Target Pay Rates 2026: Hourly Rates, Junior & Casual Pay

Target Australia is owned by Wesfarmers (same parent as Bunnings, Kmart, and Officeworks). Most Target team members are covered by the General Retail Industry Award (MA000004). Some Target stores may operate under an enterprise agreement, but the award sets the floor — your pay can never go below it.

This award covers checkout operators, replenishment staff, customer service, fitting room attendants, online order fulfilment, and most in-store roles.

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

From 1 July 2025, the minimum hourly rates under the General Retail Industry Award are:

• Retail Employee Level 1 (most team members): $27.81/hr permanent / $34.76/hr casual
• Retail Employee Level 2 (experienced team members): $28.45/hr permanent / $35.56/hr casual
• Retail Employee Level 3 (specialised roles): $28.89/hr permanent / $36.11/hr casual
• Retail Employee Level 4 (department supervisor): $29.45/hr permanent / $36.81/hr casual

If your Target payslip shows less than these figures (and you're 21+), something is wrong. Use our payslip checker to verify.

Junior workers at Target are paid a percentage of the adult Level 1 rate based on age:

• Under 16: 45% — $12.51/hr
• 16 years: 50% — $13.91/hr
• 17 years: 60% — $16.69/hr
• 18 years: 70% — $19.47/hr
• 19 years: 80% — $22.25/hr
• 20 years: 90% — $25.03/hr

Your rate must increase from the first pay period after your birthday. Target's payroll usually catches this automatically, but check your payslip the first cycle after a birthday — errors here are common.

Working outside Monday-to-Friday daytime hours triggers higher pay. For permanent Level 1 adult workers:

• Saturday: 125% — $34.76/hr
• Sunday: 150% — $41.71/hr
• Public holiday: 225% — $62.57/hr
• After 6pm Mon-Fri: 125% — $34.76/hr
• Before 7am: 125% — $34.76/hr

Casuals receive different penalty multipliers because their base rate already includes the 25% casual loading. Sunday for a casual is 175% of the unloaded rate; public holidays are 250%.

Wesfarmers has been audited multiple times for retail underpayments across its banners. Issues to watch on your Target payslip:

• Wrong classification level — if you train others or run a section, you may be Level 2 or 3, not Level 1.
• Missed casual loading — the 25% must be on top of the base rate, not absorbed into a flat hourly figure.
• Weekend rates not applied — Saturday should be 125%, not the same as a weekday.
• Public holiday short-pay — must be 225% for permanents, 250% for casuals.
• Junior rate not updated — check the first pay period after your birthday.

If something looks wrong, ask Target HR for a written breakdown of how your rate was calculated. If the answer doesn't match what the award requires, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94.

Three steps:

1. Pull six months of payslips and a copy of your roster. Calculate what you should have been paid using our back-pay calculator.
2. Email Target HR or your store manager with the calculation. Underpayments are usually fixed within one or two pay cycles when raised politely with numbers.
3. If unresolved within 14 days, lodge a request for assistance with the Fair Work Ombudsman at fairwork.gov.au or 13 13 94. The FWO recovers underpayments at no cost.

You have six years from the underpayment date to recover what you're owed under the Fair Work Act.