If you were classified at the old Level 4A before 1 March 2026 and translated to Level 6—Room Leader, your minimum is set by the transitional rules in Schedule I rather than the table above; the Fair Work Ombudsman says to use its Pay and Conditions Tool for those rates.
Junior educators at Level 1 or 2 may be paid 70% (under 17), 80% (under 18) or 90% (under 19) of the Level 2 rate (cl 14.3(b)). Qualified educators at Levels 3 to 5 must be paid the adult rate at any age (cl 14.3(a)).
Which award covers childcare workers
Childcare workers in long day care, family day care, out-of-school hours care, occasional care and kindergartens run by national-system employers are covered by the Children's Services Award 2010 [MA000120]. University-qualified early childhood teachers are covered by a different award — see the early childhood teacher page.
The award's classifications were rebuilt from 1 March 2026 (PR794818). Educators are now classified on eight levels by qualification and role: Level 1—Introductory Educator (under 12 months' experience), Level 2—Educator, Level 3—Qualified Educator (Certificate III), Level 4—Experienced Educator (Certificate III plus four years at Level 3), Level 5—Advanced Educator (Diploma), then Room Leader, Assistant Director and Director (Schedule B.1).
Cooks, cleaners, laundry, gardening, driving and administrative staff are Support Workers under clause 14.2. A cook who must hold or be working towards an early childhood qualification and may be counted in educator-to-child ratios is paid as an educator at the level matching that qualification (cl 14.1(c)).
Most centres pay more than this award. Providers that take the Australian Government's Worker Retention Payment must pay eligible staff at least the grant's minimum hourly rates — from 1 July 2026, $33.87 an hour for a Level 3 Qualified Educator and $38.14 for a Level 5 Advanced Educator. Those are grant conditions set by the Department of Education, not award minimums, and the program has been extended to 30 June 2028.
Read the Children's Services Award 2010 [MA000120] on the Fair Work Commission’s site (consolidated to 1 July 2026).
Childcare Worker 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.
Childcare worker pay rates by level, 2026–27
Clause 14.1(b) of the Children's Services Award, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Casual is the hourly rate plus the 25% casual loading (cl 10.5(a)), matching the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide.
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 — Introductory EducatorUnder 12 months' experience, working towards a qualification | $28.81 | $1,094.80 | $56,930 | $36.01 |
| Level 2 — Educator12 months' or more experience, no Certificate III yet | $29.69 | $1,128.40 | $58,677 | $37.11 |
| Level 3 — Qualified EducatorCertificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care | $32.47 | $1,233.90 | $64,163 | $40.59 |
| Level 4 — Experienced EducatorCertificate III plus 4 years at Level 3 | $34.65 | $1,316.70 | $68,468 | $43.31 |
| Level 5 — Advanced EducatorDiploma of Early Childhood Education and Care | $36.57 | $1,389.50 | $72,254 | $45.71 |
| Level 6 — Room Leader | $38.25 | $1,453.50 | $75,582 | $47.81 |
| Level 7 — Assistant Director | $40.00 | $1,519.90 | $79,035 | $50.00 |
| Level 8 — Director | $46.12 | $1,752.70 | $91,140 | $57.65 |
Annual is the weekly rate × 52, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Childcare support worker pay rates (cooks, cleaners, admin)
Clause 14.2. Support Worker Level 3 holds an AQF Certificate III or equivalent skills (Schedule B.2.3).
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support Worker Level 1.1 — on commencement | $26.44 | $1,004.90 | $52,255 | $33.05 |
| Support Worker Level 2.1 — on commencement | $26.93 | $1,023.40 | $53,217 | $33.66 |
| Support Worker Level 2.2 — after 1 year | $27.82 | $1,057.00 | $54,964 | $34.78 |
| Support Worker Level 3.1 — on commencement | $29.45 | $1,119.10 | $58,193 | $36.81 |
Annual is the weekly rate × 52, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Early childhood educator pay: Certificate III and Diploma
"Early childhood educator" is the everyday name for the educator levels in the Children's Services Award, and your qualification sets your level. A Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care makes you a Level 3 Qualified Educator; a Diploma makes you a Level 5 Advanced Educator. University-qualified early childhood teachers are covered by a different award — see the early childhood teacher page.
