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Blog

A general overview of the Clerks Private Sector Award [MA000002]

Author

Published

August 25, 2024

Updated

August 20, 2025

Read time

14 MIN

The Clerks—Private Sector Award 2020 outlines the minimum pay, conditions, and entitlements for a range of admin and office staff across different industries. 

In this guide, we provide an easy-to-understand overview of who it covers, the classifications, pay rates, allowances, super, scheduling, and leave.

Note: This information is current as of August 2025. Award rates and conditions change over time. Always check the latest version of the award for updates.

Clerks Private Sector Award coverage

Who the award covers

  • Office-based roles like receptionists, admin assistants, payroll staff, data entry operators, call centre workers, and customer service staff.

  • On-hire and agency workers in clerical roles, including temps and contractors.

  • Trainees in clerical, HR support, or business administration.

Who’s not covered

  • Clerical staff under another modern award (e.g. hospitality, aged care, or health).

  • Senior managers or high-income employees excluded under the Fair Work Act.

  • Employees under an enterprise agreement with separate pay and conditions.

  • Public sector employees covered by state reference awards or transitional awards.

Example: An admin assistant at a private law firm falls under the Clerks Award. But an admin assistant at a hospital falls under the Health Professionals and Support Services Award.

Learn more about Clerks Award coverage

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Employment types, ordinary hours, and rostering under the Clerks Private Sector Award

Employment types

Full-time

  • Full-time employees work 38 ordinary hours a week. You can average this over a period of up to four weeks.

  • Their employment is ongoing and provides a predictable schedule.

Part-time

  • Part-time employees work less than 38 hours per week.

  • You need to agree on their hours, days, and start and finish times in writing before they start working for you.

  • Any hours they work beyond the pattern you initially agreed on count as overtime.

  • You must pay part-time employees for a minimum of three hours for each shift.

Casual

  • Casual employees don’t have guaranteed hours. You hire them on an as-needed basis.

  • They receive a 25% casual loading on all the ordinary hours they work.

  • You must pay part-time employees for a minimum of three hours for each shift.

Ordinary hours and span of hours

  • The award caps ordinary hours at 38 per week, averaged over four weeks.

  • You can roster employees to work up to 10 hours in a day. But both parties must agree. 

  • Ordinary hours can only fall within the span of hours set by the award. This means 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 7:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

  • You must pay overtime for any work your employees perform outside of these times.

Rostering rules

  • Full-time and part-time employees must have their agreed ordinary hours recorded in writing before starting work. If you change these hours, there needs to be an agreement in writing.

  • The award says you normally need to give seven days’ notice if you’re changing an employee’s set workdays. But if your workplace runs on a longer, fixed roster cycle (like a fortnightly roster), then the notice period stretches to 14 days.

  • Employees can work additional hours in exchange for rostered days off (RDOs). An RDO gives them one paid day off every four weeks.

  • You must give at least four weeks’ notice before an employee takes a rostered day off (RDO). Employees can bank up to five RDOs and then use them later with only five days’ notice.

  • Employees may also request flexible working arrangements under the National Employment Standards (NES). You may refuse these requests only on reasonable business grounds.

Breaks

  • Meal breaks: Employees who work more than five hours must take an unpaid meal break of at least 30 minutes. If you need them to work through this break, you must pay them at double time until they actually take it.

  • Rest breaks: Employees working between three and eight hours get one paid 10-minute rest break. If they work more than eight hours, they get two 10-minute paid rest breaks.

  • Overtime breaks: Employees working more than four hours of overtime on a Saturday morning get a 10-minute paid rest break.

  • Flexibility: With agreement, you can split the two rest breaks in a shift to fall before and after the meal break.

Learn more about Clerks Award employment types, ordinary hours, and rostering

Clerks Award pay

Getting pay right under the Clerks Award can be complex because there are different rates for adults, juniors, and casuals, and a variety of classifications. Getting it wrong can be costly. Using payroll software that automatically applies the award rules is the safest and easiest way to stay compliant.

Minimum rates

The Clerks Award sets the minimum amounts you need to pay for different admin roles. There are lots of different wage tiers. But, for example, you need to pay a Level 1, Year 1 adult $978.20 per week (full-time) or $25.74 per hour (part-time). And you need to pay a Level 2, Year 1 adult $1,068.40 per week (full-time) or $28.12 per hour (part-time). For casuals, you must pay a 25% loading on top of the minimum hourly rate the award sets.  

You pay junior employees (under 21) a percentage of the adult rate for their classification. The percentage increases each year until they reach adult pay at 21.

You can pay employees weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. And you must provide a compliant payslip that shows all wage components. When someone leaves, you must pay everything you owe them, including wages and entitlements, within seven days of termination.

