Clerks Award, explained for shift work.
Clerks - Private Sector Award 2020 · Reviewed July 2026 by the MyGig compliance team
Clerical and administrative work in the private sector across industries: an occupation-based award that follows the work, not the industry.
Penalties and loadings to know
- Casual loading of 25% on the ordinary hourly rate
- Penalties for Saturday and Sunday work
- A span of ordinary hours; work outside it attracts overtime or penalties
Roles typically covered
Casual hourly rates under the Clerks Award
| Classification | Casual $/hr |
|---|---|
| Level 3 | $38.89 |
| Call centre principal customer contact specialist | $39.16 |
| Level 4 | $40.84 |
| Level 5 | $42.49 |
| Call centre technical associate | $46.55 |
Adult casual hourly rates including the 25% casual loading, effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, covering all 5 casual classifications in MyGig's award engine. Source: MyGig award engine, built from Fair Work Commission pay guides. Penalties, overtime, and allowances apply on top per the award.
Free download:the 2026 Casual Rates Card puts every award’s entry casual rate on one printable sheet.
Get the rates cardBreaks under the Clerks Award
| Min hours | Max hours | Break (mins) | Type | Paid | To be taken after | To be taken before | What the award says | Clause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5+ | - | 30 to 60 | Meal | Unpaid | - | Within the first 5 hours of work (and within 5 hours of resuming after a break) | “An employee who works more than 5 hours at a time is entitled to one 30 to 60 minute unpaid meal break, to be taken within the first 5 hours of work and within 5 hours after resuming work after a meal break.” | cl 15.3 |
| - | - | - | Meal | - | - | - | “An employer must pay an employee who is required to work through their meal break 200% of the minimum hourly rate from when the meal break would have commenced until a meal break is allowed.” | cl 15.4 |
Quoted from the award text published by Fair Work, as at 20 August 2026. Clause numbers are the award’s own. The quoted words are the award’s. The structured columns are MyGig’s transcription of the quoted sentence in the same row, and a dash means the sentence does not state that value. Breaks vary with shift length, roster and agreement, so read the clause in full before relying on any row.
Span of hours
“An employer must pay a casual employee for a minimum of 3 hours’ work on each engagement even if they are rostered to work for fewer than 3 consecutive hours.”
cl 11.4“The spread of ordinary hours in clause 13.3 (7.00 am and 7.00 pm Monday to Friday and 7.00 am and 12.30 pm Saturday) may be moved up to one hour forward or one hour back by agreement between an employer and:”
cl 13.4Quoted from the award text published by Fair Work, as at 20 August 2026. Clause numbers are the award’s own.
Current minimum rates
Award rates change with every annual wage review (first full pay period on or after 1 July). For the full classification tables, use the official pay guide, or let MyGig apply them for you: every shift estimate uses current rates, penalties included, clause cited.
Clerks Award FAQs
When does the Clerks Award apply instead of an industry award?
When the employee’s work is principally clerical/administrative and the employer’s industry award does not cover clerical staff. It is one of the most commonly misapplied awards; MyGig’s award engine classifies each role before a shift is posted.
Do casual admin staff get weekend penalties?
Yes, the award provides higher rates for Saturday and Sunday work, on top of the 25% casual loading, per its penalty tables.
Where are the current Clerks Award rates?
In the official Fair Work pay guide for MA000002, updated each 1 July. MyGig applies current rates automatically to every clerical shift.
General information only, not legal advice. The award itself (Clerks - Private Sector Award 2020, MA000002) and the Fair Work Ombudsman’s pay tools are the authoritative sources: read the award. Back to all award guides or MyGig compliance & EOR.
Stop interpreting awards by hand.
MyGig employs your casual workers as EOR and applies this award automatically: rates, loadings, penalties, and super, with the clause cited.