A casual trainer at Level 2 to 5 can be engaged for as little as 1 hour, so a single paid session is lawful (cl 12.3(b)). Other casual work has a 3-hour minimum.
Only 32% of fitness instructors work full-time, according to Jobs and Skills Australia, so most trainers' pay depends on hours booked, not the full-time figures on this page.
Which award covers personal trainers
Personal trainers employed by gyms, fitness centres, leisure centres and aquatic centres are covered by the Fitness Industry Award 2020 [MA000094]. The award has no classification called personal trainer: it grades by the qualification you hold and the level of supervision you work under.
A trainer who performs Level 4 duties — working under limited supervision and exercising initiative and judgment — and holds a Fitness Industry AQF Certificate IV relevant to the job is Level 4A (Schedule A.5–A.6). The Certificate IV in Fitness is the qualification training.gov.au describes as reflecting the role of personal trainers. A trainer with a Diploma who is employed as a fitness trainer or fitness specialist and can develop programs for special groups is Level 5 (A.7).
A fitness instructor with a Fitness Certificate III doing Level 3 work is Level 3A (A.4). If you hold a Certificate IV but are only given Level 3 duties under general supervision, the employer may classify you at 3A rather than 4A; the award ties each level to both the qualification and the work.
A personal trainer who is genuinely self-employed — for example, running their own business or paying rent to a gym to train their own clients — is not an employee, so no award minimum applies. Check how you are engaged before relying on these rates.
Read the Fitness Industry Award 2020 [MA000094] on the Fair Work Commission’s site (consolidated to 1 July 2026), or see every classification on our MA000094 award rates page.
Personal Trainer 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.
Personal trainer and fitness instructor pay rates, 2026–27
Fitness Industry Award cl 15.1, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Casual is the weekday rate: the hourly rate plus the 25% casual loading (cl 12.1(a)). On weekends and public holidays the casual loading is 30% (cl 12.1(b)).
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 3General supervision; centre operations | $27.97 | $1,062.90 | $55,271 | $34.96 |
| Level 3ALevel 3 duties plus a Fitness Certificate III (fitness instructor) | $29.45 | $1,119.10 | $58,193 | $36.81 |
| Level 4Limited supervision; initiative and judgment | $30.66 | $1,165.10 | $60,585 | $38.33 |
| Level 4ALevel 4 duties plus a Fitness Certificate IV (personal trainer) | $32.13 | $1,221.10 | $63,497 | $40.16 |
| Level 5Diploma; fitness trainer or fitness specialist for special groups | $33.87 | $1,287.20 | $66,934 | $42.34 |
Annual is the weekly rate × 52, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Personal Trainer penalty rates and overtime
| When you work | Full-time / part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Monday–Friday, 5 am–11 pm (ordinary hours) | 100% | 125% |
| Saturday, 6 am–9 pm | 125% | 130% |
| Sunday, 6 am–9 pm | 150% | 130% |
| Public holiday (minimum 4 hours) | 250% | Not published |
Percentages of the minimum hourly rate (cl 12.1, 20.1 and 26.3; Schedule B.1.1 and B.2). A casual's weekend rate is the 30% casual loading on its own, so a casual Sunday (130%) pays less than a permanent Sunday (150%). The award sends casuals working a public holiday to the same 30% loading (cl 26.3(c)); because that sits so far below the permanent 250%, we do not print a casual public holiday figure — check it with the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Overtime
- Overtime is work outside 5 am–11 pm on weekdays or 6 am–9 pm on weekends, over 10 hours in a day, or over an average of 38 hours a week across 4 weeks (cl 13.1–13.3, 19.1).
- Monday to Saturday: 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200%. Sunday: 200%. Public holiday: 250% (cl 19.2, Schedule B.1.2).
- No casual loading is paid on overtime hours (cl 12.2). Starting again without a 10-hour break between shifts is paid at 200% until you get the break (cl 19.3).
Work out a shift with penalties or overtime using the overtime pay calculator.
Allowances
| Allowance | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Leading hand — in charge of 1 to 5 employees | $31.89 per week | Level 4A or below. (cl 17.2(a)) |
| Broken shift allowance | $18.07 per day | Plus $2.15 a day for excess fares. (cl 17.2(b)) |
| First aid allowance | $3.40 per day | (cl 17.2(c)) |
| Meal allowance (more than 1.5 hours of overtime) | $15.59 per occasion | (cl 17.3(a)) |
| Vehicle allowance — own motor vehicle | $1.00 per km | (cl 17.3(b)(i)) |
Personal Trainer pay after tax
On the Level 4A rate of $1,221.10 a week, a full-time personal trainer earns $63,497 a year before tax.
| Gross annual pay | $63,497 |
|---|---|
| Income tax (after LITO) | −$9,522 |
| Medicare levy | −$1,270 |
| Take-home per year | $52,705 |
| Take-home per week | $1,014 |
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 $65,000 (the nearest step to $63,497), or put in your own hours with the weekly pay calculator.
What personal trainers actually earn
Jobs and Skills Australia puts median full-time earnings for Fitness Instructors (ANZSCO 4521) at $1,500 a week ($38 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
- Levels 1, 2, 6 and 7 — see the Fitness Industry Award rates page.
- The casual public holiday rate in dollars (see the penalty note).
- Commission, session splits and rent arrangements for self-employed trainers, which are business terms, not award pay.
Personal Trainer 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 Fitness Industry 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
- 1Fitness Industry Award 2020 [MA000094] — consolidated to 1 July 2026— Fair Work Commission
- 2SIS40221 — Certificate IV in Fitness— training.gov.au
- 3Pay guides for modern awards— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 4Annual Wage Review 2025–26 decision [2026] FWCFB 3500— Fair Work Commission
- 5Fitness Instructors (ANZSCO 4521) 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.
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