker), tell us your employment type and when you work, and get a breakdown showing your exact rate.
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- name: "Funeral Industry Award MA000037 Pay Rates July 2025"
- description: "Classification levels and hourly pay rates for funeral directors, embalmers, and cemetery workers under the Funeral Industry Award"
- temporalCoverage: "2025-07-01/.."
- creator: Fair Work Commission
- license: CC BY 4.0
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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.