Costco Enterprise Agreement 2026: The 2023-2027 Agreement Explained

Yes. Costco Australia warehouse employees are covered by the Costco Wholesale Australia Enterprise Agreement 2023-2027, approved by the Fair Work Commission on 8 November 2023 with a nominal expiry date of 8 September 2027. It sits on top of the General Retail Industry Award (MA000004), which remains the legal floor.

The agreement covers the roles you'd expect across a Costco warehouse: front end and cashiers, floor and stock, food court, optical, tyre centre and member services.

Costco's reputation is above-award pay, and the structure supports it: the agreement had to pass the Better Off Overall Test against the retail award, and Costco layers tenure-based step progression on top of its base rates — a structural advantage over the award, where rates only move with classification changes.

The award floor from 1 July 2026 is $27.81/hr for a permanent adult Retail Employee Level 1. For what Costco actually pays and how the steps work, see our Costco pay rates 2026 page, and check the award baseline with the retail award pay rate tool.

Three Costco-specific checks: was your step progression applied at the right hours threshold, are weekend and public-holiday penalties calculated on your Costco base rate (not the lower award figure), and is your classification right for the role you actually perform? Costco staff are entitled to a copy of the full agreement — ask HR if you don't have one.

If a shift doesn't add up, run it through our penalty rates calculator and underpayment checker.

The agreement's nominal expiry is 8 September 2027, so expect bargaining for a replacement to begin over the next year or so. Reaching the expiry date won't end the agreement — it keeps operating until replaced or terminated — but it is the point where pay gets renegotiated and employees can take protected industrial action during bargaining. If you work at Costco, that's when your input matters most.

Read the summary and key dates on our Costco Wholesale Australia Enterprise Agreement 2023-2027 page, or search the Fair Work Commission's Find an Enterprise Agreement register for the approved PDF. For how agreements work generally, see our guide to enterprise agreements in Australia.