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

Coles team members are covered by the General Retail Industry Award (MA000004). This sets the minimum hourly rates Coles must pay you. Some Coles stores may operate under an enterprise agreement, but the award is the safety net — your pay can never go below it.

If you're a checkout operator, shelf stacker, deli worker, bakery team member, online shopper, or click-and-collect worker at Coles, this award applies to you.

Use our retail worker pay rate tool to check your exact rate based on your age and employment type.

As of 1 July 2026, the minimum hourly rates for adult Coles workers under the General Retail Industry Award are:

• Retail Employee Level 1 (checkout, shelf stacking, trolley collection): $27.81/hr
• Retail Employee Level 2 (experienced workers, basic supervision): $28.45/hr
• Retail Employee Level 3 (skilled workers, trade qualifications): $28.89/hr
• Retail Employee Level 4 (department supervisors): $29.45/hr

Most Coles team members start at Level 1. If you've been there a while and are training new staff or handling extra responsibilities, you may be entitled to Level 2 rates.

Junior workers at Coles get a percentage of the adult rate based on their age. Here's what that looks like at Level 1:

• Under 16: $12.51/hr (45% of adult rate)
• 16 years: $13.91/hr (50%)
• 17 years: $16.69/hr (60%)
• 18 years: $19.47/hr (70%)
• 19 years: $22.25/hr (80%)
• 20 years, first 6 months with that employer: $25.03/hr (90%)
• 20 years, 6 months or more with that employer: $27.81/hr — the full adult rate

These are minimum rates. If you turn a year older mid-employment, your rate should jump to the next bracket from your next pay period. If it doesn't, your employer is underpaying you.

The 6-month rule catches a lot of 20 year olds out. Under the General Retail Industry Award, once you have been with the same employer for more than 6 months, a 20 year old is on the full adult rate — not 90%. That is $27.81 an hour instead of $25.03, a difference of $2.78 for every hour you work. Service with a previous employer does not count. Check the date you started and check your payslip.

A bigger change starts on 1 December 2026. 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 will move to the full adult rate in steps. From the first full pay period starting on or after 1 December 2026, an 18 year old goes from 70% to 75% of the adult rate (about $20.86/hr at Level 1, up from $19.47) and a 19 year old from 80% to 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. Nothing changes for under-18s, or for 18 to 20 year olds in their first 6 months with the employer. Sources: FWC decisions [2026] FWCFB 75 (31 March 2026) and [2026] FWCFB 222 (26 August 2026); updated 3 October 2026. See our junior rates change calculator for what it means for your pay.

Casual Coles workers get a 25% loading on top of the base hourly rate. This is to compensate you for not getting paid leave or guaranteed hours.

For a Level 1 adult casual, that's:

• $27.81 + 25% = $34.76/hr

The casual loading applies before penalty rates are calculated. So your weekend and evening penalties are calculated on the loaded rate.

Check exactly what you should be getting with our casual loading calculator.

Penalty rates kick in for work outside ordinary hours. For a Level 1 adult permanent employee:

• Saturday: 125% — $34.76/hr
• Sunday: 150% — $41.72/hr (casuals get 175% — $48.67/hr)
• Public holidays: 225% — $62.57/hr (casuals get 250% — $69.53/hr)
• Weekday evenings (after 6pm): 125% — $34.76/hr

If you're working Sunday shifts and only getting your base rate, that's a serious underpayment. Check your payslip against these figures every week.

The most common pay problems Coles workers run into:

• 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, you're being underpaid
• Unpaid breaks: If you work a shift over 5 hours, you're entitled to an unpaid meal break of 30-60 minutes. If they make you work through it, that time must be paid

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