Minimum Wage for 13 & 14 Year Olds in Australia 2026: Rates by Award

There's no single Australian law on the minimum age you can take a paid job. Each state and territory sets its own rules, and they're surprisingly different. Parents of teenagers need to know this because "but my friend does it" is a real playground argument that often has no legal backing.

Victoria: Minimum age is 13 for most work, but with strict supervision, permit, and hours rules. For delivery work (pamphlets, newspapers) the minimum is 11. Under 15s need a Child Employment Permit issued by Wage Inspectorate Victoria.

New South Wales: No general minimum age. Child employment rules under the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 apply to under-15s in specific industries (entertainment, still photography and door-to-door sales), administered by the Office of the Children's Guardian. Outside those industries, most employers self-impose a 14-year minimum.

Queensland: Minimum age is 13 for most "light work" under the Child Employment Act 2006, and 11 for delivery work (newspapers, pamphlets). There are tight hour limits during school terms (below).

Western Australia: Under 13, children can only work in a family business. From 13, they can work in shops, restaurants, deliveries and similar work between 6am and 10pm with a parent's written permission (Children and Community Services Act 2004).

South Australia: No minimum age set in legislation, but children under 16 can't be employed in a way that interferes with schooling. In practice, 13 is the effective floor for most retail and hospitality roles.

Tasmania, ACT, NT: No specified minimum age, but similar "no interference with school" principles apply. Most employers apply a 14-year minimum voluntarily.

So the idea that "you have to be 15 to work in Australia" is a myth. Plenty of 13 and 14 year olds are legally employed, especially in food delivery, newspaper rounds, family businesses, and casual retail. The question is what they can lawfully be paid.

A common myth is that there's "no minimum wage under 15". There is. A 13 or 14 year old who is an employee of a national-system employer has a binding federal minimum, set one of two ways:

1. If a modern award covers the job (supermarket, fast food, café, cinema, most retail and hospitality), the award's junior rate table applies. The lowest band in those tables is "under 16" (Hospitality: "under 17"), and it covers a 13 or 14 year old just as it covers a 15 year old.
2. If no award or agreement covers the job, the National Minimum Wage Order's junior percentages apply. For an employee under 16 that is 36.8% of the National Minimum Wage — $9.73 per hour from 1 July 2026 ($12.16 casual, including the 25% loading).

Under-16 minimum hourly rates from 1 July 2026 (first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026):

Where they work	Junior %	Full-time / part-time	Casual (+25%)	Source
Retail (General Retail Industry Award, Level 1 $27.81)	45%	$12.51	$15.64	MA000004 cl 17.2, Table 5
Fast food (Fast Food Industry Award, Level 1 $27.81)	40%	$11.12	$13.90	MA000003 cl 15.2, Table 4
Cafés, restaurants, hotels (Hospitality Award, Level 1 $26.44)	50% (under 17)	$13.22	$16.53	MA000009 cl 18.4(a), Table 5
Award-free work (National Minimum Wage $26.44)	36.8%	$9.73	$12.16	National Minimum Wage Order (FWO junior rates)

Two things to note. First, penalty rates apply to juniors too: a 14-year-old casual in a supermarket on a Sunday is paid the junior rate plus the award's Sunday penalty. Second, a handful of awards have no junior rate table at all — if that's the award covering the job, the full adult rate for the classification applies.

Where the myth comes from: the pay guides list "under 16" as the lowest band with no separate 13 or 14 line, and a lot of under-15 work (paper rounds, babysitting, refereeing) is done as a contractor or privately rather than as an employee — and contractors have no minimum wage. If your child is rostered, supervised and paid by the hour, they are almost certainly an employee and the rates above apply.

Check the exact figure for any age and award with the minimum wage calculator, or see the full 16–20 scale in junior pay rates under 21.

States don't set the hourly rate for most 13 and 14 year olds — the federal rates above do. State law matters in two places: the WA state system, and the conditions (hours, permits, supervision) that apply everywhere.

