Apprentice Butcher 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) | $25.03 | $951.24 | $25.03 | $951.24 |
| 4th year (stage 4) | $27.98 | $1,063.15 | $27.98 | $1,063.15 |
Meat Industry Award 2020 [MA000059], cl 16.3(a)(ii) and 16.4. 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 MI 7 weekly rate ($1,119.10) before allowances. The award prints percentages, so weekly is the percentage rounded to the cent and hourly is weekly divided by 38. Allowances that the award adds on top are not in these figures.
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) | $25.74 | $978.10 |
| 4th year (stage 4) | $27.98 | $1,063.15 |
Meat Industry Award 2020 [MA000059]. 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.
Weekend Rates in a Butcher Shop
Clause 24.3 of the Meat Industry Award sets the weekend rates for meat retail establishments: 125% of the minimum hourly rate for ordinary hours on a Saturday between 4am and 6pm, and 150% on a Sunday between 8am and 6pm. Applied to the Year 12 rates in the first table:
| Year | Ordinary | Saturday 4am to 6pm | Sunday 8am to 6pm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st year (stage 1) | $16.20 | $20.25 | $24.30 |
| 2nd year (stage 2) | $19.14 | $23.93 | $28.71 |
| 3rd year (stage 3) | $25.03 | $31.29 | $37.55 |
| 4th year (stage 4) | $27.98 | $34.98 | $41.97 |
Hourly dollars, meat retail, matching the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide. Public holiday rates depend on the day (cl 31.3) and are not shown.
How Much Do Apprentice Butchers Earn After Tax?
On the award wage alone a first-year apprentice butcher 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 $55,288 gross and $908.58 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) | $49,459 | $834.04 | $49,459 | $834.04 |
| 4th year (stage 4) | $55,288 | $908.58 | $55,288 | $908.58 |
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 Butcher Apprentices
Apprentice butchers in butcher shops (meat retail establishments), meat processing plants and meat manufacturing are covered by the Meat Industry Award 2020. The award pays apprentices a percentage of its MI 7 rate, which is $1,119.10 a week or $29.45 an hour. For an apprentice who started on or after 1 January 2014 the percentages are 50% (55% with Year 12), 60% (65%), 85% and 95% (cl 16.3(a)(ii)).
At 85% of MI 7 a 3rd-year butchery apprentice earns $951.24 a week before any allowance, $111.91 more than the 75% third-year rate of $839.33 in the building, vehicle and manufacturing awards. By 4th year the figure is $1,063.15, the same as a cookery apprentice.
Work in a temperature artificially reduced below zero attracts a cold temperature allowance for every hour or part of an hour (cl 20.2(a)): $0.77 below 0°C, $1.33 below -16°C, $1.88 below -18°C and $2.56 below -21°C. The Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide lists no tool allowance in this award.
Some retail butchers are not under this award. It does not cover employees who are covered by the General Retail Industry Award 2020, so a butcher employed by a supermarket may be on different rates or an enterprise agreement. Check the award named on your contract.
Qualification: AMP30815 Certificate III in Meat Processing (Retail Butcher). It is current on training.gov.au: 44 units, 37 core and 7 elective.
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 Boilermaker Pay
- Junior Pay Rates for non-apprentices
Frequently Asked Questions
Apprentice butcher pay questions and answers
How much does a first-year apprentice butcher earn?
From 1 July 2026 the award minimum for a first-year apprentice butcher 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 butcher earn?
The award minimum in fourth year is $27.98 an hour ($1,063.15 a week, about $55,288 a year for 38 hours), from 1 July 2026. That is before any allowances that sit outside the rate.
How much do apprentice butchers earn after tax?
On the award wage alone for 38 hours a week all year, a first-year apprentice butcher (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 $55,288 gross and $908.58 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 butchers 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 $27.98 an hour in fourth year (from 1 July 2026), against $16.20 and $27.98 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.
How much do apprentice butchers earn?
From 1 July 2026 the Meat Industry Award 2020 sets a first-year minimum of $14.73 an hour ($559.55 a week) for an apprentice who did not complete Year 12 and $16.20 an hour ($615.51 a week) for one who did. By 4th year the minimum is $27.98 an hour ($1,063.15 a week). Many butchers are on an enterprise agreement that pays more.
Do apprentice butchers get paid more on weekends?
In a butcher shop, yes. Clause 24.3 of the Meat Industry Award pays 125% of the hourly rate for ordinary hours on a Saturday between 4am and 6pm and 150% on a Sunday between 8am and 6pm. A first-year apprentice with Year 12 on $16.20 gets $20.25 on a Saturday and $24.30 on a Sunday.
Is there a cold allowance for apprentice butchers?
Yes, for work in a temperature artificially reduced below zero. Clause 20.2(a) pays $0.77 an hour below 0°C, $1.33 below -16°C, $1.88 below -18°C and $2.56 below -21°C, for every hour or part of an hour spent in those conditions. It is on top of the wage.
When does an apprentice butcher'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 Meat Processing (Retail Butcher). 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. Penalty rates are the hourly rate times the award percentage, rounded to the cent, and match the pay guide.
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
- 1Meat Industry Award 2020 [MA000059], cl 16.3(a)(ii) and 16.4— Fair Work Commission
- 2Pay guide: Meat Industry Award 2020 [MA000059]— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 3AMP30815 Certificate III in Meat Processing (Retail Butcher)— 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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