Whether you are Level 6 or a lower level turns on your actual duties, not your job title. A paralegal who mainly does word processing, filing or routine work is not a law clerk under the award.
Jobs and Skills Australia's median ($1,345 a week) covers all court and legal clerks, including court staff who are not on this award.
What paralegals earn: 2023–24 tax returns
In the ATO’s Taxation statistics for 2023–24, 13,221 people gave their occupation as “Clerk - law”. Among those who reported wages, the median salary or wage income was $62,615 and the average $66,297. Their average taxable income was $71,193.
The ABS lists paralegal as another title for law clerk, which the ATO codes as "Clerk - law". Legal executives and legal secretaries do overlapping work in many firms and are shown for comparison.
| Occupation on the tax return | People | Median salary or wages | Average salary or wages | Median taxable income | Average taxable income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clerk - lawATO occupation code 599214 | 13,221 | $62,615 | $66,297 | $63,617 | $71,193 |
| Legal executiveATO occupation code 599112 | 12,004 | $60,265 | $69,848 | $61,205 | $75,872 |
| Legal secretaryATO occupation code 521212 | 12,072 | $63,448 | $62,076 | $64,413 | $66,205 |
ATO figures come from 2023–24 individual tax returns: everyone who gave this occupation, including part-time and part-year workers. Salary or wages is the gross wage income people reported (averages and medians count only those who reported some); taxable income adds other income such as interest and business income and subtracts deductions. Neither figure is a full-time rate or a legal minimum.
Median full-time pay
Jobs and Skills Australia puts median full-time earnings for Court and Legal Clerks (ANZSCO 5992) at $1,345 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.
Paralegal pay after tax
What each figure on this page leaves after income tax and the Medicare levy, worked out with the same tax engine as the rest of this site. Use the row nearest your own salary to sense-check the net pay on your payslip.
| Figure | Gross a year | Tax and Medicare | Take-home a year | A fortnight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award minimum — Level 6 — Law clerkMA000116, 2026–27 | $71,198 | −$13,303 | $57,895 | $2,227 |
| Median full-time pay — Court and Legal ClerksJobs and Skills Australia, May 2025 (weekly × 52) | $69,940 | −$12,901 | $57,039 | $2,194 |
| Median salary or wages — Clerk - lawATO tax returns, 2023–24 | $62,615 | −$10,496 | $52,119 | $2,005 |
| Average salary or wages — Clerk - lawATO tax returns, 2023–24 | $66,297 | −$11,730 | $54,567 | $2,099 |
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. Your employer withholds tax each pay from the ATO’s withholding schedules, so the tax on a payslip will not match these annual figures to the dollar. For the full breakdown see take-home pay on $65,000 (the nearest step to $66,297), or enter your own salary below.
Which award covers paralegals
The Legal Services Award 2020 [MA000116] does not use the word paralegal. The Australian Bureau of Statistics lists paralegal as another title for a law clerk, and the award defines a law clerk as a clerk engaged for the major part of their time in interviewing clients, preparing documents and general work assisting a barrister or solicitor (cl 2). A law clerk is Level 6.
If your work is more routine — the award's definition excludes employees principally engaged in word processing, filing, document delivery or other routine duties — you are classified at one of Levels 1 to 5, legal clerical and administrative employee, according to your skills and duties (Schedule A).
The award covers employers in the legal services industry: businesses providing legal and legal support services (cl 4.2). It does not cover community legal centres, Aboriginal legal services, or employers whose primary activity is not legal services, such as an in-house legal team in a company (cl 4.3).
Read the Legal Services Award 2020 [MA000116] on the Fair Work Commission’s site (consolidated to 1 July 2026), or see every classification on our MA000116 award rates page.
Paralegal 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.
Paralegal and legal support award rates — Legal Services Award, 2026–27
Clause 15.1 adult rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Casual rates are Schedule B.2.1 (125%) exactly.
