Overtime under the Professional Employees Award is paid at the ordinary minimum hourly rate, not time and a half (cl 18.2(a)).
Which award covers engineers
Employees doing professional engineering work are covered by the Professional Employees Award 2020 [MA000065], whichever industry their employer is in. The award covers graduate and experienced engineers, as well as scientists, IT professionals and quality auditors.
A graduate engineer — someone with a 4 or 5-year degree recognised by Engineers Australia — starts at Level 1 pay point 1.1 and moves through pay points 1.2 to 1.4. An experienced engineer (a member of Engineers Australia, or 4 years' professional experience after qualifying) is Level 2, and Levels 3 and 4 cover engineers with greater independence, responsibility and seniority (Schedule A).
The award sets annual salaries. It does not cover engineers in industries with their own award that excludes it — for example electricity, water, rail, black coal mining or state government agencies (cl 4.2) — nor engineers in state or local government covered by another award.
Engineering technicians and draftspersons are not professional engineers and are usually covered by the Manufacturing award or an industry award instead.
Read the Professional Employees Award 2020 [MA000065] on the Fair Work Commission’s site (consolidated to 1 July 2026).
Engineer 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.
Engineer pay rates by level, 2026–27
Annual wages from clause 14.1. Weekly is the award's own conversion (annual x 6/313); hourly and casual rates are exactly as published in Schedule C.
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 Graduate professional — pay point 1.1 (3 year degree) | $33.71 | $1,280.99 | $66,825 | $42.14 |
| Level 1 Graduate professional — pay point 1.1 (4 or 5 year degree)Graduate engineer | $34.57 | $1,313.83 | $68,538 | $43.21 |
| Level 1 Graduate professional — pay point 1.2 | $35.15 | $1,335.87 | $69,688 | $43.94 |
| Level 1 Graduate professional — pay point 1.3 | $36.62 | $1,391.50 | $72,590 | $45.78 |
| Level 1 Graduate professional — pay point 1.4 | $38.47 | $1,461.99 | $76,267 | $48.09 |
| Level 2 Experienced professionalExperienced engineer | $39.77 | $1,511.23 | $78,836 | $49.71 |
| Level 3 Professional | $43.46 | $1,651.57 | $86,157 | $54.33 |
| Level 4 Professional | $49.02 | $1,862.74 | $97,173 | $61.28 |
Annual is the award's own full-time annual salary, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Engineer penalty rates and overtime
| When you work | Full-time / part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Monday–Saturday before 6 am or after 10 pm | 125% | 150% |
| Sunday | 150% | 175% |
| Public holiday | 150% | 175% |
Percentages of the minimum hourly rate for hours worked at the employer's direction (cl 18.4, Schedule C). There is no Saturday daytime penalty under this award.
Overtime
- Hours beyond 38 a week (or an agreed average) are paid at the minimum hourly rate — not time and a half (cl 18.2(a)). Casuals likewise get their casual hourly rate.
- Overtime includes call-backs and work done remotely on electronic devices, which must be recorded on a timesheet (cl 18.2).
- Time off instead of payment for overtime can be agreed hour for hour (cl 18.3).
Work out a shift with penalties or overtime using the overtime pay calculator.
Engineer pay after tax
On the Level 1 Graduate professional — pay point 1.1 (4 or 5 year degree) rate of $1,313.83 a week, a full-time engineer earns $68,538 a year before tax.
| Gross annual pay | $68,538 |
|---|---|
| Income tax (after LITO) | −$11,081 |
| Medicare levy | −$1,371 |
| Take-home per year | $56,086 |
| Take-home per week | $1,079 |
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 $70,000 (the nearest step to $68,538), or put in your own hours with the weekly pay calculator.
What engineers actually earn
Jobs and Skills Australia puts median full-time earnings for Civil Engineering Professionals (ANZSCO 2332) at $2,217 a week ($59 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.
Engineer pay by discipline
The award minimums above apply to every discipline. These pages add what each discipline earns on ATO tax returns and in Jobs and Skills Australia data, and the take-home pay on those figures.
- Civil engineer salary — tax-return figures for civil, structural, geotechnical and transport engineers, and the award exclusions for water, rail and council employers.
- Electrical engineer salary — electrical and electronics engineers' pay, and why the Electrical Power Industry Award takes some electrical engineers outside this award.
- Mechanical engineer salary — mechanical, industrial and production engineers' pay, and why mechanical engineering technicians are not on these rates.
What this page does not show
- Level 5 (medical research employees only) and Schedule B medical research classifications.
- Enterprise agreement and public service engineer scales.
Engineer 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 Professional Employees 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
- 1Professional Employees Award 2020 [MA000065] — consolidated to 1 July 2026— Fair Work Commission
- 2Pay guides for modern awards— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 3Annual Wage Review 2025–26 decision [2026] FWCFB 3500— Fair Work Commission
- 4
Last verified: 23 September 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
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AuthorFounder & Senior Bookkeeper
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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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