How much does a home care worker earn on early morning? 1.12x penalty rate under the Home Care Award 2024.
Last verified: 21 May 2026A home care worker working on early morning earns $28.76/hr (12% above the base rate of $25.68/hr).
Based on the Home Care Award 2024 (MA000100), Level 1 adult rate, effective 1 July 2025.
Weekday Base Rate
$25.68/hr
1.0x (no penalty)
Early Morning Penalty Rate
$28.76/hr
1.12x (+12%)
Casual home care workers receive their casual-loaded rate ($32.10/hr, which includes 25% casual loading) multiplied by the early morning penalty rate of 1.12x.
Start with the base hourly rate: $25.68/hr
Multiply by the early morning penalty rate: 1.12x
$25.68 x 1.12 = $28.76/hr
Under the Home Care Award 2024, employees working early morning hours receive 1.12x their base rate. Early morning hours are generally defined as work performed between midnight and 6am or 7am, depending on the award. These penalties recognise the health and lifestyle impact of working unsociable hours.
Source: Home Care Award 2024 (MA000100). Rates effective from 1 July 2025 following the Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review.
If you work 8 hours on early morning, you earn $230.09 instead of $205.44 on a weekday — that's $24.65 extra.
Weekday (8hrs)
$205.44
Early Morning (8hrs)
$230.09
Extra Earned
+$24.65
| Day / Time | Multiplier | Full-Time Rate | Casual Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekday (base) | 1.0x | $25.68/hr | $32.10/hr |
| Saturday | 1.5x | $38.52/hr | $48.15/hr |
| Sunday | 2x | $51.36/hr | $64.20/hr |
| Public Holiday | 2.5x | $64.20/hr | $80.25/hr |
| Christmas Day | 2.5x | $64.20/hr | $80.25/hr |
| Evening | 1.12x | $28.76/hr | $35.95/hr |
| Early Morning | 1.12x | $28.76/hr | $35.95/hr |
Use our Penalty Rate Calculator to check your exact rate based on your award, classification level, and employment type.
Open Penalty Rate CalculatorA home care worker working on early morning earns $28.76 per hour under the Home Care Award 2024. This is 1.12x the base rate of $25.68/hr, which is 12% more than the ordinary weekday rate. Casual home care workers earn $35.95/hr (1.12x their casual rate of $32.10/hr).
The early morning penalty rate for home care workers is 1.12x the base hourly rate under the Home Care Award 2024 (MA000100). For a Level 1 home care worker, this means $28.76/hr instead of $25.68/hr. The penalty rate compensates employees for working during unsociable hours.
Yes. Casual home care workers receive penalty rates on early morning. The 1.12x penalty multiplier is applied to the casual rate of $32.10/hr (which already includes 25% casual loading), giving a total of $35.95/hr. Casual employees receive both their loading and the penalty rate.
Your employer can roster you to work on early morning as part of your ordinary hours or as overtime, provided it aligns with the Home Care Award 2024 and your employment contract. However, you must be paid the correct penalty rate of 1.12x your base rate ($28.76/hr). If you believe your roster is unreasonable, you can raise this with your employer or contact Fair Work.
Embed this calculator on your site — free
One line of HTML. Auto-updates with the latest Australian rates. Click to copy the code.
Copy & paste into any HR blog, payroll docs, intranet, or CMS.
<iframe
src="https://fairworkmate.com.au/embed/penalty-rates?partner=YOUR_NAME"
width="100%"
height="700"
frameborder="0"
loading="lazy"
title="Home Care Worker Early Morning Pay Rate 2026 by FairWork Mate"
style="border:1px solid #e2e8f0;border-radius:8px;max-width:680px;"
></iframe>YOUR_NAME with your site identifier for attribution (optional).“I'm using the Home Care Worker Early Morning Pay Rate 2026 on FairWork Mate. Walk me through what this typically tells me and what I should do next.”
Ask FairWork Mate AI →
Get notified when rates change
Free alerts when minimum wage, award rates, or workplace laws are updated.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Stuck on your numbers?
Ask our AI advisor — it'll talk you through your specific situation in seconds.
FairWork Mate is an independent commercial service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with the Fair Work Ombudsman, the Fair Work Commission, or any Australian Government agency. Content is general information and estimates only — not legal, financial, or tax advice. Always verify with the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) or a qualified professional.
Your weekend and public holiday penalty rates by award — retail, hospitality, fast food & more. Free calculator shows exactly what you should earn per hour.
Overtime Pay Australia 2026: Rates, Penalties & Weekend CalculatorSaturday 150%, Sunday 175-200%, public holidays 250%. Exact overtime pay rates by award — retail, hospitality, healthcare, and more. Free calculator included.
Nurses Award Night Shift Penalty Rates 2026: Exact Rates by ClassificationComplete breakdown of night shift, weekend, and public holiday penalty rates under the Nurses Award 2020 (MA000034). Exact dollar amounts for every classification level.
Free tools surface the issue. Our partners help you solve it.
Authorised Employment Hero Partner
Australian HR, payroll, rostering and award interpretation in one platform. Used by 300,000+ businesses. Fixes the underlying payroll/compliance issues our calculators surface.
Best for: SMEs that have outgrown spreadsheet payroll or want automated award interpretation.
See Employment HeroAuthorised Lawpath Partner
Register an ABN, form a Pty Ltd, or grab an ongoing legal plan. 400,000+ Australian businesses use Lawpath for fast, fixed-price legal admin without the $400/hr solicitor bill.
Best for: contractors, sole traders, scaling businesses, anyone forming a company.
See LawpathIT, Microsoft & cyber partner
Microsoft 365, Copilot rollouts, Essential Eight, Privacy Act 2026 and board-level cyber compliance for Australian SMBs. Where pay and HR end, your data and IT obligations begin.
Best for: SMBs running on Microsoft 365, anyone hitting cyber/privacy compliance, boards wanting an outside read on IT risk.
See FrontrowAffiliate partners — commissions fund the free tools on this site. We only recommend partners we've vetted as a good fit for Australian workplaces.