Many chefs are paid an annualised salary. Under both awards a written annualised wage agreement with a full-time employee must pay at least 25% more than the award minimum x 52 — $72,741.50 a year for a Cook grade 3 — and hours beyond the outer limits (an average of 18 penalty-rate ordinary hours or 12 overtime hours a week) must be paid on top (Hospitality cl 24.2; Restaurant cl 20.1).
Which award covers chefs
Which award covers a chef depends on where they work. Chefs in hotels, pubs, taverns, motels, resorts and casinos are covered by the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 [MA000009]. Chefs in restaurants, cafés, reception centres and roadhouses are covered by the Restaurant Industry Award 2020 [MA000119]. A restaurant inside a hotel or licensed club stays under the Hospitality or Clubs award (Restaurant Award cl 4.2).
Both awards use the same cook grades and pay the same minimum weekly and hourly rates at every level. A qualified chef — someone who has completed a commercial cookery apprenticeship or passed the trade test (the Restaurant Award also accepts the appropriate level of training) — starts at Cook grade 3 (tradesperson), which both awards describe as "a commi chef or equivalent". A demi chef is Cook grade 4 and a chef de partie Cook grade 5.
Cook grades 1 and 2 cover unqualified cooks: grade 1 cooks breakfasts and snacks, grade 2 has the appropriate level of training. The awards differ on penalty rates — see the penalty section.
Chefs in takeaway shops are usually under the Fast Food Award, and cooks in residential aged care under the Aged Care Award general stream. Head chefs and executive chefs are commonly paid salaries above the award.
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.
Chef 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.
Chef and cook 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.
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook grade 1Breakfasts and snacks | $27.08 | $1,029.10 | $53,513 | $33.85 |
| Cook grade 2Has the appropriate level of training | $27.97 | $1,062.90 | $55,271 | $34.96 |
| Cook grade 3 (tradesperson) — commis chefCompleted apprenticeship or trade test | $29.45 | $1,119.10 | $58,193 | $36.81 |
| Cook grade 4 (tradesperson) — demi chefMay supervise and train other cooks | $31.30 | $1,189.40 | $61,849 | $39.13 |
| Cook grade 5 (tradesperson) — chef de partieSupervision, ordering and stock control | $32.13 | $1,221.10 | $63,497 | $40.16 |
Annual is the weekly rate × 52, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Chef and cook pay rates — Restaurant Award, 2026–27
Restaurant Award cl 18.1, Table 3, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. The minimums are the same dollars as the Hospitality Award; the penalty rates differ.
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant — Cook grade 1 | $27.08 | $1,029.10 | $53,513 | $33.85 |
| Restaurant — Cook grade 2 | $27.97 | $1,062.90 | $55,271 | $34.96 |
| Restaurant — Cook grade 3 (tradesperson) | $29.45 | $1,119.10 | $58,193 | $36.81 |
| Restaurant — Cook grade 4 (tradesperson) | $31.30 | $1,189.40 | $61,849 | $39.13 |
| Restaurant — Cook grade 5 (tradesperson) | $32.13 | $1,221.10 | $63,497 | $40.16 |
Annual is the weekly rate × 52, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Chef 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 (not 7 pm), the $4.42 loading runs midnight to 6 am, and casual chefs at Cook grade 2 or above get 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tool and equipment allowance | $2.03 per day | A cook or apprentice cook required to supply and use their own tools; up to $9.94 a week (Hospitality cl 26.5(a); the Restaurant Award pays the same). |
| Meal allowance | $17.42 | Overtime of more than 2 hours without notice the previous day, unless a meal is supplied (Hospitality cl 26.4(b)(i); Restaurant cl 21). |
| Split shift allowance | $3.69 per day | Hospitality Award, 2 to 3 hours between shifts; $5.60 for more than 3 hours (cl 26.14). |
Chef pay after tax
On the Cook grade 3 (tradesperson) — commis chef rate of $1,119.10 a week, a full-time chef earns $58,193 a year before tax.
| Gross annual pay | $58,193 |
|---|---|
| Income tax (after LITO) | −$7,851 |
| Medicare levy | −$1,164 |
| Take-home per year | $49,178 |
| Take-home per week | $946 |
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 $60,000 (the nearest step to $58,193), or put in your own hours with the weekly pay calculator.
What chefs actually earn
Jobs and Skills Australia puts median full-time earnings for Chefs (ANZSCO 3513) at $1,423 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
- Apprentice cook rates.
- Clubs award (Registered and Licensed Clubs Award) chef rates.
- Restaurant Award Schedule AA, a temporary classification schedule that operated from 11 August 2021.
Chef 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
- 5Chefs (ANZSCO 3513) occupation profile — ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025— Jobs and Skills Australia
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.
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