Am I getting paid enough?

Check if your pay meets the minimum wage and correct award rates for your role.

National Minimum Wage

The current national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour (or $1,004.90 per 38-hour week) from 1 July 2026. This is the absolute minimum any employee can be paid, regardless of their award. Junior employees (under 21) are paid a percentage of the adult rate based on their age.

Modern Award rates

Most employees in Australia are covered by a Modern Award, which sets minimum pay rates higher than the national minimum wage. Your award rate depends on your industry, role, and classification level. For example, a Level 3 Hospitality employee earns $27.97/hr, which is above the national minimum. Check which award covers you using the Award Finder.

Casual loading

Casual employees must be paid a 25% loading on top of the base hourly rate (or the relevant award casual rate). This loading compensates for not receiving paid leave entitlements. If you're casual and being paid the same as permanent employees, you're being underpaid.

Penalty rates

If you work weekends, public holidays, evenings, or overtime, you're entitled to penalty rates under your award. Saturday rates are typically 125-150% of base, Sunday rates 150-200%, and public holidays 225-250%. Check your award's specific penalty rates with our calculator.

What to do if you're underpaid

1. Check your award and classification level. 2. Compare your actual pay against the correct rates using our calculators. 3. Keep records of your hours worked and pay received. 4. Raise the issue with your employer first — many underpayments are genuine mistakes. 5. If unresolved, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman for free help. You can recover up to 6 years of underpayments.

Use these tools

Minimum Wage Checker Award Finder Pay Rate Lookup Penalty Rate Calculator Pay Slip Checker

Official resources

In this situation yourself?

Ask our AI advisor with the specifics — grounded in the Fair Work Act and case law, free to start.

Ask FairWork Mate AI

FairWork Mate AI

The figure is the easy part.

Whether it's right — and what you can do about it — is what the advisor is for. Pro reads your payslip, contract or letter against the full Fair Work Commission and Federal Court case library, cites the decision behind every answer, and drafts what you send next. 150 questions a month, cancel anytime.

Just need today sorted? A Day Pass is 25 questions over 24 hours. No account, nothing to cancel.

Get notified when rates change

Free alerts when minimum wage, award rates, or workplace laws are updated.

Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

General information and estimates only — not legal, financial or tax advice. Always check your specific award, agreement or contract, or a qualified professional, before you rely on the result.