Your employer is the franchisee that owns your store, not Subway's head office. These are the Fast Food Industry Award minimums; some franchisees pay more.
If your franchisee has its own approved enterprise agreement, that agreement 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.
The Fair Work Ombudsman found 18 of 22 Subway franchisees it investigated in 2017–19 had breached workplace laws, including underpaying minimum wages, casual loadings and penalty rates. If your pay is below these figures, the Fair Work Infoline is 13 13 94.
Which award sets Subway pay
Subway fast food staff are paid under the Fast Food Industry Award 2020 (MA000003). Subway has no national enterprise agreement: each store is run by a franchisee who employs its own staff, and the Fast Food Industry Award covers them unless that franchisee has its own approved enterprise agreement. Even then, the agreement cannot pay a base rate below the award.
Employer: The franchisee that owns your store — every Subway restaurant in Australia is independently owned and operated.
Next scheduled increase: First full pay period on or after 1 December 2026. Staff aged 18 to 20 who have worked for their franchisee for more than 6 months move up: 18-year-olds from 70% to 75%, 19-year-olds from 80% to 85%, and 20-year-olds from 90% to 95% of the adult rate (determination PR813654). At Level 1 that is $20.86, $23.64 and $26.42 an hour. Adult rates next change with the 2027 Annual Wage Review.
For the underlying award minimums across every employer in the industry, see Fast Food Award rates 2026.
Subway 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%) |
|---|---|---|
| Fast food employee level 1Sandwich artist: taking orders, preparing and serving food, and incidental cleaning | $27.81 | $34.76 |
| Fast food employee level 2Has day-to-day responsibility for supervising Level 1 staff or training new staff (e.g. a shift leader or trainer) | $29.45 | $36.81 |
| Fast food employee level 3 (in charge of one or no person)Appointed to be in charge of a store, supervising at most one other person | $29.91 | $37.39 |
| Fast food employee level 3 (in charge of 2 or more people)Appointed to be in charge of a store, supervising two or more people | $30.27 | $37.84 |
Subway pay rates by age (junior rates)
Junior employees are paid a set percentage of the adult Fast food employee level 1 rate for their age. The Fast Food Award pays the full adult rate from 21 (cl 15.2). The dollar figures below are printed in the award's Schedule A for Level 1. Casual and part-time shifts must be at least 3 hours, including for school students.
| Age | % of adult | Full-time & part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 16 | 40% | $11.12 | $13.90 |
| 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 | 90% | $25.03 | $31.29 |
| 21 and over | 100% | $27.81 | $34.76 |
For how junior rates work across every award, and when you move to the adult rate, see junior pay rates in Australia.
Subway 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, 6am to 10pm | 100% | 125% |
| Monday to Friday, 10pm to midnight | 110% | 135% |
| Monday to Friday, midnight to 6am | 115% | 140% |
| Saturday | 125% | 150% |
| Sunday — Level 1 | 125% | 150% |
| Sunday — Levels 2 and 3 | 150% | 175% |
| Public holiday | 225% | 250% |
- Percentages are of the minimum hourly rate for your level (award cl 21, Table 6). Casual figures add the 25% loading rather than multiply it: Saturday casual is 150%, not 156.25%.
- There is no evening penalty before 10pm on weekdays.
- For an adult Level 1 sandwich artist that is $34.76 an hour on a Saturday or Sunday ($41.72 casual) and $62.57 on a public holiday ($69.53 casual).
Overtime
| When | Full-time & part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Saturday, first 2 hours | 150% | 175% |
| Monday to Saturday, after 2 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 Subway pays a week
Gross weekly pay for an adult at Fast food 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:
- Whether any individual Subway franchisee currently has its own approved enterprise agreement — we could not search the Fair Work Commission register store by store.
- Salaried store and area manager pay — set by individual contracts, not published.
Subway pay questions
Pay rates at other employers
How this page is sourced▼
Every rate on this page was read from the Fast Food Industry Award 2020 (MA000003) and the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide on 23 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
- 1Fast Food Industry Award 2020 (MA000003), consolidated to 1 July 2026— Fair Work Commission
- 2Unpaid wages recovered for Subway employees (1 October 2019)— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 3Subway Compliance Activity Report (assessed against the Fast Food Industry Award)— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 4Junior rates determination PR813654 (Fast Food Award, 26 August 2026)— Fair Work Commission
Last verified: 23 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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