Jobs and Skills Australia's profile for first-class welders prints no median earnings (N/A), so the $1,688 a week figure is for the wider group of structural steel and welding trades workers, which includes metal fabricators and pressure welders.
Welding on construction sites or in mining may be paid under an enterprise agreement or another award, so the minimums on this page may not be what applies to you.
Which award covers welders
Welders in manufacturing and metal fabrication workshops are covered by the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 [MA000010]. The award has no single welder rate. It grades welding by the skill the job needs.
Basic soldering and butt and spot welding skills are an indicative task for C13 (Employee Level II). Welding that needs knowledge and skills above C13 is an indicative C12 task (Employee Level III). A welder who holds a trade certificate in fabrication is an Engineering/Manufacturing Tradesperson Level I at C10, the award's trade rate, with higher trade levels at C9 and C8.
Which award applies depends on the employer's industry. A welder employed on a building site by a builder, in mining, in shipbuilding or in vehicle manufacturing may be under a different award or an enterprise agreement, and enterprise agreements can pay more than these minimums.
Read the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 [MA000010] on the Fair Work Commission’s site (consolidated to 1 July 2026), or see every classification on our MA000010 award rates page.
Welder 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.
Welder pay rates by classification, 2026–27
Manufacturing Award cl 20.1(a), from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Casual is the hourly rate plus the 25% loading (cl 11.1). The level depends on skills, competence and training, not job title.
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C13 — Employee Level IIBasic soldering, butt and spot welding | $26.44 | $1,004.90 | $52,255 | $33.05 |
| C12 — Employee Level IIIWelding that needs skills above C13 | $27.08 | $1,029.10 | $53,513 | $33.85 |
| C10 — Tradesperson Level ITrade-certificate welder or fabricator | $29.45 | $1,119.10 | $58,193 | $36.81 |
| C9 — Tradesperson Level IIHigher trade skills | $30.38 | $1,154.30 | $60,024 | $37.98 |
| C8 — Special Class Level ISpecial class tradesperson | $31.30 | $1,189.40 | $61,849 | $39.13 |
Annual is the weekly rate × 52, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Welder penalty rates and overtime
| When you work | Full-time / part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Monday–Friday, 6 am–6 pm (ordinary hours) | 100% | 125% |
| Saturday ordinary hours (only where agreed) | 150% | 187.5% |
| Sunday ordinary hours (only where agreed) | 200% | 250% |
| Public holiday (minimum 3 hours) | 250% | 312.5% |
| Afternoon or night shift | 115% | 143.8% |
| Permanent night shift | 130% | 162.5% |
Percentages of the minimum hourly rate (cl 33). Day workers' ordinary hours are Monday to Friday, 6 am to 6 pm; Saturday or Sunday ordinary hours need agreement, and without it weekend work is overtime. For casuals this award compounds: each percentage applies to the casual hourly rate that already includes the 25% loading, so a casual Saturday at 150% is 187.5% of the base rate.
Overtime
- First 3 hours of overtime at 150% of the minimum hourly rate, then 200% (cl 32). Continuous shiftworkers are paid 200% for all overtime.
- Saturday overtime for day workers is 150% for the first 3 hours (minimum 4 hours), then 200%; Sunday overtime is 200% with a 3-hour minimum; public holiday overtime is 250%.
- For casuals, overtime is a percentage of the casual hourly rate (cl 32.1(f)). A call back after leaving work is paid for at least 4 hours at overtime rates (cl 32.13).
Work out a shift with penalties or overtime using the overtime pay calculator.
Allowances
| Allowance | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Tool allowance — tradesperson | $17.90 per week | All-purpose. Not payable where the employer provides all tools (cl 30.2(c)(iii)–(iv)). (cl 30.2(c)(ii)) |
| Leading hand — in charge of 3 to 10 employees | $48.98 per week | All-purpose: added to the rate before penalties and overtime are calculated. (cl 30.2(a)(i)) |
| Leading hand — in charge of 11 to 20 employees | $73.15 per week | All-purpose. (cl 30.2(a)(i)) |
| Confined spaces | $1.12 per hour | (cl 30.4(f)) |
| Dirty work | $0.85 per hour | $1.12 an hour for certain ship repair work (cl 30.4(g)(ii)). (cl 30.4(g)(i)) |
| First aid allowance | $22.26 per week | (cl 30.3(b)) |
Welder pay after tax
On the C10 — Tradesperson Level I rate of $1,119.10 a week, a full-time welder earns $58,193 a year before tax.
| Gross annual pay | $58,193 |
|---|---|
| Income tax (after LITO) | −$7,851 |
| Medicare levy | −$1,164 |
| Take-home per year | $49,178 |
| Take-home per week | $946 |
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 $58,193), or put in your own hours with the weekly pay calculator.
What welders actually earn
Jobs and Skills Australia puts median full-time earnings for Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers (ANZSCO 3223) at $1,688 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
- Apprentice and adult apprentice rates (cl 21–24).
- Height money, ship repair and the other special rates in cl 30.4 not listed above.
- Rates under the Building and Construction General On-site Award, the Mining Industry Award and enterprise agreements, which can apply instead of this award.
- Vehicle manufacturing employees under Part 9 of the award, who have their own loadings and allowances.
Welder 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 Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020, consolidated to 1 July 2026, on 5 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
- 1
- 2Pay guides for modern awards— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 3Annual Wage Review 2025–26 decision [2026] FWCFB 3500— Fair Work Commission
- 4
Last verified: 5 October 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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