If your business provides accommodation, food, or bar service in venues like hotels, motels, or resorts, the Hospitality Industry Award 2020 [MA000009] likely applies.
As of 1 July 2025, following the Fair Work Commission’s most recent annual review, base award pay rates increased by 3.5% to reflect the new national minimum wage. The adult minimum base rate is currently $24.95 per hour for full-time and part-time roles.
To help you understand the current law and avoid compliance violations, we’ll explain who the Hospitality Award covers, how to classify your employees, and what major entitlements might apply to your payroll.
Key Takeaways
- The Hospitality Award applies to businesses that provide accommodations, including hotels, resorts, casinos, and their connected restaurant operations.
- It sets minimum pay rates, benefits, allowances, and entitlements for hospitality industry employees, including hotel managers, receptionists, attendants, and kitchen staff.
- Be careful not to confuse the General Hospitality Award with the Restaurant Industry Award, which applies explicitly to standalone restaurants.
Award Basics
The Hospitality Award is a modern national award under the Commonwealth Fair Work Act 2009. It applies to businesses that provide accommodation, food and beverages, or guest services at a hotel, pub, resort, or similar establishment.
Like other Australian industrial awards, it sets minimum employment conditions, including pay rates, for workers performing certain job duties in similar environments.
The Hospitality Award works alongside the National Employment Standards (NES), which set out 11 key entitlements, including annual leave and notice periods. Together, the NES and the Hospitality Award establish consistent minimum rights for all hospitality employees.
Who’s covered under the Fair Work Hospitality Award?
Covered businesses include:
- Hotels, motels, motor inns, resorts, and caravan parks.
- Serviced apartments, hostels, and guesthouses that provide accommodation and services for tourists or residents.
- Bars, pubs, taverns, and bottle shops.
- Cafes or restaurants located within hotels or accommodation venues.
- Catering operations run by hospitality venues.
- Event and conference centres attached to hotels or hospitality establishments.
Covered roles include:
- Food and beverage attendants.
- Kitchen attendants.
- Cooks and chefs.
- Guest service and front office staff.
- Clerical employees.
- Doorpersons, security officers, and timekeepers.
- Leisure attendants.
- Storepersons.
- Handypersons, forklift drivers, and gardeners.
- Hotel managers.
- Casino gaming employees.
The Hospitality Award also extends to labour-hire businesses and any of their employees placed with a company covered by the Award.
Who isn’t covered under the Hospitality Award?
Some businesses and workers in hospitality aren’t covered by the Hospitality Award but by other modern awards. These include employers and employees in:
- Restaurants or cafes that aren’t part of a hotel or accommodation business (these establishments are covered by the Restaurant Industry Award 2020).
- Registered clubs, like Returned Services League clubs (RSLs) or sports clubs, which are covered by the Registered and Licensed Clubs Award 2020.
- Fast food franchises or independent fast food outlets; these businesses are covered by the Fast Food Industry Award 2020.
Determining Hospitality Employee Pay Rates
The Hospitality Award rules for pay, hours, breaks, overtime, and other entitlements vary, based on the following factors:
Employee type
Employee type is generally determined by the number of hours someone works each week and the predictability of their schedule. So, for instance:
- Full-time employees work 38 ordinary hours a week, average 38 hours a week, or are otherwise designated full-time by their employer.
- Part-time employees consistently and reliably work at least 8, but not more than 38 ordinary hours per week.
- Casual employees work only as needed, but are subject to limits on their weekly hours. They’re paid 25% loading on top of their base pay, but aren’t eligible for leave or other entitlements.
Streams, classifications, levels, and grades
Pay rates and entitlements are also influenced by role, duties, skill level, responsibility, experience, and more. Australian industrial awards use the following categories to designate employees:
- Streams: Groups based on similar work environments.
- Classifications: Defined job categories within a stream.
- Levels: The hierarchy within classifications that designates how much skill, responsibility, or autonomy the employee has in their role.
- Grades: A subset of a level tied to experience, competency, or time in the role.
