Hospitality and restaurant award pay rates
Minimum pay rates for the positions we recruit for, in plain English. Switch between the national awards and the WA state awards, effective from 1 July 2026.
Read this first
- Two sets of rates. The national awards, set by Fair Work, apply to national system employers, which is generally an incorporated business such as a Pty Ltd company. The WA state awards apply to state system employers: sole traders, unincorporated partnerships and trusts, and some not for profit organisations. Pay rates, penalty rules and level definitions differ between the two, so choose the one that matches the business.
- Two awards in each system. Restaurants, cafes and catering businesses sit under the restaurant awards. Hotels, pubs, taverns and bars sit under the hospitality awards. Some venues do both, so check with Fair Work or Wageline if you are unsure which applies.
- This page is a guide, not legal or payroll advice. If anything here differs from the award, the award applies. Check the current rates with the Fair Work Ombudsman or Wageline before setting pay.
- National rates come from the Fair Work pay guides published 24 June 2026. WA rates come from the Wageline award summaries for 1 July. All rates update every 1 July. We only list the positions Cookatoo recruits for: cooks and chefs, kitchen attendants, food and beverage staff and supervisors, and hotel managers (national hospitality award only).
Find the rate
Choose the employer type, the award, and the employment type. Then pick adult, junior, apprentice or loaded rates, and switch between pay rates, overtime and meal break penalties where the award has them.
Employer type
National: Pty Ltd companies and other incorporated businesses. WA state: sole traders, unincorporated partnerships and trusts, and some not for profit organisations.
Award
Employment type
Rate type
Show
WA state award
Hotel and Tavern Workers Award
WA state system award, for sole traders, unincorporated partnerships, unincorporated trusts and some not for profit organisations. It covers hotels, taverns and bars with a Hotel, Hotel Restricted, Tavern, Small Bar or Special Facility licence.
Rates effective 1 July 2026. Source: Wageline award summary.
Adult (19 and over), full time and part time
| Classification | Fortnightly pay | Hourly, Monday to Friday | Hourly, Saturday and Sunday | Hourly, public holiday (minimum 4 hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory (up to 3 months) | $1,996.60 | $26.27 | $39.41 | $65.68 |
| Level 1: food and beverage attendant grade 1, kitchen attendant grade 1 | $1,996.60 | $26.27 | $39.41 | $65.68 |
| Level 2: food and beverage attendant grade 2, cook grade 1, kitchen attendant grade 2 | $2,064.00 | $27.16 | $40.74 | $67.90 |
| Level 3: food and beverage attendant grade 3, cook grade 2, kitchen attendant grade 3 | $2,113.40 | $27.81 | $41.72 | $69.53 |
| Level 4: food and beverage attendant (tradesperson) grade 4, cook (tradesperson) grade 3 | $2,210.50 | $29.09 | $43.64 | $72.73 |
| Level 5: food and beverage supervisor, cook (tradesperson) grade 4 | $2,330.90 | $30.67 | $46.01 | $76.68 |
| Level 6: cook (tradesperson) grade 5 | $2,385.50 | $31.39 | $47.09 | $78.48 |
Meal money
If an employee works 2 or more hours of overtime without being told the day before, the employer must pay $11.30 or supply a substantial meal.
- Full time and part time employees receive an extra $1.66 per hour for ordinary hours worked before 7am or after 7pm Monday to Friday. If most of their ordinary hours fall between midnight and 7am, they receive an extra $1.75 per hour instead.
- Overtime is paid at time and a half for the first 2 hours and double time after that Monday to Friday, and at double time on Saturday or Sunday.
- If a meal break cannot be given on a day, the time must be treated as time worked and the employee paid at the applicable rate plus 50 percent of the ordinary hourly rate until they are released for a meal.
- Adult rates apply from 19 years of age.
- Adult overtime rates are calculated from the multipliers in the Wageline award summary. The summary does not say how casual overtime is calculated, so casual overtime rates are not shown.
Allowances under the Hotel and Tavern Workers Award
| Allowance | Rate |
|---|---|
| Split shift allowance | $2.70 per day |
| Meal money, 2 or more hours of unnotified overtime | $11.30, or a substantial meal supplied by the employer |
| Employee's own equipment (knives) | $14.40 per fortnight, or $7.20 if working less than 38 ordinary hours per fortnight |
| Laundry allowance, cooks | $11.00 per fortnight worked, or $5.50 per fortnight if working less than 38 ordinary hours per fortnight |
| Uniform laundry allowance, other employees | $7.20 per fortnight, or $3.60 if working less than 38 ordinary hours per fortnight |
| Protective clothing allowance (rubber gloves) | $3.90 per fortnight, or $1.95 if working less than 38 hours per fortnight |
| District allowance | Paid in certain regional towns. See the Wageline award summary for the town rates. |
What about annual salaries?
Annual salaries work too, as long as the person is not paid less over the year than they would earn under the award for the hours and times they actually work. The national award rate for a full time week is based on 38 hours. Under the WA state awards, an annualised salary must be at least the normal wage plus 25 percent, and enough to cover the overtime and penalty rates the employee would otherwise be owed.
Pay is only the floor
Staff stay where they are paid fairly and treated well. Every venue we recruit for meets the Cookatoo Standard, which includes pay at or above award rates.