Allowances

The Clerks Award has a range of allowances that cover extra skills or out-of-pocket costs employees might incur. Below are some common examples:

  • First-aid allowance: You need to pay $16.03 per week when an employee holds a current first-aid certificate and you appoint them to first-aid duties.

  • Uniform laundering: If working for you requires uniforms or protective clothing, you need to cover the costs. You also need to pay $3.55 per week for laundering for full-time staff, or $0.71 per shift for part-time and casual staff.

  • Meal allowance for unscheduled overtime: If you ask someone to work more than an hour and a half of overtime without 24 hours’ notice, you need to pay $19.93 for a meal. If the overtime goes beyond four hours, you need to add $15.96 for another meal.

  • Vehicle allowance: You must pay $0.98 per kilometre for cars and $0.33 per kilometre for motorcycles. You only need to pay this allowance for up to 400 kilometres per week.

Overtime rates

You need to pay employees overtime rates when they work:

  • over 38 hours in a week

  • over 10 hours in a day

  • outside the ordinary span of hours

  • on a rostered day off that isn’t swapped or banked

Overtime rates

  • Monday–Saturday, first two hours: 150% (175% for casuals)

  • Monday–Saturday, after two hours: 200% (225% for casuals)

  • Sunday: 200% (225% for casuals)

  • Public holidays: 250% (275% for casuals)

Example: Mark is a full-time admin assistant on $30 an hour. He works two extra hours on Tuesday at time-and-a-half ($90) and four extra hours on Saturday at double time ($240). His overtime total for the week is $330.

Employees can swap overtime pay for time off in lieu (TOIL). You need a written agreement each pay period. And they must take the time off within six months. If they don’t, you must pay it out at the overtime rate.

Rest after overtime

After working overtime, an employee needs 10 hours off before their next shift. If you roster them in again too soon, you have two choices:

  • Let them go home and give them a full 10-hour break. If you do this, you need to pay them for any ordinary hours they may miss because of this. 

  • Keep them working, while paying them at double time until they’ve had a full 10-hour break.

Penalty rates

Penalty rates kick in when employees work ordinary hours at times that are harder or less popular to staff. For example, weekends or public holidays. These are still classified as ordinary hours under the award. But you have to pay them at higher rates to reflect the inconvenience.

  • Saturday: 125% (150% for casuals)

  • Sunday: 200% (225% for casuals) with a minimum four-hour payment

  • Public holidays: 250% (275% for casuals) with a minimum four-hour payment.

Example: Emma is a full-time employee on $25 an hour. She works five hours on a Sunday. At 200%, she earned $250 for that shift.

Superannuation

Most super rules come from federal law under the Superannuation Guarantee (SG). The award mainly ‘copies’ those rules. The only super element specific to the award is the default funds you can use if an employee doesn’t choose their own.

You must pay 12% of an employee’s ordinary time earnings (OTE) into their super fund. This applies to everyone 18 and over. For under-18s, you only pay super if they work over 30 hours in a week. The old $450-per-month threshold doesn’t exist anymore. 

If an employee doesn’t choose a fund, you can check with the ATO for their stapled fund. If they don’t have one, the Clerks Award lets you use approved defaults. For instance, AustralianSuper or CareSuper.

Employees can also ask to make extra contributions (salary sacrifice or post-tax). You need to get this in writing and pay the money into their fund within 28 days after the end of the month.

You must continue paying super during paid leave. If a work injury or illness keeps an employee off work, you also keep paying super. You do this for up to 52 weeks while they stay employed and receive workers’ comp or regular payments.

Learn more about the Clerks Award minimum rates, allowances, and super

Clerks Private Sector Award leave entitlements and public holidays

Most leave entitlements come from the NES. The Clerks Award adds details like leave loading and some conditions around managing balances. The Fair Work Act makes the rules for public holidays, while the award sets the penalty rates.

Annual leave

  • Full-time employees get four weeks of paid annual leave each year. Part-time employees get the same amount, but on a pro rata basis.

  • The Clerks Award requires you to add a 17.5% leave loading on annual leave. If the weekend or shift penalties they would have earned are higher, then you need to pay the higher amount.

  • If an employee builds up more than eight weeks of leave (10 weeks for shiftworkers), you need to try to agree on a plan to reduce it. If that fails, the award lets you direct them to take leave. But you must give notice and follow the minimum balance rules.

Other types of leave (NES rules)

  • Personal/carer’s leave: Full-time staff get 10 paid days of personal and carer’s leave per year. Part-timers get the same, but on a pro rata basis. Casuals don’t build up paid personal leave. If they need to take this time off, they simply don’t work that shift and don’t get paid. 

  • Compassionate leave: Full-time and part-time staff get two paid days of compassionate leave per occasion. Casuals can take unpaid compassionate leave.

