Hospitality Award, explained for shift work.
Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 · Reviewed July 2026 by the MyGig compliance team
Hotels, pubs, motels, casinos, catering businesses, and most bars and cafés. Standalone restaurants have their own award (Restaurant Industry Award), as do registered clubs.
Penalties and loadings to know
- Casual loading of 25% on the ordinary hourly rate
- Penalty rates for Saturday, Sunday, and public holiday work
- Evening and late-night loadings on weekdays
- Overtime provisions after daily/weekly ordinary hours
Roles typically covered
Casual hourly rates under the Hospitality Award
| Classification | Casual $/hr |
|---|---|
| Introductory | $32.18 |
| Introductory (casino) | $32.66 |
| Level 1 food and beverage attendant grade 1 | $33.05 |
| Level 1 guest service grade 1 | $33.05 |
| Level 1 kitchen attendant grade 1 | $33.05 |
| Level 2 clerical grade 1 | $33.85 |
| Level 2 cook grade 1 | $33.85 |
| Level 2 door person/security officer grade 1 | $33.85 |
| Level 2 food and beverage attendant grade 2 | $33.85 |
| Level 2 front office grade 1 | $33.85 |
| Level 2 gardener grade 1 | $33.85 |
| Level 2 guest service grade 2 | $33.85 |
Adult casual hourly rates including the 25% casual loading, effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Showing the 12 lowest-paid of 61 casual classifications in MyGig's award engine; the official pay guide has the full set. 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 Hospitality Award
| Min hours | Max hours | Break (mins) | Type | Paid | To be taken after | To be taken before | What the award says | Clause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | Meal & rest | - | - | - | “When the employer rosters an employee’s breaks, they must make all reasonable efforts to ensure that breaks are spread evenly across the employee’s shift.” | cl 16.3 |
| 5+ | 6 | - | Meal | Unpaid | - | - | “An employee working a shift of more than 5 and up to 6 hours who elects to take an unpaid meal break must request the break in writing no later than the start of their shift. The employer must not unreasonably refuse the employee’s request.” | cl 16.4(a) |
| 6+ | - | - | Meal | - | - | - | “If an employee is not allowed to take an unpaid meal break in accordance with clause 16.2 during a shift of more than 6 hours, the employer must pay the employee 50% of the employee’s ordinary hourly rate extra from the end of 6 hours after starting work until either the employee is allowed to take the break or the shift ends.” | cl 16.6 |
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.
Current minimum rates
Entry-level adult casual: $33.05/hr as at 1 July 2026, from MyGig's award engine (the same data that prices every shift). 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.
Hospitality Award FAQs
Does the Hospitality Award cover restaurants and clubs?
Generally no: standalone restaurants fall under the Restaurant Industry Award (MA000119) and registered clubs under the Registered and Licensed Clubs Award (MA000058). Hotels, pubs, catering, and most bars sit under this award. MyGig maps the right award per venue automatically.
What is the minimum casual shift in hospitality?
Typically 2 hours under this award. Shift listings on MyGig always respect the applicable minimum engagement.
How are weekend penalties handled for casual hospo staff?
Saturday, Sunday, and public holiday work attract penalty rates on top of or combined with the casual loading, per the award tables. MyGig itemises them on every shift estimate and payslip.
General information only, not legal advice. The award itself (Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020, MA000009) 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.