Payroll officers in hospitals, aged care, hotels, councils and the public service are usually paid under a different award or an agreement, because those industries have their own clerical classifications.
Which award covers payroll officers
Payroll officers and payroll clerks employed by private sector businesses are covered by the Clerks—Private Sector Award 2020 [MA000002], unless their employer's own industry award has clerical classifications.
The award has no payroll officer classification. It classifies by duties, and payroll appears at four levels. Initial processing and recording of payroll data, and working in a payroll file, is Level 2 (Schedule A.3.2). Calculating and maintaining wage and salary records is Level 3 (A.4.2(a)). Calculating wage or salary requirements, completing payroll data for authorisation, and advising on employment conditions, workers compensation and superannuation is Level 4 (A.6.2). Administering the organisation's salary and payroll requirements, including executive salary packages and allowances, is Level 5 (A.7.2).
The level also depends on supervision: Level 3 works with only general guidance, Level 4 with limited guidance and often supervises others, and Level 5 under broad direction with responsibility for others' work (A.4.1, A.6.1, A.7.1).
The Clerks—Private Sector Award is an occupational award: it covers private sector employees wholly or principally engaged in clerical work, but not where the employer is covered by an industry award that has its own clerical classifications (cl 4.3(a)) — for example health practices (Health Professionals and Support Services Award), hotels (Hospitality Award) or aged care. Public sector clerical staff are paid under public service agreements.
Read the Clerks—Private Sector Award 2020 [MA000002] on the Fair Work Commission’s site (consolidated to 1 July 2026), or see every classification on our MA000002 award rates page.
Payroll Officer 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.
Payroll officer pay rates by Clerks Award level, 2026–27
Clerks—Private Sector Award cl 16.1, Table 3, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Casual is the hourly rate plus the 25% casual loading. The duty notes are the payroll tasks Schedule A lists at each level.
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 2 — Year 1Payroll data entry and initial processing | $29.45 | $1,119.10 | $58,193 | $36.81 |
| Level 2 — Year 2 | $30.00 | $1,139.90 | $59,275 | $37.50 |
| Level 3Calculates and maintains wage and salary records | $31.11 | $1,182.10 | $61,469 | $38.89 |
| Level 4Calculates wage requirements; prepares payroll for authorisation; advises on conditions and super | $32.67 | $1,241.40 | $64,553 | $40.84 |
| Level 5Administers the organisation's salary and payroll requirements | $33.99 | $1,291.80 | $67,174 | $42.49 |
Annual is the weekly rate × 52, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Payroll Officer penalty rates and overtime
| When you work | Full-time / part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday (ordinary hours) | 125% | 150% |
| Sunday (ordinary hours, where cl 13.5 applies) | 200% | 225% |
| Public holiday | 250% | 275% |
Percentages of the minimum hourly rate (cl 24 and Schedule B.3.1). Casual percentages include the 25% loading. Ordinary hours for non-shiftworkers run 7.00 am to 7.00 pm Monday to Friday and 7.00 am to 12.30 pm on Saturday (cl 13.3), movable by up to an hour by agreement. Sunday ordinary hours arise only where cl 13.5 applies — clerks working alongside employees under a different award.
Overtime
- Full-time and part-time: monday to saturday — first 2 hours 150%; monday to saturday — after 2 hours 200%; sunday — all day 200%; public holiday — all day 250% (cl 21.4(a), Table 5).
- Casual: monday to saturday — first 2 hours 175%; monday to saturday — after 2 hours 225%; sunday — all day 225%; public holiday — all day 275% — the casual loading is included.
- Overtime is calculated daily, and is payable once weekly overtime reaches half an hour (cl 21.3).
Work out a shift with penalties or overtime using the overtime pay calculator.
Allowances
| Allowance | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| First aid allowance | $16.79 per week | (cl 19.2(b)) |
| Meal allowance (overtime of more than 1.5 hours without 24 hours' notice) | $20.75 per occasion | (cl 19.5(b)(i)) |
| Vehicle allowance — motor car | $1.00 per km | Payable up to 400 km a week (cl 19.6(b)). (cl 19.6(a)(i)) |
Payroll Officer pay after tax
On the Level 3 rate of $1,182.10 a week, a full-time payroll officer earns $61,469 a year before tax.
| Gross annual pay | $61,469 |
|---|---|
| Income tax (after LITO) | −$8,883 |
| Medicare levy | −$1,229 |
| Take-home per year | $51,357 |
| 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 $61,469), or put in your own hours with the weekly pay calculator.
What payroll officers actually earn
Jobs and Skills Australia puts median full-time earnings for Payroll Clerks (ANZSCO 5513) at $1,606 a week ($44 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 (cl 16.4) and annualised wage arrangements (cl 18) — see the Clerks Award page.
- Payroll manager salaries above Level 5, which are set by contract.
- Industry awards with their own clerical scales, such as the Health Professionals and Support Services Award and the Local Government Industry Award.
Payroll Officer 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 Clerks—Private Sector 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.
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
- 1Clerks—Private Sector Award 2020 [MA000002] — 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
- 4Payroll Clerks (ANZSCO 5513) occupation profile — ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025— Jobs and Skills Australia
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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