Many large cleaning contractors pay under an enterprise agreement. It must still leave you no worse off than this award overall.
Which award covers cleaners
Cleaners employed by cleaning contractors — the businesses that clean offices, shopping centres, schools, hospitals and other buildings under contract — are covered by the Cleaning Services Award 2020 [MA000022]. It also covers shopping trolley collection contractors.
Cleaners employed directly by a hotel, hospital, aged care home, school or retailer are usually covered by that industry's own award instead (for example the Hospitality Award or the Aged Care Award general stream), which has different rates.
Level 1 covers the tasks most cleaners do: sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, spot cleaning, toilet cleaning, rubbish collection, glass and dusting (Schedule A.1). Level 2 works from complex instructions and may do carpet cleaning, ride-on machinery, steam or pressure cleaning, exterior window cleaning from swing stages, or leading hand duties (Schedule A.2). Level 3 coordinates the work of Level 1 and 2 cleaners as a building supervisor or manager (Schedule A.3).
Part-time cleaners are paid a 15% part-time allowance on top of the minimum hourly rate for every ordinary hour (cl 10.2). A part-time Level 1 cleaner's ordinary rate is therefore $31.14 an hour, not $27.08.
Read the Cleaning Services Award 2020 [MA000022] on the Fair Work Commission’s site (consolidated to 1 July 2026), or see every classification on our MA000022 award rates page.
Cleaner 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.
Cleaner pay rates by level, 2026–27
Clause 15.1, Table 2 of the Cleaning Services Award, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. The hourly column is the full-time rate; part-timers add 15% (cl 10.2) and casuals add 25% (cl 11.2).
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning Services Employee Level 1General cleaning, vacuuming, toilets, rubbish, trolley collection | $27.08 | $1,028.90 | $53,503 | $33.85 |
| Cleaning Services Employee Level 2Carpet cleaning, ride-on machinery, pressure washing, leading hand | $27.97 | $1,062.90 | $55,271 | $34.96 |
| Cleaning Services Employee Level 3Building supervisor: coordinates Level 1 and 2 cleaners | $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.
Cleaner penalty rates and overtime
| When you work | Full-time / part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Monday–Friday shift starting before 6 am or finishing after 6 pm | 115% | 140% |
| Non-rotating night shift finishing after midnight and by 8 am | 130% | 155% |
| Saturday | 150% | 175% |
| Sunday | 200% | 225% |
| Public holiday | 250% | 275% |
Percentages of the minimum hourly rate (cl 20.2, Table 7). The "permanent" column is the full-time rate. Part-time cleaners have their own column that includes the 15% part-time allowance: 130% for early or late weekday shifts, 130% for non-rotating night shifts, 165% on Saturday, 215% on Sunday and 265% on public holidays. Casual rates include the 25% loading.
Overtime
- Full-time and part-time: 150% for the first 2 hours Monday to Saturday, then 200%; Sunday 200%; public holiday 250% (cl 19.3, Table 5).
- Casual: 175% for the first 2 hours Monday to Saturday, then 225%; Sunday 225%; public holiday 275% — the casual loading is included.
- Overtime on each day stands alone (cl 19.4).
Work out a shift with penalties or overtime using the overtime pay calculator.
Allowances
| Allowance | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Toilet cleaning allowance | $3.69 per shift or $18.17 per week | If you are employed for the major part of a day or shift to clean toilets (cl 17.9). |
| Broken shift allowance | $4.71 per day | Up to $23.56 a week (cl 17.2). |
| First aid allowance | $16.87 per week | If you hold a current first aid qualification and are appointed in writing to perform first aid duty (cl 17.6). |
| Refuse collection allowance | $4.69 per shift | If you spend most of a shift collecting, disposing of or sorting refuse, or feeding an incinerator or compactor (cl 17.8). |
| Height allowance | $1.11 per hour | Working from a swing scaffold, bosun's chair or similar up to the 22nd floor; $2.27 above it (cl 17.5). |
| Leading hand allowance | $61.73 per week | In charge of up to 10 employees; $79.43 for 11–20 and $97.13 for more than 20 (cl 17.7). |
| Vehicle allowance | $1.01 per km | If the employer requires you to use your own car; $0.34 per km for a motorcycle (cl 17.11). |
Cleaner pay after tax
On the Cleaning Services Employee Level 1 rate of $1,028.90 a week, a full-time cleaner earns $53,503 a year before tax.
| Gross annual pay | $53,503 |
|---|---|
| Income tax (after LITO) | −$6,373 |
| Medicare levy | −$1,070 |
| Take-home per year | $46,060 |
| 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 $53,503), or put in your own hours with the weekly pay calculator.
What cleaners actually earn
Jobs and Skills Australia puts median full-time earnings for Commercial Cleaners (ANZSCO 8112) at $1,254 a week ($33 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
- Junior rates, which the award sets only for employees of shopping trolley collection contractors (cl 15.2).
- Cold and hot work allowances (cl 17.3–17.4) and travel time rules (cl 17.12).
- National Training Wage trainee rates (cl 15.5).
Cleaner 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 Cleaning Services 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
- 1Cleaning Services Award 2020 [MA000022] — consolidated to 1 July 2026— Fair Work Commission
- 2Pay Guide — Cleaning Services Award [MA000022], published 24 June 2026— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 3Pay guides for modern awards— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 4Annual Wage Review 2025–26 decision [2026] FWCFB 3500— Fair Work Commission
- 5Commercial Cleaners (ANZSCO 8112) 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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