Fast food employee level 1 pay rate 2026

$27.81 /hour

Minimum rate for Fast food employee level 1 under the Fast Food Industry Award (MA000003) from 1 July 2026: $1,056.80 a week full-time, $55,102 a year (weekly × 52.14). Casual: $34.76 an hour, loading included.

Minimum pay rates

Fast food employee level 1, Fast Food Industry Award, from 1 July 2026
Employment typeHourlyWeeklyAnnual (× 52.14)
Full-time / part-time$27.81$1,056.80$55,102
Casual (loading included)$34.76——

How this rate compares

This is the lowest adult rate in the Fast Food Industry Award: rank 4 of 4 distinct hourly rates.

The next rate up is Fast food employee level 2 at $29.45 an hour, $1.64 (5.9%) higher than this classification. That is the largest step between two adjacent rates in the award.

It is $1.37 an hour (5.2%) above the national minimum wage of $26.44.

What changed on 1 July 2026

The hourly rate rose $1.26 (4.7%) from $26.55 on 30 June 2026 to $27.81, and the full-time weekly rate rose $47.90.

Penalty rates

Hourly rate by day, Fast food employee level 1
WhenFull-time / part-timeCasual
Ordinary hours$27.81100%$34.76125%
Weekday eveningEvening work – Monday to Friday – between 10.00 pm and midnight$30.59110%$37.54135%
Saturday$34.76125%$41.72150%
SundayLevel 1$34.76125%$41.72150%
Public holiday$62.57225%$69.53250%
Evening work – Monday to Friday – after midnight and before 6.00 am$31.98115%$38.93140%

Resulting hourly rates as published in the Fair Work Commission’s Modern Awards Pay Database. Casual figures include the casual loading. Percentages are of the minimum hourly rate.

A week with weekend shifts

A casual week of 20 hours with one 8-hour Saturday and one 8-hour Sunday shift
HoursRatePay
4 weekday hours$34.76$139.04
8 Saturday hours$41.72$333.76
8 Sunday hours$41.72$333.76
Total$806.56

That week pays $806.56, which is $111.36 (16%) more than the same 20 hours worked on weekdays at the casual rate ($695.20). A full-time week of 38 ordinary hours pays $1,056.80.

Overtime rates

OvertimeFull-time / part-timeRate
Monday to Saturday – first 2 hours$41.72150%
Monday to Saturday – after 2 hours$55.62200%
Sunday – all hours$55.62200%
Public holiday – all hours$69.53250%

Junior rates

Employees under 21 in this classification are paid a percentage of the adult rate, from $11.12 an hour (40% of the adult rate) for under 16 years. How junior rates work.

Junior rates
AgeHourlyWeekly% of adult
Under 16 years$11.12$422.7240%
16 years$13.91$528.4050%
17 years$16.69$634.0860%
18 years$19.47$739.7670%
19 years$22.25$845.4480%
20 years$25.03$951.1290%

Weekly junior rates are published; hourly is weekly ÷ 38.

Rates current as of 1 July 2026. FWC pay database, MA000003, checked (how). General information only: your award or enterprise agreement prevails if it differs.

Nearby classifications