Can My Employer Make Me Do Unpaid Training? (Australia 2026)

Yes, if you're an employee and the training is part of your job. The Fair Work Ombudsman's position is direct: if an employee does training as part of their job, the hours have to be paid, because time spent in training is time worked. Compulsory meetings count too. Source: Fair Work Ombudsman, Unpaid work.

This covers:

• inductions and onboarding,
• online modules (food safety, WHS, compliance, product training), including ones done at home,
• formal courses and team training days, and
• staff meetings you're required to attend, before or after a shift.

Training time is paid at your award or agreement rate. If it falls outside your ordinary hours, or on a weekend, the usual overtime or penalty rules apply to it like any other work. For casuals, a training session you're rostered to attend is a shift, so check your award's minimum engagement clause.

Situation	Paid?
Employer requires it, any format or location	Yes. It's time worked
Compulsory staff meeting	Yes
Optional course you choose to do in your own time	Generally no, unless your contract or agreement says otherwise
Vocational placement required by your course (a lawful placement)	Can be unpaid under the Fair Work Act
A qualification you need before you're hired (for example a licence)	Usually your cost, unless your award or contract says otherwise
"Trial shift" before you're hired	Only a short demonstration of skills can be unpaid. See our unpaid trial shift check

If you pay for training yourself and your employer later wants the money back when you leave, that's a training bond. A deduction from your final pay needs your written authorisation and must be principally for your benefit (Fair Work Act s 324).

1. List it. Date, course or meeting, start and finish times, and whether it was required (an email or roster telling you to do it is good evidence).
2. Work out the amount. Hours × your hourly rate, plus any penalty that applied at that time. The back pay calculator does this.
3. Ask payroll in writing. Not paying for hours worked breaches the award (Fair Work Act s 45) and the requirement to pay in full (s 323). The underpayment enquiry letter is a ready-made template.
4. Escalate to the Fair Work Ombudsman if it isn't fixed.

For employers: roster training as paid time and record it on timesheets. Most underpayments in this area come from "please finish these modules before your first shift" messages. Those modules are work.