Below are examples of the Hospitality Award streams, classifications, levels, and grades.
| Employee classification under the Hospitality Award | Types of employees |
| Food and beverage stream | Food and beverage attendant:
Food and beverage supervisor (Level 5) |
| Kitchen stream | Kitchen attendant:
Cook:
|
| Guest services stream | Guest service:
Front office:
|
| Administration stream | Clerical:
|
| Security stream | Doorperson/security officer Grade 1 (Level 2) Timekeeper/security officer Grade 2 (Level 3) |
| Leisure activities stream | Leisure attendant:
|
| Stores stream | Storeperson:
|
| Maintenance and trades (other than the cooking trade) | Handyperson (Level 3) Fork-lift driver (Level 3) Gardener:
|
| Managerial staff (hotels) | A hotel manager under the Hospitality Award means an employee who will:
|
| Casino gaming stream | Casino table gaming employee:
Casino electronic gaming employee:
Casino finance:
Casino equipment technician:
Casino security:
|
Pay Rates and Entitlements
The Hospitality Award sets minimum pay rates for hospitality employees, which are reviewed annually by Australia’s Fair Work Commission.
Current rates for Hospitality Award wages are available in the Fair Work Ombudsman’s pay and wages or the Fair Work Commission’s Modern Awards Pay Database.
To find the correct Fair Work Hospitality Award rate for an employee, enter their classification level and employment type. Always check the most recent review to avoid underpaying employees.
Did You Know?
The Fair Work Ombudsman is a national agency that advises on and enforces compliance with workplace laws.
Minimum Hospitality Award Rates 2026
The Hospitality Award pay guide below shows minimum rates for full-time and part-time adult employees:
| Hospitality Industry Award classification level | Employee stream and grade | Minimum hourly rate (full-time employees) | Minimum hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory Level | $922.70 | $24.28 | |
| Level 1 | Food and beverage attendant grade 1 Guest service grade Kitchen attendant grade 1 | $948.00 | $24.95 |
| Level 2 | Clerical grade 1 Cook grade 1 Door person/security officer grade 1 Food and beverage attendant grade 2 Front office grade 1 Gardener grade 1 Guest service grade 2 Kitchen attendant grade 2 Leisure attendant grade 1 Storeperson grade 1 | $982.40 | $25.85 |
| Level 3 | Clerical grade 2 Cook grade 2 Food and beverage attendant grade 3 Fork-lift driver Front office grade 2 Gardener grade 2 Guest service grade 3 Handyperson Kitchen attendant grade 3 Leisure attendant grade 2 Storeperson grade 2 Timekeeper/security officer grade 2 | $1014.70 | $26.70 |
| Level 4 | Clerical grade 3 Cook (tradesperson) grade 3 Food and beverage attendant grade 4 (tradesperson) Front office grade 3 Gardener grade 3 (tradesperson) Guest service grade 4 Leisure attendant grade 3 Storeperson grade 3 | $1068.40 | $28.12 |
| Level 5 | Clerical supervisor Cook (tradesperson) grade 4 Food and beverage supervisor Front office supervisor Gardener grade 4 (tradesperson) Guest service supervisor | $1135.50 | $29.88 |
| Level 6 | Cook grade 5 (tradesperson) | $1165.70 | $30.68 |
| *The information is based on the Fair Work Annual Wage Review Notice (which was updated 1 June 2025). | |||
Did You Know?
You may pay your employees wages that are higher than these rates, but you can’t pay them lower wages.
Hotel managers must be paid a minimum annual salary of $60,732, while casino gaming employees have separate minimum pay rates. Junior employees and apprentices (usually 21 or younger) are paid a set percentage of adult rates that increases as they get older.
For more information, including apprenticeship and junior rates, refer to the official Hospitality Industry Award Pay Guide.
Penalty rates
You must pay employees penalty rates if they work outside standard hours (7:00 am to 7:00 pm on Monday through Friday).
These rates are set out as a percentage of an employee’s usual hourly rate. So, if one of your employees earns 125% as a penalty rate, this means that they’ll earn 25% on top of what they usually earn. This additional 25% is known as a loading.
