Apprentice Boilermaker Pay by Year
These are the minimums the award sets for a junior apprentice on a standard four-year term, in dollars, from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026. Your actual rate may be higher if you are on an enterprise agreement or your employer simply pays above the award; it cannot lawfully be lower.
| Year | No Year 12: hourly | No Year 12: weekly | Year 12: hourly | Year 12: weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st year (stage 1) | $14.73 | $559.55 | $16.20 | $615.51 |
| 2nd year (stage 2) | $17.67 | $671.46 | $19.14 | $727.42 |
| 3rd year (stage 3) | $22.09 | $839.33 | $22.09 | $839.33 |
| 4th year (stage 4) | $25.92 | $984.81 | $27.08 | $1,029.10 |
Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 [MA000010], cl 21.6 and cl 22. Junior apprentice who started on or after 1 January 2014, 38-hour week, in force from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026.
Allowances and What the Table Leaves Out
The table shows the wage only. What the rate contains: Percentage of the C10/V5 trades rate ($1,119.10 a week), or the named classification rate where the award uses one, before allowances. Weekly and hourly are as the award prints them.
Unless your employer provides all your tools
| Year | Allowance a week | Weekly with allowance (no Year 12) | Weekly with allowance (Year 12) | Hourly with allowance (Year 12) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st year (stage 1) | $8.95 | $568.50 | $624.46 | $16.43 |
| 2nd year (stage 2) | $10.74 | $682.20 | $738.16 | $19.43 |
| 3rd year (stage 3) | $13.43 | $852.76 | $852.76 | $22.44 |
| 4th year (stage 4) | $15.75 | $1,000.56 | $1,044.85 | $27.50 |
Tool allowance (apprentice share of $17.90, our calculation) (cl 30.2(c)(ii), (v)). Not payable where the employer has provided all tools since before 5 November 1979, or has agreed with you to provide all the tools you need (cl 30.2(c)(iii), (iv)). Tools from the Tools for your trade scheme do not count as the employer providing them (cl 30.2(c)(viii)). Paid for all purposes; hourly is the weekly total divided by 38.
Adult vs Junior Start
The award treats an apprentice who starts at 21 or older as an adult apprentice, with its own rates.
| Adult apprentice | Hourly minimum | Weekly minimum (38 hrs) |
|---|---|---|
| 1st year (stage 1) | $23.56 | $895.28 |
| 2nd year (stage 2) | $25.74 | $978.10 |
| 3rd year (stage 3) | $26.44 | $1,004.90 |
| 4th year (stage 4) | $27.08 | $1,029.10 |
Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 [MA000010]. A person who was already employed by the same employer before the apprenticeship generally cannot be paid less than they were.
In first year the adult rate is $23.56 an hour, which is $7.36 more than a junior with Year 12 ($16.20). By fourth year the adult and junior (Year 12) rates are the same.
How Much Do Apprentice Boilermakers Earn After Tax?
On the award wage alone a first-year apprentice boilermaker on a full-time 38-hour week is paid about $32,011 a year (Year 12 completed) and takes home about $581.52 a week. By fourth year the same hours give about $53,510 gross and $885.85 a week after tax. Apprentices pay the same income tax as everyone else, but the low income offset and the tax-free threshold mean the tax in the early years is small.
| Year | Yearly gross (Year 12) | Weekly take-home (Year 12) | Yearly gross (no Year 12) | Weekly take-home (no Year 12) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st year (stage 1) | $32,011 | $581.52 | $29,106 | $539.62 |
| 2nd year (stage 2) | $37,821 | $669.35 | $34,916 | $623.42 |
| 3rd year (stage 3) | $43,650 | $756.77 | $43,650 | $756.77 |
| 4th year (stage 4) | $53,510 | $885.85 | $51,218 | $856.54 |
Award wage only, 38 hours a week for 52 weeks, resident taxpayer, 2026-27 rates with the low income offset and Medicare levy, private hospital cover, no HELP debt. Allowances and overtime are not included.
