Cleaner Pay Rates Australia 2025–26
Last updated: April 2026 · Rates effective 1 July 2025 · MA000022
Cleaners are among the most underpaid workers in Australia. The Fair Work Ombudsman regularly investigates and recovers underpaid wages in the cleaning industry, and reported cases represent a fraction of the total. If you clean offices, schools, hospitals, shopping centres, or any commercial building, the Cleaning Services Award sets your legal minimum pay. Your employer cannot pay less, regardless of what your contract says.
If you're a cleaner earning less than $25.85/hr (permanent) or $32.31/hr (casual), you are being underpaid right now.
Cleaner classification levels
- Level 1 (~$25.85/hr): General cleaning — vacuuming, mopping, dusting, emptying bins, bathroom cleaning, wiping surfaces, general tidying. This is where most cleaners start.
- Level 2 (~$26.70/hr): Operates specialised cleaning equipment — industrial floor polishers, carpet extraction machines, high-pressure washers, window cleaning above ground level. Also includes cleaners with trade certificates.
Most cleaners are Level 1. If your employer has you operating specialised equipment and still paying Level 1 rates, you should be Level 2.
Common underpayment patterns
- Cash in hand at $18–$22/hr: Below the Level 1 minimum, no super, no payslip — the most common pattern
- Flat rate per building: Paid per job instead of per hour, resulting in effective rates well below minimum
- No weekend penalties: Same rate on Saturday and Sunday as on Tuesday — missing 50–100% of penalty pay
- Sham contracting: Called a "contractor" but works set hours at set locations with employer's equipment
- No super: Employer pockets the 12% that should go to your retirement fund
- Rate not updated: Award rates increase every July — many cleaners stay on old rates for years
What your pay should look like
Example: Full-time Level 1 cleaner, Monday to Friday, 38 hours/week.
- Base weekly pay: 38 × $25.85 = $982.30
- Super (12%): $117.88/week paid into your fund
- If any hours fall on Saturday: those hours at $38.78/hr (1.5×)
- If any hours fall on Sunday: those hours at $51.70/hr (2×)
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum pay for a cleaner in Australia?
The minimum hourly rate for an adult cleaner under the Cleaning Services Award is set by the Fair Work Commission and updated each July. Full-time/part-time cleaners receive the Level 1 base rate, while casuals receive an additional 25% loading on top. If you earn less than the current minimum, you are being underpaid.
Am I Level 1 or Level 2 as a cleaner?
Level 1 covers general cleaning duties: vacuuming, mopping, dusting, emptying bins, bathroom cleaning, and general tidying. Level 2 applies when you operate specialised cleaning equipment like industrial floor polishers, high-pressure washers, carpet extraction machines, or perform window cleaning above ground level. If you use any specialised equipment regularly, you should be Level 2.
Why are cleaners so often underpaid?
The cleaning industry has structural features that enable underpayment: work happens after hours when no one is watching, subcontracting chains obscure the real employer, many workers are migrants or international students who don't know their rights, and cash-in-hand arrangements leave no paper trail. The Fair Work Ombudsman has identified cleaning as a priority industry for enforcement.
You work hard. Make sure you're getting paid what the law says you're owed.
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Rates sourced from the Fair Work Commission pay guide for the Cleaning Services Award 2020 (MA000022), effective 1 July 2025. General information only — not legal advice. Verify at fairwork.gov.au.