Below is a breakdown of the penalty rates under the Hospitality Award:
| When the hours are worked | Pay rate for full-time & part-time employees (as a % of their minimum hourly rate) | Pay rate for casual employees |
|---|---|---|
| Monday–Friday (6:00 am–10:00 pm) | 100% (normal rate) | 125% |
| Monday–Friday (10:00 pm–12:00 am) | 100% + $2.81/hour | 125% + $2.81/hour |
| Monday–Friday (12:00 am–6:00 am) | 100% + $4.22/hour | 125% + $4.22/hour |
| Saturday | 125% | 150% |
| Sunday | 150% | 175% |
| Public holidays | 225% | 250% |
Overtime rules and rates
Overtime rules apply when an employee works more than their usual agreed working hours, referred to as ordinary hours. Here are the overtime pay rates under the Hospitality Industry Award.
| When overtime is worked | Overtime rate (as a % of minimum hourly rate) |
|---|---|
| Monday–Friday (first 2 hours of overtime). | 150% (time and a half) |
| Monday–Friday (additional hours of overtime after the first 2 hours). | 200% (double time) |
| Midnight Friday to midnight Sunday | 200% (double time) |
| Rostered day off/Planned day off (all hours). | 200% (double time) |
So, for instance, let’s say a Cook (tradesperson) Grade 3 earns $28.12 per ordinary hour.
- If they work 2 hours of overtime on a weekday, you’re required to pay them 150% of their minimum hourly rate, which is $42.18/hour.
- If they work overtime over the weekend, they get 200%, which is $56.24/hour.
Refer to the Award for more overtime rules, including giving time off in lieu of overtime.
Breaks and allowances
Breaks
Hospitality employees who work a specified number of hours in any one shift are entitled to the following breaks:
| Hours worked in a shift | Required unpaid meal breaks | Required paid rest breaks |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 5 hours | None | None |
| 5–6 hours | A discretionary unpaid meal break of up to 30 minutes | None |
| 6–8 hours | A 30-minute unpaid meal break taken after the first 2 hours of work and within the first 6 hours of work | None |
| 8 and 10 hours | A 30-minute unpaid meal break (same timing rules as above) | A 20-minute paid rest break (which can be broken into two 10-minute paid rest breaks) |
| More than 10 hours | A 30-minute unpaid meal break (same timing rules as above) | Two 20-minute paid rest breaks |
Allowances
Your employees may be entitled to compensation, known as “allowances,” for extra costs connected with their work. Hospitality Award allowances include:
| Allowance type | When it applies | 2025 rate + explanation |
| Meal allowance (overtime) | When an employee works more than 2 hours of overtime and isn’t notified the day before, or was notified but brought their own meal, only for the hours to be cancelled or cut short. | $16.73/meal. The employer must either provide a meal or pay this allowance. |
| Motor vehicle allowance | When a hotel manager is required to use their own motor vehicle for work. | $0.99 for each kilometre that’s been authorised for work travel. |
| Tool and equipment allowance | When cooks must provide and use their own knives or other equipment. | $2.03/day, but no more than $9.94/week. If the employer requires tools or materials that the employee must purchase, the employee must be fully reimbursed. |
| Working late | When an employee finishes work and transport is no longer available or provided by the employer. | The reasonable cost of transport to the employee’s home. |
| Working early | When an employee must start work when transport isn’t available or provided by the employer. | The reasonable cost of transport to work. |
| Overnight stay allowance | When an employee is asked to stay overnight on the premises to provide service to guests outside ordinary business hours. | $64.10 per overnight stay, plus 150% of the employee’s usual hourly rate if more than an hour of work is performed during the stay. |
Learn more about allowances under the Hospitality Award.
Leave
Annual leave for hospitality workers is provided in the NES. However, this doesn’t apply to casual employees. Besides annual leave, the NES also provides for the following types of leave:
- Personal/carer’s leave and compassionate leave.
- Parental leave and related entitlements.
- Community service leave.
- Family and domestic violence leave.
- Public holiday entitlements.
How To Determine Hospitality General Award Coverage
Follow these steps to determine coverage accurately:
- Confirm whether your business is covered under the Hospitality Award, as other industrial awards—namely, the Restaurant Industry Award, the Fast Food Industry Award 2020, or the Registered and Licensed Clubs Award 2020—cover similar establishments and roles.
- Confirm whether the employee’s role is covered by the Hospitality Award as opposed to a different modern award. Avoid relying solely on job titles, and, instead, consider the actual tasks they undertake and the concrete responsibilities they have.
- Check the employee classification structure under Schedule A of the Award for particular job classifications, levels, and grades.
- Use the Fair Work Ombudsman’s tools and resources to review job classifications and ensure the employee is covered by the appropriate classification.
