Which award sets IGA pay
- Award code
- MA000004
- Employer
- The company that owns your IGA store — every IGA supermarket is independently owned and operated, with Metcash as the wholesaler.
- Rates on this page from
- the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026
- Casual loading
- 25%
- Checked against the source
- 24 September 2026
There is no IGA-wide enterprise agreement: each store's owner is the employer, and the General Retail Industry Award covers its staff unless that owner has its own approved agreement. A few do — for example Lloyds IGA and Champions IGA — and an agreement still cannot pay a base rate below the award.
Next scheduled increase: First full pay period on or after 1 December 2026 (juniors aged 18 and 19). Staff aged 18 or 19 at Levels 1 to 3 who have worked for their employer for more than 6 months move up: 18-year-olds from 70% to 75% and 19-year-olds from 80% to 85% of the adult rate (determination PR813655). At Level 1 that is $20.86 and $23.64 an hour. Adult rates next change with the 2027 Annual Wage Review.
Every level: Retail Award rates 2026.
Your employer is the company that owns your IGA store, not IGA or Metcash. These are the General Retail Industry Award minimums; some store owners pay more.
Some IGA owners have their own enterprise agreement (for example Lloyds IGA and Champions IGA). If yours does, it sets your pay instead — but it cannot pay a base rate below these award rates (Fair Work Act s 206). Your payslip must name the award or agreement you are paid under.
IGA hourly pay rates by level (adults)
Casual = base + 25% (casual loading).
| Level | Full-time & part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Retail employee level 1Most supermarket staff: checkout, customer service, shelf filling, trolley collection | $27.81 | $34.76 |
| Retail employee level 2Higher retail classification — the award's Schedule A lists the duties at each level | $28.45 | $35.56 |
| Retail employee level 3 | $28.89 | $36.11 |
| Retail employee level 4 | $29.45 | $36.81 |
| Retail employee level 5 | $30.66 | $38.33 |
| Retail employee level 6 | $31.11 | $38.89 |
| Retail employee level 7 | $32.67 | $40.84 |
| Retail employee level 8 | $33.99 | $42.49 |
Full-time at Retail employee level 1: $54,953 a year before tax (38 hours × 52 weeks). See take-home pay on $55,000 (nearest we publish).
IGA pay rates by age (junior rates)
Retail Award junior percentages (cl 17.2) apply only at Levels 1 to 3; a junior doing Level 4 work or above gets the full adult rate. A 20-year-old who has worked for the employer for more than 6 months already gets 100%.
| Age | % of adult | Full-time & part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 16 | 45% | $12.51 | $15.64 |
| 16 | 50% | $13.91 | $17.39 |
| 17 | 60% | $16.69 | $20.86 |
| 18 | 70% | $19.47 | $24.34 |
| 19 | 80% | $22.25 | $27.81 |
| 20 (6 months' service or less) | 90% | $25.03 | $31.29 |
| 20 (more than 6 months' service) | 100% | $27.81 | $34.76 |
| 21 and over | 100% | $27.81 | $34.76 |
Percentages are of the adult Retail employee level 1 rate; the dollars are our arithmetic, rounded to the cent. Junior rates under other awards.
IGA penalty rates: evenings, weekends and public holidays
| When | Full-time & part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday, before 6pm | 100% | 125% |
| Monday to Friday, after 6pm | 125% | 150% |
| Saturday | 125% | 150% |
| Sunday | 150% | 175% |
| Public holiday | 225% | 250% |
- Percentages are of the minimum hourly rate for your level (award cl 22.1, Table 12, for employees who are not shiftworkers). Casual figures add the 25% loading rather than multiply it: Sunday casual is 175%, not 187.5%.
- For an adult Level 1 employee that is $34.76 an hour on a weekday evening or Saturday ($41.72 casual), $41.72 on a Sunday ($48.67 casual) and $62.57 on a public holiday ($69.53 casual).
- Staff employed specifically as shiftworkers (for example night fill on shifts) are paid under the award's shiftwork rates instead: 130% Monday to Friday, 150% Saturday and 175% Sunday (casual 155%, 175%, 200%).
Overtime
| When | Full-time & part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Saturday, first 3 hours | 150% | 175% |
| Monday to Saturday, after 3 hours | 200% | 225% |
| Sunday | 200% | 225% |
| Public holiday | 250% | 275% |
What this page does not show
- Whether your particular IGA store's owner has its own enterprise agreement — agreements are registered under the owner's company name, which we cannot search store by store.
- Rates under the Lloyds IGA and Champions IGA agreements — not transcribed here.
- Liquor, pharmacy and some bakery counters inside IGA stores can fall under other classifications or awards.
IGA pay questions
Related employers
Also paid under the General Retail Industry Award 2020
Other supermarket and liquor employers
Sources & References
- 1General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004), consolidated to 1 July 2026— Fair Work Commission
- 2Lloyds IGA and SDA Enterprise Agreement 2023 (AE520134)— Fair Work Commission
- 3Champions IGA Supermarket Enterprise Agreement 2023 (AE522127)— Fair Work Commission
- 4
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