Workers aged 18 to 20 in retail, fast food and pharmacy start moving to the full adult rate from 1 December 2026. The Fair Work Commission settled the timetable on 26 August 2026 ([2026] FWCFB 222): the first step lifts an 18-year-old fast food worker from 70% to 75% of the adult rate, and more steps follow every six to twelve months until 1 July 2029. Only employees with more than 6 months with their employer qualify.
Fast Food Level 1 junior hourly rates, more than 6 months' service
| What changed | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Age 18 | 70% — $19.47 | 75% — $20.86 from 1 December 2026 |
| Age 19 | 80% — $22.25 | 85% — $23.64 from 1 December 2026 |
| Age 20 | 90% — $25.03 | 95% — $26.42 from 1 December 2026 |
What the Commission decided
The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association applied to remove junior rates for adults aged 18 and over. In its principal decision ([2026] FWCFB 75, 31 March 2026) the Commission agreed that 18 to 20-year-olds with more than six months with their employer should get the adult rate, and the August implementation decision set how fast. The determinations say they come into operation on 1 December 2026and apply to each employee from their first full pay period starting on or after that date. Rates for under-18s do not change, and neither do rates for 18 to 20-year-olds with six months' service or less. Service with a previous employer counts where there has been a transfer of business.
The timetable for each award
| From | Fast food (18 / 19 / 20) | Retail levels 1–3 (18 / 19) | Pharmacy assistants (18 / 19 / 20) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Now | 70% / 80% / 90% | 70% / 80% | 70% / 80% / 90% |
| 1 December 2026 | 75% / 85% / 95% | 75% / 85% | 75% / 85% / 95% |
| 1 July 2027 | 80% / 90% / 100% | 80% / 90% | 85% / 95% / 100% |
| 1 December 2027 | 85% / 95% / 100% | 85% / 95% | — |
| 1 July 2028 | 90% / 100% / 100% | 90% / 100% | 95% / 100% / 100% |
| 1 December 2028 | 95% / 100% / 100% | 95% / 100% | — |
| 1 July 2029 | 100% / 100% / 100% | 100% / 100% | 100% / 100% / 100% |
Retail 20-year-olds with more than six months' service already get 100%, so in retail only 18 and 19-year-olds move, and only at retail employee levels 1 to 3. Pharmacy follows a separate schedule agreed with the Pharmacy Guild for pharmacy assistants levels 1 and 2 — a five-point first step in December 2026, then steps of up to ten points each 1 July to 2029 — which the Commission adopted by consent.
Worked example: a 19-year-old casual in fast food
A Level 1 fast food employee aged 19 who has worked for the same business for more than six months is on 80% of the adult rate of $1,056.80 a week. As a casual, that is $27.81 an hour including the 25% loading. From their first full pay period on or after 1 December 2026 it becomes 85%, or $29.55 an hour — about $26.10 more for a 15-hour week before tax, before any weekend or evening penalties. Hourly figures here apply the percentage to the adult weekly rate and divide by 38.
To check your own rate, see our junior pay rates guide and the fast food, retail and pharmacy award pages, or work out a week's pay with the casual loading calculator.