- Seek legal advice if in doubt, either from legal professionals or from the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Hospitality Award: A practical, real-world example
Andrea works full-time at a busy hotel restaurant that offers table service, room service, bar service, and catering. Her day-to-day duties include:
- Greeting guests and taking orders at the table.
- Serving meals, clearing plates, and assisting customers throughout service.
- Preparing simple beverages, making coffee, and helping at the bar when needed.
- Operating the POS system and processing payments.
- Training newer team members during busy shifts.
- Working autonomously during quieter periods.
Because the restaurant is part of a hotel rather than a standalone restaurant, Andrea’s job falls under the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 (MA000009).
Her duties correspond directly to the Food and Beverage Stream. She takes orders and bill payments, greets guests, and seats tables with some autonomy, so she’s not a Grade 1, Level 1 attendant.
Andrea also doesn’t train or supervise other food and beverage attendants, so she wouldn’t earn a Level 3 hospitality award rate.
Instead, Andrea is a Food and Beverage Attendant Grade 2 (Level 2). Under this classification, she’d make at least:
- Base rate: $25.85/hour.
- Sunday rate (150%): $38.78/hour.
- Public holiday rate (225%): $58.16/hour.
Hospitality Award vs. Restaurant Industry Award: What’s the difference?
The Hospitality Award and the Restaurant Industry Award cover some of the same roles, but they apply to different establishments.
The Restaurant Industry Award covers stand-alone restaurant businesses, while the Hospitality Award applies to businesses that offer accommodation, bar service, events, or multiple hospitality services.
Hospitality businesses include hotels, motels, resorts, serviced apartments, casinos, function centres, and restaurants operated in connection with these premises.
Employer Obligations and Common Mistakes
To ensure compliance and fair work practices, you’re obliged to:
- Classify employees correctly according to their duties and experience.
- Pay the correct wage rates, including penalty rates for weekends, public holidays, late-night work, and overtime.
- Keep accurate records of hours, breaks, pay, and leave balances for at least 7 years.
- Record and sign daily start and finish times for salaried or managerial employees.
- Provide lawful breaks and issue payslips within 1 working day of payment.
- Apply allowances (such as for meals, uniforms, or split shifts) and comply with rostering and notice provisions for changes to hours.
- Pay attention to the NES alongside the Hospitality Award regarding annual leave and personal leave.
Common employer mistakes
Breaches of the Hospitality Award usually occur when an employer misunderstands their obligations.
Avoid the following points of confusion:
- Misclassifying employees who supervise or train other employees—these duties generally qualify for higher levels and, even, minimum annual salaries.
- Treating employees as casuals when they aren’t full-time but still work regular hours (meaning they should be classified as permanent part-time employees).
- Failing to apply penalty rates for weekends, public holidays, or late-night work.
- Not recording hours accurately, especially for salaried staff, leading to unpaid overtime.
- Ignoring allowances for overnight, early, or late shifts
Resources and Links
- Fair Work Ombudsman—Awards page
- Fast Food Industry Award 2020
- Hospitality Award [MA000009]—Australian government
- Hospitality Industry (General) Award—Australian government
- Hospitality Industry (General) Award (PDF)—Australian government
- National Employment Standards
- Restaurant Award [MA000119]—Australian government
FAQs
The Hospitality Award covers almost all operational roles in hotels, bars, and accommodation services in Australia. It’s designed to ensure fair pay, penalty rates, breaks, and allowances for employees in the hospitality industry.
Hourly pay rates under the Hospitality Award vary based on employment type (full-time, part-time, or casual), whether the role is in casino gaming, the employee’s age or status (including juniors, junior office employees, and apprentices), and their classification level (Introductory Level or Levels 1–6). For the exact rates that apply, refer to the Award.
The Hospitality Award has updated minimum wage rates effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2025.
The new Hospitality Award rates in relation to minimum wages are set out in the Award itself, with the current base rate for Level 1 full-time and part-time employees set at $24.95 per hour and $948 per week.
Disclaimer
The information provided here is a summary only and does not constitute legal advice. While we have made every effort to ensure the information provided is up to date and reliable, we cannot guarantee its completeness, accuracy, or applicability to your specific situation. Laws change frequently, and outcomes may vary depending on your business circumstances. We recommend consulting a qualified employment lawyer before making decisions related to workforce management. Please note that we cannot be held liable for any actions taken or not taken based on the information presented on this website.