Western Australia — pay. WA is the one state with its own industrial system alongside the federal one. It covers employers that are not national-system employers — mainly WA sole traders, partnerships and some trusts. Those employers pay the WA state minimum wage, which has its own junior percentages published by Wageline (WA Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety). WA companies, and every employer in the other states and territories, are in the federal system and pay the award or National Minimum Wage junior rates above.

Victoria — conditions. The Child Employment Act 2003 is the strictest in the country. Anyone employing a child under 15 needs a child employment licence from Wage Inspectorate Victoria. During school terms a child can work no more than 3 hours a day and 12 hours a week; in school holidays, 6 hours a day and 30 hours a week; never between 9pm and 6am, and never during school hours. They must get a 30-minute rest break after every 3 hours and be supervised.

Queensland — conditions. Under the Child Employment Act 2006, a school-aged child can work at most 12 hours in a school week (4 hours on a school day) and 38 hours in a non-school week (8 hours a day), not between 10pm and 6am, and not during school hours.

New South Wales — conditions. No general hours code. Under-15s in entertainment, still photography and door-to-door sales need employer authorisation from the Office of the Children's Guardian, which sets hours and supervision conditions. For other work, the general rule is that employment must not interfere with schooling.

A common misconception: state conditions laws do NOT override federal award rates. If a modern award covers the work and sets an under-16 junior rate, that rate applies and the Fair Work Ombudsman can enforce it — the state rules sit on top, governing when and how the child can work.

Putting the rates to work for the jobs 13 and 14 year olds actually do:

• Supermarket or shop (casual, Retail Award): $15.64/hr. A 4-hour weekday shift = $62.56. Weekend and evening penalties are on top — run the day and time through the pay calculator.
• Fast food crew (casual, Fast Food Award): $13.90/hr. The award's 3-hour minimum engagement means the shortest shift pays $41.70, even if they're sent home early.
• Café or restaurant (casual, Hospitality Award): $16.53/hr — the highest of the three, because Hospitality's lowest junior band is 50%.
• Award-free employment (rare — most teen jobs are award-covered): $12.16/hr casual, $9.73 full-time or part-time.
• Family business or farm: If the child is a genuine employee, the same award or NMW junior rates apply. Informal "help around the business" is common, but once they're rostered and paid by the hour they are an employee.
• Babysitting, junior sport refereeing, paper rounds: Usually not employment — private arrangements or contracting, where no minimum wage applies. Refereeing fees are set by the sporting association; paper and pamphlet rounds are typically paid per route or per bundle.
• Door-to-door sales and charity collection: Often commission-based and tightly regulated for under-15s (NSW requires Children's Guardian authorisation). Parents should be extremely cautious.

The full award-free junior scale from 1 July 2026 (percentage of the $26.44 National Minimum Wage, as published by the Fair Work Ombudsman):

• Under 16: 36.8% — $9.73/hr
• Age 16: 47.3% — $12.51/hr
• Age 17: 57.8% — $15.29/hr
• Age 18: 68.3% — $18.06/hr
• Age 19: 82.5% — $21.82/hr
• Age 20: 97.7% — $25.84/hr
• Age 21: 100% — $26.44/hr

Award junior scales are simpler and higher: Retail and Fast Food run under 16 → 45%/40%, 16 → 50%, 17 → 60%, 18 → 70%, 19 → 80%, 20 → 90%, 21 → 100% (Retail moves 20-year-olds to 100% after 6 months' service). See minimum wage for 16 and 17 year olds for the next bands up.

Delivery work is where under-15 employment has traditionally concentrated in Australia. Newspaper rounds, junk mail distribution, catalogue drops, and now food delivery (with important limits) are the staples.

Newspaper delivery. Once a massive industry, now much smaller. Most remaining paper rounds are contracted rather than employed: the "newspaper deliverer" is an independent contractor, paid per route or per bundle, and no minimum wage applies. Work out the hourly equivalent yourself — time the round, divide the fee by the hours — before agreeing to it.

Pamphlet and catalogue distribution. Still common, and usually paid per bundle. The hourly equivalent depends heavily on walking speed, geography and honest counting; if it works out below the award-free junior rate of $9.73/hr, it's a poor deal even if it's lawful as contracting.

