Apprentice Hairdresser 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) | $22.68 | $861.71 | $22.68 | $861.71 |
| 4th year (stage 4) | $26.51 | $1,007.19 | $26.51 | $1,007.19 |
Hair and Beauty Industry Award 2020 [MA000005], cl 18.1 (Tables 6 and 7). 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 level 3 standard weekly rate ($1,119.10). Weekly and hourly are as the award prints them.
If the salon requires you to use your own tools
| Year | Allowance a week | Weekly with allowance (no Year 12) | Weekly with allowance (Year 12) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st year (stage 1) | $10.52 | $570.07 | $626.03 |
| 2nd year (stage 2) | $10.52 | $681.98 | $737.94 |
| 3rd year (stage 3) | $10.52 | $872.23 | $872.23 |
| 4th year (stage 4) | $10.52 | $1,017.71 | $1,017.71 |
Tool allowance (cl 20.8(a)). Payable when the employer requires you to provide and use your own tools, including scissors and other cutting instruments. The same flat amount applies to apprentices and qualified staff. Not part of the hourly rate, so no hourly figure is shown.
Adult vs Junior Start
An adult apprentice, 21 or older at the start, who was not already an employee gets at least 80% of the $1,119.10 standard rate in first year ($895.28 a week, $23.56 an hour) and, from second year, at least the Level 1 rate in clause 17.1 ($1,056.80 a week, $27.81 an hour), unless the table rate for the year is higher, which it never is (cl 18.4(a), (b)). Those are the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide figures. Someone employed by the salon for 6 months full-time or 12 months part-time or as a regular casual before starting keeps their previous rate (cl 18.4(c), (d)).
Saturday, Sunday and Public Holiday Rates
Table 14 in clause 23.1 of the Hair and Beauty Industry Award sets the rates for full-time and part-time employees, apprentices included: 133% of the hourly rate for ordinary hours on a Saturday between 7am and 6pm, 200% on a Sunday between 10am and 5pm, and 250% on a public holiday. Applied to the Year 12 rates in the first table:
| Year | Ordinary | Saturday 7am to 6pm | Sunday 10am to 5pm | Public holiday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st year (stage 1) | $16.20 | $21.55 | $32.40 | $40.50 |
| 2nd year (stage 2) | $19.14 | $25.46 | $38.28 | $47.85 |
| 3rd year (stage 3) | $22.68 | $30.16 | $45.36 | $56.70 |
| 4th year (stage 4) | $26.51 | $35.26 | $53.02 | $66.28 |
Hourly dollars, matching the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide. Casual apprentices have different percentages that include the casual loading (cl 23.2).
How Much Do Apprentice Hairdressers Earn After Tax?
On the award wage alone a first-year apprentice hairdresser 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 $52,384 gross and $871.44 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) | $44,816 | $774.27 | $44,816 | $774.27 |
| 4th year (stage 4) | $52,384 | $871.44 | $52,384 | $871.44 |
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 Hairdresser Apprentices
The junior rates come from Table 6 (has not completed Year 12) and Table 7 (has completed Year 12) in clause 18.1. The percentages apply to the Level 3 standard weekly rate of $1,119.10. The 3rd-year rate is 77% and the 4th-year rate is 90%, which makes hairdressing slightly different from the building trades (75% in 3rd year) and from beauty therapy (80%).
Pre-apprentices have their own tables (cl 18.3, Tables 10 and 11), which the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide applies to an apprentice who has completed a pre-apprenticeship. They step up every six months: 50%, 55%, 60% and then 77% for the last 12 months without Year 12, or 55%, 55%, 65% and 77% with Year 12, 30 months in all.
If the salon requires you to provide and use your own tools, including scissors, it must pay $10.52 a week on top of the wage (cl 20.8(a)). Electrical equipment you have to buy for the job, such as a hair dryer, is reimbursed instead (cl 20.8(b)).
Qualification: SHB30416 Certificate III in Hairdressing. It is current on training.gov.au: 28 units, 21 core and 7 elective.
Once qualified, see hairdresser pay rates (qualified). Other award detail: Hair and Beauty 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 Chef Pay
- Apprentice Boilermaker Pay
- Apprentice Butcher Pay
- Junior Pay Rates for non-apprentices
Frequently Asked Questions
Apprentice hairdresser pay questions and answers
How much does a first-year apprentice hairdresser earn?
From 1 July 2026 the award minimum for a first-year apprentice hairdresser 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 hairdresser earn?
The award minimum in fourth year is $26.51 an hour ($1,007.19 a week, about $52,384 a year for 38 hours), from 1 July 2026. That is before any allowances that sit outside the rate.
How much do apprentice hairdressers earn after tax?
On the award wage alone for 38 hours a week all year, a first-year apprentice hairdresser (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 $52,384 gross and $871.44 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 hairdressers get paid more than juniors?
Yes. An adult apprentice who was not already an employee gets at least $23.56 an hour in first year and $27.81 from second year (cl 18.4), against $16.20 and $19.14 for a junior with Year 12.
How much does a first-year apprentice hairdresser earn?
From 1 July 2026 the Hair and Beauty Industry Award 2020 sets a minimum of $14.73 an hour ($559.55 a week) in the first year for an apprentice who did not complete Year 12, and $16.20 an hour ($615.51 a week) for one who did. Many salons pay more.
Do apprentice hairdressers get paid more on Saturdays?
Yes. For ordinary hours on a Saturday between 7am and 6pm the award pays 133% of the hourly rate (cl 23.1), so a first-year apprentice with Year 12 gets $21.55 an hour instead of $16.20. Sunday work between 10am and 5pm is 200% and public holidays 250%.
Do apprentice hairdressers get a tool allowance?
Yes, if the employer requires them to provide and use their own tools, including scissors and other cutting instruments. Clause 20.8(a) of the Hair and Beauty Industry Award sets it at $10.52 a week, the same amount as for qualified staff. It is not in the hourly rates on this page.
When does an apprentice hairdresser'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 Hairdressing. 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. 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
- 1Hair and Beauty Industry Award 2020 [MA000005], cl 18.1 (Tables 6 and 7)— Fair Work Commission
- 2Pay guide: Hair and Beauty Industry Award 2020 [MA000005]— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 3SHB30416 Certificate III in Hairdressing— 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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