To see your own figure, put your hourly rate and hours into the calculator above, or use the take-home pay calculator to add overtime. Your hourly rate to a yearly salary is on the hourly to annual salary calculator.
What Is Specific to Boilermaker Apprentices
A boilermaker apprentice is normally doing the Engineering / Vehicle Tradesperson (Fabrication) apprenticeship that clause 12.4 of the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 names. The rates come from clause 21.6 for apprentices who started on or after 1 January 2014. The finished tradesperson is C10, $1,119.10 a week or $29.45 an hour, and the award lists the Certificate III in Engineering - Fabrication Trade as a C10 qualification.
Year 12 matters in the first two years and in the 4th. An apprentice who has not completed Year 12 is paid 88% of C10 in 4th year ($984.81), but one who has completed Year 12 is paid the C12/V3 rate of $1,029.10 a week, $44.29 a week more.
Progression counts Competency Points (cl 21.7(b)): stage 2 at 25% of the points for the Certificate III in the training plan or 12 months after starting, stage 3 at 50% or 12 months after stage 2, stage 4 at 75% or 12 months after stage 3, whichever is earlier. On a 96-point fabrication plan that is 24, 48 and 72 points (our arithmetic). The probationary period cannot be more than three months (cl 12.10), and an apprentice under 18 does not have to work overtime or shiftwork (cl 12.15).
The tool allowance is $17.90 a week for a tradesperson (cl 30.2(c)(ii)), and an apprentice gets the column 1 percentage of clause 21.6: 50%, 60%, 75% and 88% (cl 30.2(c)(v)). The weekly dollar amounts in the allowance table above are our arithmetic; the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide shows the same allowance per hour as 24, 28, 35 and 41 cents. It is paid for all purposes (cl 30.2(c)(ix)), so it counts in overtime and penalty rates.
Not every boilermaker is under this award. The Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 names a boilermaker and/or structural steel tradesperson classification, so a boilermaker working on a building site may be covered by that award instead, with its own percentages and allowances. Check your contract or pay guide.
Qualification: MEM31925 Certificate III in Engineering - Fabrication Trade. training.gov.au released it on 4 September 2025, superseding MEM31922 (listed as equivalent). It has a Boilermaking specialisation, and every version needs units worth 96 points.
Once qualified, see boilermaker pay rates (qualified). Other award detail: Manufacturing Award rates.
Check Your Payslip
- Find your year of apprenticeship and whether you completed Year 12 and read the matching hourly figure in the first table.
- Add any allowance that applies to you from the allowances section, and compare the total with the hourly rate on your payslip. The payslip guide explains each line.
- If you are paid less, ask your employer to explain which award or agreement they use, then contact the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94. The backpay calculator shows what a shortfall adds up to.
Pre-2014 apprentices, three-year terms, school-based apprentices and trainees are paid under other schedules and are not covered here. Rates change each 1 July, so check the date on this page.
Other Apprentice Pay Guides
- Apprentice Pay Rates by Trade: every trade side by side
- Apprentice Electrician Pay: adult, junior and penalty rates
- Apprentice Carpenter Pay
- Apprentice Bricklayer Pay
- Apprentice Painter Pay
- Apprentice Plumber Pay
- Apprentice Mechanic Pay
- Apprentice Hairdresser Pay
- Apprentice Chef Pay
- Apprentice Butcher Pay
- Junior Pay Rates for non-apprentices
Frequently Asked Questions
Apprentice boilermaker pay questions and answers
How much does a first-year apprentice boilermaker earn?
From 1 July 2026 the award minimum for a first-year apprentice boilermaker is $14.73 an hour ($559.55 a week) if they did not complete Year 12 and $16.20 an hour ($615.51 a week) if they did, for a 38-hour week. Allowances are paid on top where they apply. An enterprise agreement or the employer may pay more.