  • Parental leave: Full-time, part-time, and regular casuals with 12 months’ service can take up to 12 months of unpaid leave. They can also ask for an extra 12 months.

  • Community service leave: You need to pay for the first 10 days of jury duty for full-time and part-time staff. All other community service leave for all employment types is unpaid.

  • Family and domestic violence leave: All employees, including casuals, get 10 paid days each year.

Public holidays

  • Under the Fair Work Act, employees (except casuals) have a right to take a paid day off if the public holiday falls on a day they normally work.

  • Employers can ask someone to work on a public holiday if the request is reasonable. If the employee agrees to work, the Clerks Award sets the penalty rates for those hours.

  • Employers and employees can agree in writing to swap a public holiday for another day off.

Learn more about Clerks Private Sector Award leave entitlements

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Shiftwork under the Clerks Private Sector Award

Shiftwork covers hours outside the standard daytime span. It also attracts specific pay rules. Here are the key bits to be aware of:

  • Shift types: Afternoon shifts finish between 7:00 p.m. and midnight. Night shifts finish between midnight and 7:00 a.m. Permanent night shifts are those that run continuously for more than four weeks.

  • Overtime: Employees earn 150% for the first two hours and 200% after that. 

  • Time off instead of overtime: You and your shiftworkers can agree in writing to swap overtime pay for time off. But, like with standard employees, they must take the time off within six months.

  • Rest break between shifts: Shiftworkers must get at least eight hours off between shifts. If they don’t, you must pay double time until they do.

  • Shift penalties: Afternoon and night shifts attract a 115% rate. Permanent night shifts attract 130%. Weekend and public holiday shifts attract 150%.

  • Extra annual leave: Shiftworkers who regularly work Sundays and public holidays get one extra week of paid annual leave each year.

Clerks Private Sector Award nuances

The Clerks Award has a few tricky provisions that can trip you up. Here are the main ones to keep an eye out for:

  • Coverage exclusions: The Clerks Award doesn’t apply if another award with clerical classifications is more relevant. For instance, the Hospitality Award or the Aged Care Award. You might apply the Clerks Award by default, but doing so can cause underpayments, back pay claims, and financial penalties.

  • Higher duties allowance: If an employee performs duties at a higher classification, even for part of a shift, you must pay them the higher rate for that period. Small businesses often overlook this when staff step up to cover leave or peak workloads. It can create costly back-pay liabilities.

  • Overtime for part-timers: Part-time staff earn overtime when they work beyond their agreed regular hours. They don’t have to go over 38 hours a week to earn it. Missing this rule is a common source of accidental wage theft and underpayment claims.

  • Break compliance: Employees who work more than five hours must get at least a 30-minute meal break. If they work through it, you must pay them at double time until they take the break. Forgetting to track and enforce breaks can expose your business to penalties. 

Simplify Clerks Private Sector Award compliance with Rippling

The Clerks Award is one of the most widely used awards in Australia. But it’s also one of the trickiest to manage. Different classifications, junior rates, overtime triggers, leave rules, and penalty rates can easily trip you up. And underpayment mistakes carry big risks. 

Rippling’s all-in-one workforce management platform built for Australian businesses is here to help!

The platform connects HR, payroll, and IT in one place, all powered by a single source of truth. That means every employee detail, from their classification and agreed hours to their pay history and leave balances, flows through the same system automatically.

Here are some of the ways Rippling makes Clerks Award compliance far simpler: 

  • Accurate hiring and classifications: Set up employees once with the right award level, classification, and hours. Rippling then applies the correct minimum rates, junior percentages, casual loadings, and overtime rules automatically.

  • Built-in rostering and time tracking: Track hours, breaks, and rosters in real time. If someone works outside the award’s span of hours, Rippling automatically applies the right overtime or penalty rates without any manual checks needed.

  • Leave and entitlements handled for you: Rippling calculates and accrues annual leave, leave loading, and personal leave in line with the Clerks Award and the NES. It also helps manage TOIL agreements, and public holiday entitlements without extra admin.

  • Payroll and super, done right: Payroll runs in a few clicks, with the system applying all the correct rates, allowances, and super contributions at the current SG rate. It also produces compliant payslips and keeps an audit trail.

  • Compliance updates: When the Fair Work Commission updates the Clerks Award each year, Rippling updates too. So, you’re always paying in line with the latest rules.

With Rippling, you don’t have to bounce between multiple systems or worry about missing award changes. You just review the numbers, hit ‘run,’ and know you’re paying your people correctly, on time, and in full compliance.

Hire, pay, and manage your team all in one innovative platform.

Disclaimer

Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting and legal advisers before engaging in any related activities or transactions.

Author

The Rippling Team

Global HR, IT, and Finance know-how directly from the Rippling team.

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