Working behind the bar at an RSL, leagues, bowling or other registered club? Your minimum comes from the Registered and Licensed Clubs Award, not the table above.
Which award covers bartenders
Bartenders in pubs, hotels, taverns, wine bars, resorts and casinos are covered by the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 [MA000009]. Bar staff in restaurants, cafés and nightclubs are covered by the Restaurant Industry Award 2020 [MA000119], which uses the same food and beverage grades and pays the same minimum rates. Bar staff in registered clubs (RSLs, leagues and bowling clubs) are covered by the Registered and Licensed Clubs Award, which this page does not show.
The award has no "bartender" title. Bar work sits in the food and beverage attendant stream (Schedule A.2.1). Supplying, dispensing and mixing liquor, including selling from the bottle shop, is a grade 2 task. Grade 3 adds mixing a range of sophisticated drinks — cocktail bartending — as well as full control of a cellar or liquor store, attending gaming terminals, and training or supervising lower grades. Grade 1 is glass collecting and table clearing with no service to customers.
Qualifications move the floor: an employee who has completed a relevant AQF Certificate III and uses those skills must be classified at least at Level 4 (cl 2, definition of appropriate level of training, NOTE 1). Under the Restaurant Award a grade 2 attendant needs a relevant Certificate II to move to grade 3.
A bar supervisor responsible for supervising food and beverage staff or for stock control of one or more bars is a Food and beverage supervisor (level 5).
A junior working as a liquor service employee must be paid the adult rate (cl 13.5).
Read the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 [MA000009] on the Fair Work Commission’s site (consolidated to 1 July 2026), or see every classification on our MA000009 award rates page.
Bartender award pay rates 2026–27
These rates apply from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026. Part-time employees are paid the same hourly rates for the hours they work.
Bartender pay rates — Hospitality Award, 2026–27
Hospitality Award cl 18.1, Table 3, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Casual is the hourly rate plus the 25% casual loading. The Restaurant Award pays the same dollars for the same grades.
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food and beverage attendant grade 1Glass collecting, clearing tables — no customer service | $26.44 | $1,004.90 | $52,255 | $33.05 |
| Food and beverage attendant grade 2Pouring and mixing drinks, bottle shop, taking payment | $27.08 | $1,029.10 | $53,513 | $33.85 |
| Food and beverage attendant grade 3Sophisticated drinks, cellar control, gaming, training | $27.97 | $1,062.90 | $55,271 | $34.96 |
| Food and beverage attendant (tradesperson) grade 4Apprenticeship in waiting or trade test | $29.45 | $1,119.10 | $58,193 | $36.81 |
| Food and beverage supervisorSupervises bar staff or controls bar stock | $31.30 | $1,189.40 | $61,849 | $39.13 |
Annual is the weekly rate × 52, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Bartender penalty rates and overtime
| When you work | Full-time / part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Monday–Friday, 7 pm to midnight | 100% + $2.95/hr | 125% + $2.95/hr |
| Monday–Friday, midnight to 7 am | 100% + $4.42/hr | 125% + $4.42/hr |
| Saturday | 125% | 150% |
| Sunday | 150% | 175% |
| Public holiday | 225% | 250% |
Hospitality Award cl 29.2, Table 14. The evening and night loadings are flat dollar amounts added to each hour, not percentages. Where more than one penalty applies only the highest is paid (Hospitality cl 29.3; Restaurant cl 24.3). Under the Restaurant Award the $2.95 loading starts at 10 pm, the $4.42 loading runs midnight to 6 am, and a casual at grade 1 or 2 gets 150% (not 175%) on Sunday (Table 8).
Overtime
- Hospitality Award (cl 28.4, Table 13): Monday to Friday 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200%; midnight Friday to midnight Sunday 200%; rostered day off 200%. The casual loading is not added to overtime.
- Restaurant Award (cl 23.4, Table 7): Monday to Friday 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200%; Saturday 175% for the first 2 hours, then 200%; Sunday and rostered day off 200%.
Work out a shift with penalties or overtime using the overtime pay calculator.
Allowances
| Allowance | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Meal allowance | $17.42 | Overtime of more than 2 hours without notice the previous day, unless a meal is supplied (cl 26.4(b)(i)). |
| Split shift allowance | $3.69 per day | 2 to 3 hours between shifts; $5.60 for more than 3 hours (cl 26.14). |
| First aid allowance | $13.43 per week | Full-time; $2.69 a day for part-time and casual staff, up to $13.43 a week (cl 26.12). |
Bartender pay after tax
On the Food and beverage attendant grade 2 rate of $1,029.10 a week, a full-time bartender earns $53,513 a year before tax.
| Gross annual pay | $53,513 |
|---|---|
| Income tax (after LITO) | −$6,377 |
| Medicare levy | −$1,070 |
| Take-home per year | $46,066 |
| Take-home per week | $886 |
2026–27 resident tax rates with the low income tax offset and the 2% Medicare levy; no HECS-HELP repayment and no Medicare levy surcharge. Superannuation is paid on top by your employer. For the full breakdown see take-home pay on $55,000 (the nearest step to $53,513), or put in your own hours with the weekly pay calculator.
What bartenders actually earn
Jobs and Skills Australia puts median full-time earnings for Bar Attendants and Baristas (ANZSCO 4311) at $1,500 a week ($37 an hour), against $1,852 a week for all occupations.
Median weekly pay of full-time, non-managerial adult employees before tax and salary sacrifice, from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (May 2025) as published by Jobs and Skills Australia. It reflects what employers actually pay, including people on enterprise agreements or above-award salaries, so it is a market figure, not a legal minimum.
What this page does not show
- Registered and Licensed Clubs Award bar rates.
- Casino gaming stream rates.
- Liquor licensee and managerial staff (hotels) rates.
Bartender pay questions
Pay rates for other jobs
How this page is sourced▼
Every minimum rate was read from the Fair Work Commission's consolidated text of the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020, consolidated to 1 July 2026, on 23 September 2026. Casual rates are the award's own published figures wherever it publishes them. Nothing is estimated.
The median comes from Jobs and Skills Australia’s occupation profile and is a market figure, not an entitlement. Take-home figures use the same tax engine as the rest of this site. Award rates change every 1 July, so re-check after the next Annual Wage Review.
Sources & References
- 1Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 [MA000009] — consolidated to 1 July 2026— Fair Work Commission
- 2Restaurant Industry Award 2020 [MA000119] — consolidated to 1 July 2026— Fair Work Commission
- 3Pay guides for modern awards— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 4Annual Wage Review 2025–26 decision [2026] FWCFB 3500— Fair Work Commission
- 5
Last verified: 23 September 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.
Areas of Expertise