Food delivery (Uber Eats, Menulog, DoorDash). Off-limits for under-15s. The platforms require delivery partners to be adults. A 14-year-old delivering for a platform is breaching its terms and, in most states, child employment law.

Local shop deliveries. Some pizza shops, bakeries and milk bars employ 14 year olds to deliver by bike or on foot in the immediate area. If the shop is a fast food outlet, the Fast Food Award under-16 rate ($11.12/hr, $13.90 casual) applies; if it's a retail shop, the Retail Award rate ($12.51/hr, $15.64 casual). State safety rules also apply: no delivery after the state's night cut-off, and supervision requirements still stand.

If your kid is paid "per delivery" and the maths works out below the junior rate for their award once counted properly — or below $9.73/hr for award-free employment — ask questions. Per-delivery pay doesn't exempt an employer from the minimum.

Even when a 13 or 14 year old is lawfully employed and paid, the conditions of their work are regulated by the state. Victoria's rules are the tightest and the most commonly quoted; Queensland's are similar in shape. NSW and the other states rely on industry-specific rules and the "no interference with schooling" principle.

Hours during school term (Victoria):

• Maximum 3 hours per school day
• Maximum 12 hours per school week
• No work before 6am or after 9pm
• No work during school hours on school days
• A 30-minute rest break after every 3 hours of work

Hours during school holidays (Victoria):

• Maximum 6 hours per day
• Maximum 30 hours per week
• Same 6am–9pm window

Queensland: 12 hours in a school week (4 hours on a school day), 38 hours in a non-school week (8 hours a day), no work between 10pm and 6am.

Prohibited work:

• Any work involving alcohol service or licensed premises during trading
• Tobacco sales, betting, adult industries (obviously)
• Operation of industrial machinery or power tools
• Work at heights (over 2 metres)
• Work with hazardous chemicals
• Door-to-door sales under 14 in most states
• Construction work

Supervision requirements. Victoria and WA require a child under 15 to be supervised by an adult while working — not just "an adult on the premises somewhere", but someone actively responsible for them.

Breaks. Award break rules apply to juniors exactly as they do to adults — see break entitlements by shift length. Victoria adds its own 30-minute rest break after every 3 hours for under-15s.

These rules are enforced by state regulators: Wage Inspectorate Victoria in VIC, the Office of the Children's Guardian in NSW, the Office of Industrial Relations in QLD, and the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety in WA. Parents can lodge complaints directly.

The federal minimum applies to under-15 employees just as it does to adults, so the recourse is the same. Here's the realistic path if you think your teenager is being ripped off.

Step 1: Work out which award applies. Use our award finder or the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool. Enter the industry, state and role. The award's under-16 junior rate is the binding minimum, enforceable through the FWO.

Step 2: If no award applies, use the National Minimum Wage junior rate — 36.8%, or $9.73/hr ($12.16 casual) from 1 July 2026. That is also enforceable through the FWO. Only if the employer is a WA sole trader or partnership do you look up the WA state junior rate instead (Wageline).

Step 3: Check the hours against state child employment law. A breach of hours limits, break rules, or licence and permit requirements is separately enforceable by the state regulator, and Wage Inspectorate Victoria in particular prosecutes employers for unlicensed child employment.

Step 4: Document everything. Shifts worked, times in and out, pay received (cash or bank), any promises made verbally. Teen workplace disputes often rely heavily on text messages and social media DMs as evidence.

Step 5: Lodge a complaint.

• Fair Work Ombudsman — for award-covered work or federal system breaches. Free, online, takes 6-8 weeks typically.
• State child employment authority — for hours, safety, or permit issues. Faster for urgent safety concerns.
• Police — if the work involves anything unsafe, inappropriate, or potentially criminal.

And have a conversation with the kid. Young workers are often reluctant to complain because they're worried about losing the job or getting a bad reputation. Remind them that the law is on their side, and that underpaid work is not a normal rite of passage to accept quietly. Use our minimum wage calculator to show them the numbers in black and white.