If your centre receives the Worker Retention Payment, it must pay at least the grant's minimum hourly rate for your level, which is higher than the award. Check which applies to you, then compare it with the hourly rate on your payslip.
| Qualification | Award level | Award hourly | Award weekly | Worker Retention Payment minimum | Take-home a week (award) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No qualification yet, under 12 months' experience | Level 1 — Introductory Educator | $28.81 | $1094.80 | — | $930 |
| Certificate III | Level 3 — Qualified Educator | $32.47 | $1233.90 | $33.87 | $1,022 |
| Diploma | Level 5 — Advanced Educator | $36.57 | $1389.50 | $38.14 | $1,127 |
Award rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026 (cl 14.1(b)). Worker Retention Payment minimums apply from 1 July 2026 only where the provider takes the grant (Department of Education). Take-home is on the full-time award wage, 2026–27 resident rates, no HECS.
Childcare Worker penalty rates and overtime
| When you work | Full-time / part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Early morning shift (starts 5.00–6.00 am) | 110% | 135% |
| Afternoon shift (finishes after 6.30 pm, by midnight) | 115% | 140% |
| Night shift, rotating | 117.5% | 142.5% |
| Night shift, non-rotating | 130% | 155% |
| Saturday — shiftworker ordinary hours | 150% | Not published |
| Sunday — all time worked | 200% | Not published |
| Public holiday — all time worked | 250% | Not published |
Percentages of the minimum hourly rate (cl 23.4 and 23.5). Ordinary hours are Monday to Friday between 6.00 am and 6.30 pm (cl 21.2–21.3), so Saturday work by a day worker is overtime (150% for 2 hours, then 200%). Weekend and public holiday work carries a 4-hour minimum payment (cl 23.5(e)). Casual shift figures are the pay guide's casual dollar rates; neither the award nor the pay guide sets a casual Saturday, Sunday or public holiday rate, so we show none.
Overtime
- Full-time and part-time: 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200%; each day stands alone (cl 23.2(a)).
- Casual: 175% for the first 2 hours, then 225% — the casual loading is included (cl 23.2(b)). Casuals get overtime after 8 hours in a day or 38 in a week (cl 10.5(e)).
- Up to one hour a week of genuine emergency overtime — such as a child needing urgent medical attention — is paid at the ordinary rate (cl 23.2(c)). A parent collecting a child late is not an emergency (cl 21.7(b)(iii)).
Work out a shift with penalties or overtime using the overtime pay calculator.
Allowances
| Allowance | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Educational leader allowance | $4,784.28 per year | If you are the service's educational leader under Regulation 118 of the National Regulations, pro rata for fewer than 5 days a week (cl 15.7). |
| First aid allowance | $12.65 per day | Level 1 and 2 employees required to administer first aid who hold a current first aid qualification; $1.68 an hour in out-of-school hours care (cl 15.4). |
| Broken shift allowance | $21.38 per day | For each day you work two separate shifts (cl 15.1). |
| Laundry allowance | $9.74 per week | If you must launder a required uniform; $1.95 a day for part-time and casual staff, or $6.14 a week where no ironing is needed (cl 15.2(b)). |
| Meal allowance | $16.12 | Overtime of more than 2 hours without notice the previous day (cl 15.5). |
Childcare Worker pay after tax
On the Level 3 — Qualified Educator rate of $1,233.90 a week, a full-time childcare worker earns $64,163 a year before tax.
| Gross annual pay | $64,163 |
|---|---|
| Income tax (after LITO) | −$9,731 |
| Medicare levy | −$1,283 |
| Take-home per year | $53,149 |
| Take-home per week | $1,022 |
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 $65,000 (the nearest step to $64,163), or put in your own hours with the weekly pay calculator.
What childcare workers actually earn
Jobs and Skills Australia puts median full-time earnings for Child Carers (ANZSCO 4211) at $1,341 a week ($35 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 and trainee rates (cl 14.4–14.5 and the National Training Wage).
- Schedule I translation rates for employees who held a pre-March 2026 classification.
- Every Worker Retention Payment rate — only the Level 3 and Level 5 figures are quoted; the Department of Education publishes the full table.
Childcare Worker 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 Children's Services Award 2010, 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
- 1Children's Services Award 2010 [MA000120] — consolidated to 1 July 2026— Fair Work Commission
- 2Pay Guide — Children's Services Award [MA000120], published 24 June 2026— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 3Worker retention payment — minimum rates you must pay workers— Department of Education
- 4Pay guides for modern awards— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 5Annual Wage Review 2025–26 decision [2026] FWCFB 3500— Fair Work Commission
- 6Child Carers (ANZSCO 4211) 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.
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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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