Minimum Wage in Western Australia 2026–27

The minimum wage rate in Western Australia

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.

WA State Minimum Wage 2026

Western Australia is the one state where the minimum wage can differ. Employees of sole traders, partnerships, other unincorporated entities and non-trading corporations, and all WA state public sector employers, are in the WA state system. Employees of trading companies are in the national system.

Fair Work Ombudsman: “All Western Australian State public sector employers are covered by the state industrial relations system. Sole traders, partnerships, other unincorporated entities and non-trading corporations are also covered by the state system.”

The Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission raised the State Minimum Wage by 4.75% to $998.30 a week from 1 July 2026 (2026 State Wage Case, [2026] WAIRC 00381). It also increased award rates of pay by 4.75% from that time. The increases apply only to employees who are paid the minimum wage or award rates in the WA state system, which the Commission estimates covers about 27,000 employers and more than 300,000 employees.

The State Minimum Wage works out at $26.27 an hour for adults, which is $0.17 an hour below the National Minimum Wage of $26.44. Which one applies depends on whether the employer is in the state or national system, not on where you live. A WA employee of a company is in the national system and gets at least $26.44.

Because the line between the two systems turns on the employer's legal structure, a business that changes from a sole trader to a company may move from one system to the other. The WA Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety (Wageline, 1300 655 266) can confirm which system applies.

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 Western Australia.

Under-21s and apprentices in Western Australia

The WA State Minimum Wage figure on this page is the adult rate. Junior and apprentice rates in the WA state system come from the WA state award that covers the job, so check that award or Wageline for a worker under 21.

A WA employee of a company in the national system gets the national junior percentages of the $26.44 rate, or their award's junior scale.

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.

WA public holidays in the 2026-27 minimum wage year

13 whole-day public holidays fall between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027 in Western Australia. 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 WA 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 Western Australia: when employing minimum-wage staff triggers it

Western Australia payroll tax for 2026-27 starts at $1,000,000 of annual taxable wages, with a headline rate of 5.5%, administered by RevenueWA (Department of Treasury and Finance). WA uses a diminishing threshold: the $1 million deductable amount falls by $2 for every $13 of Australian wages above $1 million, and disappears at $7.5 million. Interstate employers get the WA share.

On wages alone, $1,000,000 is about 20 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 WA 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 Western Australia on the minimum wage

Under the Long Service Leave Act 1958 (WA), 10 years of continuous service qualifies you to take 8.667 weeks of leave. Leave can be taken after 10 years of continuous employment, when 8.667 weeks has accrued, with another 4.333 weeks every 5 years after that. WA is unusually generous at the exit: after 7 years of continuous employment a full-time, part-time, casual or seasonal employee is paid pro-rata long service leave when the job ends by resignation, dismissal, redundancy or death — the only exception being dismissal for serious misconduct. At the full-time minimum wage ($1,004.90 a week) 8.667 weeks is worth about $8,709. Full-time, part-time, casual and seasonal employees all accrue under the WA Act. All hours worked up to the last day, including a worked notice period, count towards continuous employment. Work out your own entitlement with the WA long service leave calculator.

Where to check or complain in Western Australia

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

• WA Private Sector Labour Relations (Wageline) (Government of Western Australia)
• Which system of employment laws applies (Government of Western Australia)
• The 2026 State Wage Case (WA Industrial Relations Commission)

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 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.
• Minimum wage in Northern Territory: The NT is wholly in the national system, with the highest payroll tax threshold.

Frequently asked questions