These are the General Retail Industry Award minimums that apply to Spotlight store staff. Spotlight's actual pay rates are not published, so your pay may be higher — it cannot be lower.
Distribution centre staff are covered by the separate Spotlight Distribution Centre Enterprise Agreement 2024, not by these rates.
Which award sets Spotlight pay
Spotlight fabric and craft retail staff are paid under the General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004). Spotlight store staff are paid under the General Retail Industry Award. Spotlight's stores agreement was terminated by the Fair Work Commission in June 2014, and the only Spotlight agreements approved since 2016 cover its distribution centre. The award is a minimum; Spotlight can pay more.
Employer: Spotlight Pty Ltd (Spotlight Retail Group)
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.
For the underlying award minimums across every employer in the industry, see Retail Award rates 2026.
Spotlight 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%) |
|---|---|---|
| Retail employee level 1The award's entry level for retail employees: customer service, cutting counter, checkouts and stock work. Spotlight does not publish which level each role sits at | $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 3Higher retail classification — the award's Schedule A lists the duties at each level | $28.89 | $36.11 |
| Retail employee level 4Higher retail classification — the award's Schedule A lists the duties at each level | $29.45 | $36.81 |
| Retail employee level 5Higher retail classification — the award's Schedule A lists the duties at each level | $30.66 | $38.33 |
| Retail employee level 6Higher retail classification — the award's Schedule A lists the duties at each level | $31.11 | $38.89 |
| Retail employee level 7Higher retail classification — the award's Schedule A lists the duties at each level | $32.67 | $40.84 |
| Retail employee level 8Higher retail classification — the award's Schedule A lists the duties at each level | $33.99 | $42.49 |
Spotlight pay rates by age (junior rates)
Junior employees are paid a set percentage of the adult Retail employee level 1 rate for their age. 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 |
The percentages are the instrument’s own. The dollar figures are our arithmetic — the percentage applied to the adult Retail employee level 1 rate, rounded to the cent — because the instrument does not print junior dollars. Your payslip may differ by a cent.
For how junior rates work across every award, and when you move to the adult rate, see junior pay rates in Australia.
Spotlight 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, 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% |
To price a mix of weekday, weekend and overtime hours, use the overtime and penalty rate calculator.
How much Spotlight pays a week
Gross weekly pay for an adult at Retail employee level 1, 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 | $417.15 | $521.40 |
| 25 hours | $695.25 | $869.00 |
| 38 hours | $1,056.78 | $1,320.88 |
A full-time year (38 hours × 52 weeks) at $27.81 is $54,953 before tax. See take-home pay on $55,000 (the nearest salary we publish) and $27.81 an hour as a yearly salary.
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:
- Spotlight's actual hourly rates and any above-award payments — not public.
- Which award level each Spotlight store role is classified at.
- Agreements approved between mid-2014 and 2015 were not checked one by one; none for Spotlight stores was found.
Spotlight pay questions
Pay rates at other employers
How this page is sourced▼
Every rate on this page was read from the General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004) and the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide 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 award (usually 1 July each year), 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
- 1General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004), consolidated to 1 July 2026— Fair Work Commission
- 2
- 3Spotlight employees better off under award, FWC finds— Workplace Express
- 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
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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