How much does a fourth-year apprentice boilermaker earn?
The award minimum in fourth year is $25.92 an hour ($984.81 a week) without Year 12 and $27.08 an hour ($1,029.10 a week) with it, from 1 July 2026. That is before any allowances that sit outside the rate.
How much do apprentice boilermakers earn after tax?
On the award wage alone for 38 hours a week all year, a first-year apprentice boilermaker (Year 12 completed) earns about $32,011 a year before tax and takes home about $581.52 a week. In fourth year the same hours give about $53,510 gross and $885.85 a week after tax and the Medicare levy. These use the 2026-27 resident rates, private hospital cover and no HELP debt, and leave out allowances and overtime.
Do adult apprentice boilermakers get paid more than juniors?
Under the award, an apprentice who starts at 21 or older is paid $23.56 an hour in first year and $27.08 an hour in fourth year (from 1 July 2026), against $16.20 and $27.08 for a junior with Year 12. Someone already employed by the same employer before the apprenticeship usually cannot be paid less than they were. An enterprise agreement can differ.
Why is a 4th-year boilermaker apprentice paid more if they finished Year 12?
Under clause 21.6 of the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020, 4th-year pay for an apprentice who has completed Year 12 is the C12/V3 rate of $1,029.10 a week ($27.08 an hour). For one who has not, it is 88% of C10, which is $984.81 a week ($25.92 an hour).
How much is the tool allowance for an apprentice boilermaker?
Clause 30.2(c) pays a tradesperson $17.90 a week and an apprentice the same percentage as their wage column: 50% in stage 1, 60% in stage 2, 75% in stage 3 and 88% in stage 4. By our arithmetic that is $8.95, $10.74, $13.43 and $15.75 a week; the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide shows it per hour as $0.24, $0.28, $0.35 and $0.41. It is paid for all purposes unless your employer provides all your tools.
When does an apprentice boilermaker's pay go up?
Two things lift it. The wage steps up at each stage of the apprenticeship, usually each year, and earlier where the award lets an apprentice move up when they complete enough of their training plan for the Certificate III in Engineering - Fabrication Trade. And every award minimum rises each 1 July with the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review, from the first full pay period starting on or after that date.
How we worked this out▼
Every rate is the minimum printed in the award’s apprentice clause or schedule, or the award’s percentage applied to its reference rate ($1,119.10 a week) and rounded to the cent, and each was checked against the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide. Hourly is the award’s published figure or weekly divided by 38. Allowances are the amounts in the award’s allowance clauses in force from 1 July 2026.
Take-home is the site’s 2026-27 resident calculation for 38 hours, 52 weeks, with the low income offset and the Medicare levy (private hospital cover, no HELP debt). The qualification details are from training.gov.au, checked 9 October 2026.
Scope: a junior apprentice on a four-year term who started on or after 1 January 2014, plus the adult rates the award prints. Pre-2014 apprentices, three-year terms, school-based apprentices, trainees, enterprise agreements and state licensing rules are not modelled. General information, not advice.
Sources & References
- 1
- 2
- 3MEM31925 Certificate III in Engineering - Fabrication Trade— training.gov.au
- 4Annual Wage Review 2025-26 decision [2026] FWCFB 3500— Fair Work Commission
- 5Tax rates for resident individuals 2026-27— Australian Taxation Office
Last verified: 9 October 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
Anita Bell
AuthorFounder & Senior Bookkeeper
Accountancy degree (2015); certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One
Anita Bell earned her accountancy degree in 2015 and has worked as a senior bookkeeper with Prime Bookkeeping for over 5 years. This built her skills in Australian and New Zealand tax legislation and industry regulations. She is certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One, and works with payroll and rostering software including Gusto, Deputy, Tsheets and KeyPay. She has strong experience in hospitality, building and construction, financial services, real estate, ecommerce, and medical and health services.
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