An electrician who holds an unrestricted licence and may be required to use it must also get the $40.29 weekly licence allowance on top of the grade 5 rate — an all-purpose minimum of $1,223.11 a week.
Which award covers electricians
Electricians working for electrical contractors are covered by the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award 2020 [MA000025]. The award grades electrical workers from 1 to 10. Grade 5 is the qualified tradesperson level; grades 6 to 10 are grade 5 electricians who hold further qualifications or experience set out in Schedule A.
An electrician's minimum is more than the bare wage in the award. Clause 16.3 builds an "all-purpose" rate from the grade's minimum wage plus the industry allowance ($41.41 a week, paid to all employees) and, from grade 5 up, the tool allowance ($22.31 a week). That all-purpose rate is what overtime, penalties and leave are calculated on.
An electrician who holds an unrestricted electrical licence and may be required to use it gets a further all-purpose licence allowance of $40.29 a week (cl 18.3(b)), which is not included in the table.
Electricians employed outside electrical contracting — in mining, manufacturing or by an electricity supplier, for example — may be covered by a different award or an enterprise agreement.
Read the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award 2020 [MA000025] on the Fair Work Commission’s site (consolidated to 1 July 2026).
Electrician 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.
Electrician pay rates by grade, 2026–27
Weekly = the clause 16.2 minimum + industry allowance ($41.41) + tool allowance ($22.31, grades 5–10). Hourly and casual rates are exactly as published in the award's Schedule B, which already include those allowances.
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical worker grade 1Labourer | $27.53 | $1,046.31 | $54,408 | $34.41 |
| Electrical worker grade 2Assists a tradesperson | $27.75 | $1,054.51 | $54,835 | $34.69 |
| Electrical worker grade 3Works under direction | $28.64 | $1,088.31 | $56,592 | $35.80 |
| Electrical worker grade 4Includes restricted B class licensed workers | $29.53 | $1,122.01 | $58,345 | $36.91 |
| Electrical worker grade 5Qualified tradesperson | $31.13 | $1,182.82 | $61,507 | $38.91 |
| Electrical worker grade 6 | $32.05 | $1,218.02 | $63,337 | $40.06 |
| Electrical worker grade 7 | $33.81 | $1,284.82 | $66,811 | $42.26 |
| Electrical worker grade 8 | $35.44 | $1,346.82 | $70,035 | $44.30 |
| Electrical worker grade 9 | $36.14 | $1,373.22 | $71,407 | $45.18 |
| Electrical worker grade 10 | $38.91 | $1,478.72 | $76,893 | $48.64 |
Annual is the weekly rate × 52, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Electrician penalty rates and overtime
| When you work | Full-time / part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary hours (Monday–Friday, 6 am–6 pm spread) | 100% | 125% |
| Public holiday | 250% | 312.5% |
Ordinary hours for day workers are Monday to Friday (cl 13), so weekend work is paid as overtime rather than as a weekend penalty. Percentages are of the all-purpose ordinary hourly rate (Schedule B.2.1 and B.3.1).
Overtime
- Monday to Saturday: 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200% (Schedule B.2.2).
- Sunday: 200%. Public holiday: 250%.
- Overtime is calculated on the all-purpose rate, so the industry, tool and any licence allowance are included before the multiplier is applied.
Work out a shift with penalties or overtime using the overtime pay calculator.
Allowances
| Allowance | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Industry allowance | $41.41 per week | All-purpose, paid to all employees (cl 18.3(a)); included in the table. |
| Tool allowance | $22.31 per week | All-purpose, grade 5 and above (cl 18.3(g)); included in the table. |
| Electrician's licence allowance | $40.29 per week | All-purpose, for an electrical mechanic who holds an unrestricted licence and may be required to use it (cl 18.3(b)); NOT included in the table. |
| Nominee allowance | $102.96 per week | For an electrician who acts as the licence nominee for an electrical contractor (cl 18.3(d)). |
| Leading hand allowance | $48.12 to $90.65 per week | Depends on how many employees are in the leading hand's charge (cl 18.3(c)). |
Electrician pay after tax
On the Electrical worker grade 5 rate of $1,182.82 a week, a full-time electrician earns $61,507 a year before tax.
| Gross annual pay | $61,507 |
|---|---|
| Income tax (after LITO) | −$8,895 |
| Medicare levy | −$1,230 |
| Take-home per year | $51,382 |
| Take-home per week | $988 |
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 $61,507), or put in your own hours with the weekly pay calculator.
What electricians actually earn
Jobs and Skills Australia puts median full-time earnings for Electricians (ANZSCO 3411) at $2,191 a week ($55 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 rates, which are percentages of the grade 5 rate set by year and start date — see the construction and trades pay guide.
- Shiftwork rates and special site allowances such as the multistorey allowance.
- Rates under enterprise agreements, which replace the award for employers that have one.
Electrician 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 Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting 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
- 1
- 2Pay guides for modern awards— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 3Annual Wage Review 2025–26 decision [2026] FWCFB 3500— Fair Work Commission
- 4Electricians (ANZSCO 3411) 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.
Areas of Expertise