Minimum Wage in Australian Capital Territory 2026–27

The minimum wage rate in the ACT

The Fair Work Commission set the National Minimum Wage in the Annual Wage Review 2026, and it applies to employees in the national system from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026. That is the same figure in every state. For the full rate history, junior table and what the award floors are, see minimum wage in Australia.

After-tax figures use the 2026-27 resident tax rates and the Medicare levy for a full-time adult, with the tax-free threshold claimed and no HECS-HELP debt. Income tax is set by the Commonwealth, so the take-home figure is identical in every state. Your employer also pays about $6,271 a year in super on top. Run your own hours through the take-home pay calculator.

Is there an ACT minimum wage?

Generally all employees and employers in the ACT are in the national system, so there is no state-level minimum wage and no state wage case. The ACT's own rules matter for payroll tax, long service leave and public holidays.

Fair Work Ombudsman: “Generally, all employees and employers in the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory are covered by the national system.”

No. The Fair Work Ombudsman states that generally all employees and employers in the Australian Capital Territory are covered by the national system, so the $26.44 National Minimum Wage and modern award rates are the only wage floors.

Where the ACT does differ is around the wage: the ACT has its own long service leave scheme, its own public holiday list (including Canberra Day and Reconciliation Day) and a payroll tax threshold that was cut from $2 million to $1.75 million on 1 July 2026.

Most people are paid above the minimum anyway, under a modern award. Check your award’s rates or the pay rates by job, which apply the same way in the ACT.

Under-21s and apprentices in the ACT

Under-21 and apprentice pay in the ACT follows the national junior percentages or the scale in the modern award for the job.

These percentages apply only to employees with no award or agreement (National Minimum Wage Order 2026, cl 8.2). Awards set their own junior scales; see minimum wage by age, or go to a 16, 17 or 18 year old. Apprentice rates are covered in apprentice electrician pay.

ACT public holidays in the 2026-27 minimum wage year

15 whole-day public holidays fall between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027 in the ACT. A full-time or part-time employee who has the day off on a day they would normally work is paid their base rate for those hours: at the minimum wage and a standard 38-hour week that is about $200.94 for the day. If you work the day, your award sets the penalty rate. Dates are from the state government’s own list; the ACT public holiday pay page has 2026 and 2027 in full, plus part-day and regional holidays.

The list shows whole-day, state-wide holidays only. Check the pay page for any regional or part-day holidays that apply to your workplace.

Payroll tax in the ACT: when employing minimum-wage staff triggers it

Australian Capital Territory payroll tax for 2026-27 starts at $1,750,000 of annual taxable wages, with a headline rate of 6.75%, administered by ACT Revenue Office. The threshold is $1.75 million a year (it was $2 million until 30 June 2026), apportioned by the ACT share of Australian wages. It does not phase out.

On wages alone, $1,750,000 is about 34 full-time adult employees on the minimum wage ($52,255 each). That is our own arithmetic: super and other taxable wages also count, and groups and interstate apportionment change the test, so a real business reaches the threshold sooner. Use the ACT payroll tax page or the payroll tax calculator for a proper estimate, and the employer cost calculator for the full cost of a worker.

Long service leave in the ACT on the minimum wage

Under the Long Service Leave Act 1976 (ACT), 7 years of continuous service qualifies you to take 6.0667 weeks of leave. The ACT reaches the entitlement fastest of any jurisdiction: 6.0667 weeks of paid leave after just 7 years of continuous service, then a further fifth of a month each year. If a public holiday or award holiday falls during your long service leave, the leave is extended by a day. A pro-rata payment can be owed from as little as 5 years where the job ends through illness, incapacity, pressing necessity, retirement, death, or a dismissal short of serious and wilful misconduct — and it is worked out on completed years and months. At the full-time minimum wage ($1,004.90 a week) 6.0667 weeks is worth about $6,096. Full-time and part-time employees, including piece-rate workers, are covered; WorkSafe ACT says casual employees may also be covered. Service outside the ACT may not count towards the total. Work out your own entitlement with the ACT long service leave calculator.

Where to check or complain in the ACT

National-system employees can ask the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94). For the state-system and state-run matters on this page:

• Access Canberra (ACT Government)

Minimum wage in other states

The national rate is the same, but the state rules differ:

• Minimum wage in New South Wales: NSW state awards rose 4.75% in the 2026 State Wage Case.
• Minimum wage in Victoria: Victoria is almost entirely in the national system.
• Minimum wage in Western Australia: WA is the only state with its own State Minimum Wage.
• Minimum wage in South Australia: SA payroll tax phases in between $1.5 million and $1.7 million.
• Minimum wage in Tasmania: Tasmanian local government is in the national system.
• Minimum wage in Queensland: QLD set its own state minimum from 1 September 2026.
• Minimum wage in Northern Territory: The NT is wholly in the national system, with the highest payroll tax threshold.

Frequently asked questions