Costco's rates are printed in the agreement and rise with hours worked, not just the calendar: you move up a step every 980 hours. Only the first and top steps of each scale are shown here; the agreement lists all eight.
Costco pays long-serving hourly staff an "Extra Cheque" twice a year ($2,000 to $3,000 each, depending on hours worked; next pay date 19 November 2026 — cl 5.2). It is not included in the hourly rates.
Casual rates in the table are the printed rate plus the 25% loading, worked out by us to the cent.
Which agreement sets Costco pay
Costco warehouse retail staff are paid under the Costco Wholesale Australia Enterprise Agreement 2023-2027 (AG2023/2769, AE522205). It covers Costco employees in every state and territory: warehouse (store) staff, depots, the optical lab, home office and member care. Salaried managers are paid under separate salary minimums set in Costco's undertakings to the Commission.
- Approved by the Fair Work Commission: 8 November 2023 (PR768050), operating from 15 November 2023
- Nominal expiry date: 8 September 2027
- Employer: Costco Wholesale Australia Pty Ltd
Next scheduled increase: First full pay period 36 months after the agreement began (on or after about 15 November 2026). The final printed column of cl 5.1: Service Assistant first step $30.02 → $30.92, Service Clerk first step $31.27 → $32.21, Tradesperson first step $36.24 → $37.33, and the Supervisor rate $36.27 → $37.32.
For the underlying award minimums across every employer in the industry, see Retail Award rates 2026.
Costco hourly pay rates by level (adults)
Base hourly rates before tax for adult employees. Casual rates include the 25% casual loading, paid instead of leave entitlements.
| Level | Full-time & part-time | Casual (incl. 25%) |
|---|---|---|
| Service Assistant — first 980 hoursEntry rate for stockers, cashier assistants, meat, bakery and deli assistants, and member service, liquor and fuel assistants | $30.02 | $37.53 |
| Service Assistant — 8th step (after 6,860 hours)Top of the Service Assistant scale; the rate rises every 980 hours worked | $33.49 | $41.86 |
| Service Clerk — first 980 hoursCashiers, forklift operators, front-end supervisors, receiving and membership clerks, tyre installers, optical dispensers | $31.27 | $39.09 |
| Service Clerk — 8th step (after 6,860 hours)Top of the Service Clerk scale | $34.77 | $43.46 |
| Supervisor (Service Assistant and Service Clerk)The printed Supervisor Rate for these two scales (Service Clerk top rate + $1.50) | $36.27 | $45.34 |
| Tradesperson — first 980 hoursQualified butcher or baker | $36.24 | $45.30 |
| Tradesperson — 8th step (after 6,860 hours)Top of the Tradesperson scale | $39.89 | $49.86 |
| Tradesperson supervisorThe printed Supervisor Rate for the Tradesperson scale | $41.39 | $51.74 |
Costco penalty rates: evenings, weekends and public holidays
Penalty rates are a percentage of the base hourly rate for your level (or, where stated, a flat amount per hour) for hours worked at the times below.
| When | Full-time & part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm | Ordinary rate | Ordinary rate + 25% loading |
| Monday to Friday, 6pm to 11pm | 125% | 150% |
| Monday to Friday, 11pm to 7am | 150% | 175% |
| Saturday, 7am to 11pm | 125% | 150% |
| Saturday, 11pm to 7am | 150% | 175% |
| Sunday, all hours | 175% | 175% |
| Public holidayCasual 275% is from Costco's undertaking to the Commission, replacing the 150% printed in the table | 150% for each hour worked, plus ordinary pay for the day | 275% |
- Percentages are of your ordinary hourly rate (cl 6.6.1 for permanent staff, cl 4.2.3 for casuals). The casual percentages replace the 25% loading rather than adding to it, so casual Sunday is 175% — the same as permanent staff.
- Premiums and overtime do not stack: "There is no duplication of overtime and/or premium rates" (cl 6.6).
- For a Service Assistant on the first step ($30.02), that is $37.53 an hour on a weekday evening or Saturday (casual $45.03), $52.54 on a Sunday and $82.56 for a casual on a public holiday — our arithmetic.
- Operating a forklift or electric pallet jack adds $1.00 an hour for that time, but is not counted in the rate penalties are worked out from (cl 5.1.8).
Overtime
| When | Full-time & part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Over 8 hours a day or 38 a week (Monday to Saturday) | 150% | 150% |
| Consecutive hours over 11 in a day, and the 8th and later consecutive days | 200% | 200% |
To price a mix of weekday, weekend and overtime hours, use the overtime and penalty rate calculator.
How much Costco pays a week
Gross weekly pay for an adult at Service Assistant — first 980 hours, with every hour at the ordinary weekday rate. Weekend and evening shifts push these figures up; tax comes off them.
| Hours a week | Part-time / full-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| 15 hours | $450.30 | $562.95 |
| 25 hours | $750.50 | $938.25 |
| 38 hours | $1,140.76 | $1,426.14 |
A full-time year (38 hours × 52 weeks) at $30.02 is $59,320 before tax. See take-home pay on $60,000 (the nearest salary we publish) and $30.00 an hour as a yearly salary (the nearest hourly rate we publish).
Enter your hourly rate and hours in the weekly pay calculator to see tax withheld and what lands in your account. Casual or part-time with a second job? Check the second job tax calculator.
What this page does not show
We publish only what we could read from a primary source. Left off rather than estimated:
- The exact date each rate column starts — it is the first full pay period 12, 24 or 36 months after 15 November 2023, and Costco's pay cycle dates are not printed.
- Whether casual employees move up the 980-hour steps — cl 6.9 mentions only full-time and part-time employees.
- Which Retail Award level each Costco classification matches — the agreement does not map them.
- Depot, home office and member care rates (separate scales in cl 5.1.4–5.1.7) are not shown here.
Costco pay questions
Pay rates at other employers
How this page is sourced▼
Every rate on this page was read from the Costco Wholesale Australia Enterprise Agreement 2023-2027 (AG2023/2769, AE522205) as lodged with the Fair Work Commission on 24 September 2026. Nothing is estimated or averaged. Junior dollar figures the instrument does not print are calculated from its own percentages and labelled as such.
Rates change on dates written into the agreement, and a new agreement can replace this one. Re-check against your payslip and the instrument itself; the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) can confirm what applies to you.
Sources & References
- 1
- 2Your pay and conditions at Costco— Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association
- 3General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004)— Fair Work Commission
Last verified: 24 September 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
Anita Bell
AuthorFounder & Senior Bookkeeper
Accountancy degree (2015); certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One
Anita Bell earned her accountancy degree in 2015 and has worked as a senior bookkeeper with Prime Bookkeeping for over 5 years. This built her skills in Australian and New Zealand tax legislation and industry regulations. She is certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One, and works with payroll and rostering software including Gusto, Deputy, Tsheets and KeyPay. She has strong experience in hospitality, building and construction, financial services, real estate, ecommerce, and medical and health services.
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