Cook Pay Rates Australia 2025–26
Last updated: March 2026 · Rates effective 1 July 2025 · MA000009
If you work as a cook or chef in a venue covered by the Hospitality Award, there's a high chance your classification is too low or your Sunday and overtime rates aren't being applied. Kitchen staff are consistently among the most underpaid workers in hospitality — often because the hours are long, the pace is relentless, and no one checks the payslip.
If you work as a cook, chef, or kitchen supervisor in any hotel, pub, club, or function venue — this applies to you.
Real example
Scenario: Full-time Cook Grade 3, Level 4. Works a 10-hour Sunday shift.
What they were paid: $0.00/hr for all 10 hours
What should have happened: Sunday permanent rate at Level 4 — $0.00/hr for ordinary Sunday hours; overtime rate for hours beyond 10
Underpayment: ~$136 for that single shift
Why it happens: Employer pays the flat base rate 7 days a week and never accounts for the Sunday multiplier.
Cook pay rates 2025 — by grade
| Cook grade | Level | Permanent rate | Casual rate | Casual Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook Grade 1 / Kitchen Attendant | Level 2 | $0.00/hr | $0.00/hr | $0.00/hr |
| Cook Grade 2 / Senior Cook | Level 3 | $0.00/hr | $0.00/hr | $0.00/hr |
| Cook Grade 3 / Sous Chef | Level 4 | $0.00/hr | $0.00/hr | $0.00/hr |
| Cook Grade 4–5 / Head Chef | Level 5 | $0.00/hr | $0.00/hr | $0.00/hr |
Rates based on the Fair Work Commission pay guide for MA000009, effective 1 July 2025.
Ask yourself: are you running a section, supervising kitchen hands, or contributing to menu planning? If yes, Cook Grade 3 (Level 4) may apply regardless of your current title.
If your current rate doesn't match the table above, check your pay now.
Not sure if your Hospitality Award pay is right?
Enter your shifts and find out in 2 minutes. Free, instant, based on official Fair Work rates.
Check my pay nowNo sign-up required
⚠️ Common underpayments for cooks
Classified at Cook Grade 2 while doing Cook Grade 3 work
Running a section, supervising junior staff, and contributing to menu planning are Cook Grade 3 indicators. The base rate difference is over $1/hr — and every Sunday penalty is calculated from that wrong base.
No overtime applied on long shifts
Daily overtime triggers after 10 hours. A 12-hour shift contains 2 hours of overtime. Many employers pay a flat rate regardless of shift length. See the Hospitality Award overtime guide.
Tool allowance never paid
Cooks required to bring their own knives are owed $2.03/day. Over a full year: $507+ that most never receive. See the Hospitality Award allowances guide.
Meal allowance missed on extended shifts
Unplanned overtime spanning a meal time = $16.73 meal allowance. Common during events and busy services. Rarely paid.
Sunday rates applied at permanent rate for casuals
Casual Cook Grade 2 Sunday rate is $0.00/hr — not the permanent rate of $0.00/hr. Receiving permanent Sunday rates as a casual is underpayment.
These issues rarely happen in isolation — and even one can result in hundreds or thousands in underpayments per year.
If you're doing Grade 3 work at Grade 2 pay, check your shifts now.
Not sure if your Hospitality Award pay is right?
Enter your shifts and find out in 2 minutes. Free, instant, based on official Fair Work rates.
Check my pay nowNo sign-up required
Frequently asked questions
I hold a trade qualification but I’m still on Cook Grade 1 — is that right?
Almost certainly not. A Certificate III in Commercial Cookery or equivalent is a key indicator for Cook Grade 3. Holding the qualification while being paid at Grade 1 is a strong sign of misclassification.
My employer says chefs are on a salary that covers everything — is that valid?
Only if the salary genuinely exceeds all award obligations every week — including Sunday rates, public holiday rates, and overtime. In practice, many salaried chefs are owed significant back pay when peak-period weeks are calculated.
Don't guess — small underpayments add up fast.
Enter your shifts below and see exactly what you should have been paid.
It takes 2 minutes — and you'll know for certain if you've been underpaid.
Based on official pay rates from the Fair Work Commission (MA000009).
Not sure if your Hospitality Award pay is right?
Enter your shifts and find out in 2 minutes. Free, instant, based on official Fair Work rates.
Check my pay nowNo sign-up required
Rates sourced from the Fair Work Commission pay guide for MA000009, effective 1 July 2025. General information only — not legal advice. Verify at fairwork.gov.au.