Coles Pay Rates 2026: Award Rates by Age, Casual & Penalty Rates

Coles supermarket team members are covered by the Coles Retail Enterprise Agreement 2024, which sits on top of the General Retail Industry Award (MA000004). The agreement's own 2026-27 dollar rates are not published outside the agreement and the SDA members area, so the figures on this page are the award floor — the legal minimum your agreement base rate cannot go below (Fair Work Act 2009 s 206).

• Adult award floor (Retail Employee Level 1): $27.81/hr permanent, $34.76/hr casual, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026
• Penalty rates under the Coles agreement: 125% weekday evenings and Saturdays, 150% Sundays, 225% public holidays (casuals 150% / 150% / 175% / 250%, loading included)
• 20 year olds: the Coles agreement pays the adult rate from day one
• 1 December 2026: 18 and 19 year olds with more than 6 months at Coles get a higher award floor (75% and 85% of the adult rate)

Sources: Fair Work Commission Modern Awards Pay Database (MA000004, rates current from 1 July 2026, checked 8 October 2026); SDA Coles Supermarkets Agreement overview (read 11 October 2026).

• Named the agreement that actually covers Coles stores — the Coles Retail Enterprise Agreement 2024 (commenced 7 October 2024, nominal expiry 3 May 2028) — instead of describing Coles as award-covered.
• Replaced the penalty-rate list with the Coles agreement's penalty table, keeping the award figures as a benchmark.
• Added the Coles rule that 20 year olds get the adult rate from day one, and the 1 December 2026 junior change for 18 and 19 year olds.
• Confirmed every award figure against the FWC pay database for 2026-27 (Annual Wage Review 2026 decision, 2 June 2026: award rates up 4.75%, so Level 1 went from $26.55 to $27.81).

Coles supermarket workers are covered by the Coles Retail Enterprise Agreement 2024. According to the SDA (the retail union that negotiated it), it commenced on 7 October 2024 and has a nominal expiry date of 3 May 2028, so it is the agreement in force throughout 2026. It covers checkout and service, shelf and night-fill, deli, bakery, online and click-and-collect roles.

An enterprise agreement must leave employees better off overall than the award (the Better Off Overall Test), and its base rates can never be lower than the award's (s 206). That is why the award rates below are a reliable floor even though the agreement's own figures are not public. Coles distribution centres have separate agreements. More on the agreement itself: Coles enterprise agreement explained.

Award floor from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026 (General Retail Industry Award, FWC pay database):

The SDA lists "higher wage rates than the Award" among the Coles agreement's conditions, so your payslip rate should be at or above these figures. If you are training others or doing more than Level 1 work, check whether you should be on a higher level.

Under the Coles agreement, 20 year olds are paid the adult rate from day one (SDA comparison of the Coles agreement and the Retail Award). For younger workers the award junior percentages set the floor at Level 1:

Your rate should move to the next age bracket from the first full pay period after your birthday.

In the junior rates case (AM2024/24) the Fair Work Commission decided that 18 and 19 year olds under the General Retail Award (levels 1 to 3) who have been with their employer for more than 6 months move to the full adult rate in steps. From the first full pay period starting on or after 1 December 2026:

• 18 year olds: 70% → 75% of the adult rate — about $20.86/hr at Level 1 (up from $19.47)
• 19 year olds: 80% → 85% — about $23.64/hr (up from $22.25)

Rates then rise 5 percentage points each July and December: 19 year olds reach the full adult rate from 1 July 2028 and 18 year olds from 1 July 2029. Under-18s and anyone in their first 6 months with Coles are not affected, and Coles 20 year olds are already on the adult rate. Because an agreement's base rate can't be lower than the award's, the new award figure becomes the floor for Coles team members in this group. Sources: FWC decisions [2026] FWCFB 75 (31 March 2026) and [2026] FWCFB 222 (26 August 2026). Check your own figure with the junior rates change calculator.

The SDA publishes this penalty table for the Coles Retail Enterprise Agreement 2024 (casual figures include the casual loading):

For a benchmark, the same percentages on the award Level 1 rate give $34.76 (125%), $41.72 (150%), $48.67 (175%), $62.57 (225%) and $69.53 (250%) an hour. Your actual figure is the percentage applied to your agreement rate. The SDA also lists voluntary work on public holidays and 15-minute paid rest breaks among the agreement's above-award conditions. Check a specific shift with the penalty rates calculator.

General award-compliance issues that come up across the retail sector. This is a checklist for your own payslip, not a finding about Coles:

• Not getting age increases: Your rate should go up when you turn a year older. If it doesn't change automatically, raise it with your manager in writing
• Missing penalty rates: Check that your Saturday, Sunday, and public holiday shifts are actually being paid at the higher rate
• Wrong classification: If you're doing Level 2 work (training others, supervising) but being paid Level 1, ask about your classification
• Breaks: If you work through an unpaid meal break, that time must be paid

If you think you're being underpaid, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman — it's free and confidential.

The award floor for an adult casual at Level 1 is $34.76/hr ($27.81 plus the 25% casual loading) from 1 July 2026. Under the Coles agreement casuals get 150% on weekday evenings and Saturdays, 175% on Sundays and 250% on public holidays, loading included. Junior casual floors are in the table above (for example $17.39/hr at 16).

Under the Coles agreement, public holiday work between 7am and 11pm (9am to 11pm when the holiday falls on a Sunday) is paid at 225% for full-time and part-time team members and 250% for casuals (SDA summary). On the award Level 1 rate that is $62.57 and $69.53 an hour. The SDA also lists public holiday work as voluntary under the agreement.

The full Coles Retail Enterprise Agreement 2024 is public on the Fair Work Commission's Find an Enterprise Agreement register, and the SDA publishes current Coles pay rates to members. For the award floor, the Fair Work Ombudsman publishes a General Retail Industry Award pay guide (PDF) on its pay guides page.

The award floor rose 4.75% from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026 after the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review 2026 decision (2 June 2026): Retail Level 1 went from $26.55 to $27.81 an hour. Your Coles agreement rate must stay at or above the new award base rate. On 1 December 2026 the junior floor also rises for 18 and 19 year olds with more than 6 months' service.