Minimum Wage in Northern Territory 2026–27

The minimum wage rate in the Northern Territory

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 a Northern Territory minimum wage?

Generally all employees and employers in the Northern Territory are in the national system, so there is no territory minimum wage. The NT's own rules matter for payroll tax, long service leave and a public holiday list with part-day and regional days.

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 Northern Territory are covered by the national system, so the $26.44 National Minimum Wage and modern award rates are the wage floors.

The Territory's own rules show up around the wage instead: a long service leave scheme that accrues at a different rate from most states, a public holiday list with part-day holidays and regional show days, and the highest payroll tax threshold of any state or territory.

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 Northern Territory.

Under-21s and apprentices in the Northern Territory

Under-21 and apprentice pay in the NT 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.

NT public holidays in the 2026-27 minimum wage year

13 whole-day public holidays fall between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027 in the Northern Territory. 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 NT 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 Northern Territory: when employing minimum-wage staff triggers it

Northern Territory payroll tax for 2026-27 starts at $2,500,000 of annual taxable wages, with a headline rate of 5.5%, administered by Territory Revenue Office. The $2.5 million tax-free amount is reduced by $1 for every $2 of Australian wages above $2.5 million, so it disappears at $7.5 million. Interstate employers get the NT share of what is left.

On wages alone, $2,500,000 is about 48 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 NT 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 Northern Territory on the minimum wage

Under the Long Service Leave Act 1981 (NT), 10 years of continuous service qualifies you to take 13 weeks of leave. Thirteen weeks of paid leave after 10 years of continuous service, calculated at 1.3 weeks for each year of employment. Part years do not count — 14½ years pays 14 years — and you cannot cash the leave out instead of taking it. Between 7 and 10 years a pro-rata payment is owed only if you reach retirement age, the employer ends the job for something other than serious misconduct, or you resign because of illness, incapacity or pressing necessity. At the full-time minimum wage ($1,004.90 a week) 13 weeks is worth about $13,064. Casual employment accumulates long service leave, and service carries across when the business is transferred to a new owner. Part years of service, absences on workers compensation and unpaid leave do not accumulate. Work out your own entitlement with the NT long service leave calculator.

Where to check or complain in the Northern Territory

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

• Northern Territory Government (Northern Territory 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 Australian Capital Territory: The ACT is wholly in the national system, with a lower payroll tax threshold from 1 July 2026.

Frequently asked questions