Your rate of pay will depend on which award or agreement covers the work that you do.

For workers in the state industrial relations system, the rate of pay is part of the working conditions outlined in a state award or enterprise agreement.

For workers in the federal industrial relations system, the rate of pay is part of the working conditions outlined in a federal award or federal agreement.  You can check which system your work falls under by using the NSW IR search tool.

The wage clause in an award or agreement specifies the minimum wage that must be paid for each classification or grade of employee covered by that award or agreement, and each employee must receive this amount as a minimum.

Sometimes the actual minimum weekly pay consists of a normal award wage plus compulsory additional payments such as:

• allowances for working in a particular industry
• money to buy tools
• payment for very specific circumstances such as working in the wet or dealing with toxic substances
• extra pay (a ‘penalty rate’) for working outside ordinary hours at certain times of the week (such as on a Saturday or Sunday or outside the normal range of working hours on weekdays)
• extra pay (a ‘loading’) for casual workers.

Junior employees are sometimes paid a percentage of the adult rate, depending on their age.

The minimum wage

The lowest rate of pay that can lawfully be paid to an adult worker is referred to as a minimum wage. The Office of Industrial Relations can confirm the current minimum wage rates.

Regular increases in rates of pay are a feature of both the state and federal industrial relations systems. Each year, both systems review the minimum adult wage and an appropriate increase is made, usually around the middle of the year.