Storage Services Award, explained for shift work.
Storage Services and Wholesale Award 2020 · Reviewed July 2026 by the MyGig compliance team
Warehousing, storage, wholesale, and distribution operations: the award behind most DC and 3PL shift work, from pick-pack to warehouse forklift operation.
Penalties and loadings to know
- Casual loading of 25% on the ordinary hourly rate
- Weekend and public holiday penalties apply on top for casuals
- Overtime at time-and-a-half then double time
- Shiftwork loadings for afternoon and night shifts
Roles typically covered
Casual hourly rates under the Storage Services Award
| Classification | Casual $/hr |
|---|---|
| Storeworker grade 1 - on commencement | $33.85 |
| Storeworker grade 1 - after 3 months | $34.26 |
| Storeworker grade 1 - after 12 months | $34.65 |
| Storeworker grade 2 | $34.96 |
| Storeworker grade 3 | $35.96 |
| Storeworker grade 4 | $37.01 |
Adult casual hourly rates including the 25% casual loading, effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, covering all 6 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 Storage Services 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 | - | - | 5 hours of work is exceeded | “No employee will be required to work longer than 5 hours without a break for a meal, not less than 30 minutes or more than one hour in duration.” | cl 14.1(a) |
| - | - | Up to 60 | Meal (overtime) | - | - | - | “Where a meal break is to be taken immediately prior to or during a period of overtime, it will not exceed one hour in duration.” | cl 14.1(b) |
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 employee may work up to 10 ordinary hours in a day, by agreement between the employer and the majority of employees concerned or between the employee and the employer.”
cl 13.1(d)“Ordinary hours are worked between 7.00 am and 5.30 pm, Monday to Friday.”
cl 13.1(b)Quoted from the award text published by Fair Work, as at 20 August 2026. Clause numbers are the award’s own.
Current minimum rates
Entry-level adult casual: $33.85/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.
Storage Services Award FAQs
Does the Storage Services Award cover forklift drivers?
Yes, when the forklift work happens in a warehouse, storage, or wholesale operation. Forklift work in a road-freight transport yard generally falls under the Road Transport and Distribution Award instead; the test is whether the business is warehousing-driven or transport-driven.
What loading do casual storeworkers get?
A 25% casual loading on the ordinary hourly rate, with weekend, public holiday, overtime, and shift penalties applying on top per the award. MyGig calculates each shift automatically and cites the clause.
How do I find the current pay rates?
Rates change with every annual wage review (1 July). Use the official Fair Work pay guide linked on this page, or post a shift on MyGig: the estimate shows the exact all-in cost with current rates applied.
General information only, not legal advice. The award itself (Storage Services and Wholesale Award 2020, MA000084) 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.