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 — Legal clerical and administrative employee | $28.24 | $1,073.10 | $55,801 | $35.30 |
| Level 2 — Legal clerical and administrative employee | $29.45 | $1,119.10 | $58,193 | $36.81 |
| Level 3 — Legal clerical and administrative employee | $31.11 | $1,182.10 | $61,469 | $38.89 |
| Level 4 — Legal clerical and administrative employee | $32.67 | $1,241.40 | $64,553 | $40.84 |
| Level 5 — Legal clerical and administrative employee | $33.99 | $1,291.80 | $67,174 | $42.49 |
| Level 6 — Law clerkMostly interviewing clients, preparing documents and assisting a solicitor or barrister (cl 2) | $36.03 | $1,369.20 | $71,198 | $45.04 |
Annual is the weekly rate × 52, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Paralegal penalty rates and overtime
| When you work | Full-time / part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Monday–Saturday until 12 noon, outside ordinary hours — first 3 hours | 150% | 175% |
| Monday–Saturday until 12 noon — after 3 hours | 200% | 225% |
| Saturday after 12 noon; Sunday | 200% | 225% |
| Public holiday | 250% | 275% |
Day workers' ordinary hours fall between 7 am and 6.30 pm Monday to Friday (cl 13.1(c)); work outside that span is overtime at these rates (cl 20.2). Overtime after noon on Saturday, on a Sunday or on a public holiday carries a 3-hour minimum payment.
Overtime
- Monday to Saturday until 12 noon: 150% for the first 3 hours, then 200%; after 12 noon Saturday and on Sunday, 200%; public holidays, 250%. Casuals get 25 percentage points more (cl 20.2).
- Overtime is worked out on the weekly rate divided by 38, and part-hours are rounded: up to 30 minutes counts as half an hour, more than 30 minutes as an hour (cl 20.3).
- On the law clerk rate, the first 3 hours of weekday overtime are worth $54.05 an hour: 150% of $36.03 (cl 20.2(a); Schedule B.1.3 prints the same figure).
Work out a shift with penalties or overtime using the overtime pay calculator.
Allowances
| Allowance | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Overtime meal allowance | $20.75, then $16.54 | One hour or more of weekday overtime finishing 1.5 hours after normal finishing time; a further $16.54 if overtime passes 4 hours; different triggers apply at weekends (cl 18.2). Not payable if a meal is supplied. |
| Uniform allowance | $3.75 per week | When you must wear a special uniform the employer does not supply and launder (cl 18.3). |
| Vehicle allowance | $1.00 per km | When the employer requires you to use your own car; $0.34 per km for a motorcycle (cl 18.4). |
Checking a paralegal payslip
- Annualised salary: if you are paid a salary instead of the award's separate rates, your employer must tell you in writing which clauses it covers and how it was calculated, keep a record of your start and finish times, and each 12 months check it was at least what the award would have paid — paying any shortfall within 14 days (cl 17).
- Overtime meal money: a meal allowance of $20.75 for qualifying overtime (cl 18.2) must appear as its own line, as must any uniform or vehicle allowance (Fair Work Regulations reg 3.46(1)(g), noted at cl 16 and cl 18).
- Pay cycle: you are paid fortnightly unless you and your employer agree otherwise (cl 16.1).
- Super and deductions: each payslip must show the super your employer paid, or will pay, for the period and the fund it goes to, and every deduction — salary sacrifice included — with the fund or account it was paid into (Fair Work Ombudsman, pay slips).
For what every line on a payslip should show, see understanding your payslip.
What this page does not show
- Junior rates and shiftwork rates under the Legal Services Award.
- Public sector paralegal pay scales.
- Law graduate and admitted lawyer pay, which is on the lawyer page.
Paralegal 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 Legal Services Award 2020, consolidated to 1 July 2026, on 9 October 2026. Casual rates are the award's own published figures wherever it publishes them. Nothing is estimated.
Income figures are the ATO’s Taxation statistics 2023–24, Individuals Table 15A, exactly as published: the occupation is what each person wrote on their tax return.
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
- 1Legal Services Award 2020 [MA000116] — consolidated to 1 July 2026— Fair Work Commission
- 2OSCA 2024 — 521234 Law Clerk (alternative titles: Legal Assistant; Paralegal)— Australian Bureau of Statistics
- 3Taxation statistics 2023–24, Individuals Table 15: average and median taxable income and salary or wages by occupation— Australian Taxation Office (data.gov.au)
- 4
- 5Pay slips— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 6Annual Wage Review 2025–26 decision [2026] FWCFB 3500— Fair Work Commission
Last verified: 9 October 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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