Restaurant Award Pay Rates 2025–26
Last updated: March 2026 · Rates effective 1 July 2025 · MA000119
If you work in a restaurant or café and have never checked your classification level against the award, there's a high chance your base rate is wrong. Classification determines your minimum hourly rate — and every penalty, overtime, and leave payment flows from it. Get the base wrong and everything else is wrong too.
If you work under the Restaurant Industry Award — this applies to you.
For the full Restaurant Award overview, see the Restaurant Award pay guide.
Real example
Scenario: Permanent cook, Certificate III qualified, 2 years in the role. Classified and paid as Level 3.
What they were paid: $26.70/hr (Level 3 base rate)
What should have happened: Level 4 base rate — $28.12/hr (trade qualification = Level 4 minimum)
Underpayment: $1.42/hr × 38hrs = ~$53.96/week. ~$2,806.00/year — before penalties.
Why it happens: Employer never updates the classification when the cook completes their qualification. The worker assumes Level 3 is correct because they've been there two years.
How penalty multipliers affect your base rate
Your base rate is just the starting point. On Saturdays it's multiplied by 1.25×, on Sundays by 1.5×, and on public holidays by 2.25×. Casual employees receive their casual rate (base + 25% loading) as the starting point for these multipliers. This means a small difference in base rate compounds significantly across penalty shifts.
For the full breakdown of penalty rates, see the Restaurant Award penalty rates guide.
Restaurant Award pay rates 2025 — all levels
| Level | Title | FT/PT Rate | Casual Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Food and Beverage Attendant Grade 1 | $24.95/hr | $31.19/hr |
| Level 2 | Food and Beverage Attendant Grade 2 | $25.85/hr | $32.31/hr |
| Level 3 | Food and Beverage Attendant Grade 3 (Trained) | $26.70/hr | $33.38/hr |
| Level 4 | Food and Beverage Attendant Grade 4 | $28.12/hr | $35.15/hr |
| Level 5 | Food and Beverage Supervisor / Grade 5 | $29.88/hr | $37.35/hr |
| Level 1 | Kitchen Attendant Grade 1 | $24.95/hr | $31.19/hr |
| Level 2 | Kitchen Attendant Grade 2 / Cook Grade 1 | $25.85/hr | $32.31/hr |
| Level 3 | Cook Grade 2 / Kitchen Attendant Grade 3 | $26.70/hr | $33.38/hr |
| Level 4 | Cook Grade 3 — Trade Qualified | $28.12/hr | $35.15/hr |
| Level 5 | Cook Grade 4 — Advanced Tradesperson | $29.88/hr | $37.35/hr |
| Level 6 | Cook Grade 5 — Specialist | $30.68/hr | $38.35/hr |
| Level 2 | General Service Attendant Grade 2 | $25.85/hr | $32.31/hr |
| Level 3 | General Service Attendant Grade 3 | $26.70/hr | $33.38/hr |
| Level 4 | General Service Attendant Grade 4 | $28.12/hr | $35.15/hr |
| Level 5 | General Service Attendant Grade 5 | $29.88/hr | $37.35/hr |
Rates based on the Fair Work Commission pay guide for MA000119, effective 1 July 2025.
Sunday casual rates differ by level. Level 1–2 attract a lower Sunday casual multiplier than Level 3–6. See the penalty rates guide for the full breakdown. Not sure of your level? Check the Restaurant Award classifications guide. For overtime rules, see the Restaurant Award overtime guide.
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Introductory level — first 3 months only
The Restaurant Industry Award includes an introductory classification level for employees in their first 3 months of employment who have no prior relevant experience. After 3 months, the employee must be reclassified to at least Level 1.
If you've been employed for longer than 3 months and are still being paid at the introductory rate, you're being underpaid on every hour worked since that point.
⚠️ Red flags for incorrect pay rates
Your level hasn't changed since you started
If your duties have expanded but your classification hasn't moved, there's a good chance your base rate is too low.
Trade qualification but below Level 4
If you hold a Certificate III or equivalent and use it in your role, you must be at least Level 4. Many qualified cooks are paid at Level 2 or 3.
You supervise staff but aren't classified Level 5
Supervisory duties — managing shifts, directing other employees, handling complaints — indicate Level 5 classification.
Your payslip doesn't show your classification
If your payslip doesn't state your classification level, you have no way to verify your rate. Ask your employer to confirm it in writing.
These issues rarely happen in isolation — and because classification affects your base rate, even a one-level error compounds across every penalty, overtime, and leave payment.
If any of these sound familiar, check your pay now.
Not sure if your Restaurant Award pay is right?
Enter your shifts and find out in 2 minutes. Free, instant, based on official Fair Work rates.
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Frequently asked questions
My payslip doesn't show a classification level — is that a problem?
Yes. Your employer is required to tell you your classification level. If it's not on your payslip, you have no way of verifying your rate is correct. Ask your employer to confirm your level in writing.
I have a Certificate III — does that mean I'm at least Level 4?
If you hold a Certificate III (or equivalent trade qualification) and use it in your role, you must be classified at Level 4 minimum under the Restaurant Industry Award. Being paid at Level 2 or 3 with a trade qualification is a common source of underpayment.
Can my employer set my level lower than what my duties require?
No. Your classification is determined by the work you actually perform, not what your employer decides. If your duties match a higher level, you must be paid at that level — and you may be owed back pay for the difference.
Don't guess — a wrong base rate affects every hour you work.
Enter your shifts below and see exactly what you should have been paid — at the correct classification level, with every penalty rate and loading applied.
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 (MA000119).
Not sure if your Restaurant 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 the Restaurant Industry Award 2020 (MA000119), effective 1 July 2025. General information only — not legal advice. Verify at fairwork.gov.au.