Legal Services Award pay rates
Award code MA000116, with rates in force from 1 July 2026.
Minimum pay for 7 adult classifications under the Legal Services Award 2020, from 1 July 2026: $28.24 to $36.03 an hour before tax.
Lowest adult rate
$28.24an hour
For Level 1, Legal clerical and administrative employee. $1,073.10 for a full-time week. Up 4.75% from $26.96.
Its lowest adult rate is $28.24 an hour, 6.8% above the National Minimum Wage of $26.44 an hour. Of the 116 awards that set hourly rates, 15 have a higher minimum. The dashed line is the minimum wage; each tick is another award.
Pay by classification
Dollars an hour, from 1 July 2026- Level 1, Legal clerical and administrative employee$28.24
- Level 2, Legal clerical and administrative employee$29.45
- Level 3, Legal clerical and administrative employee$31.11
- Level 4, Legal clerical and administrative employee$32.67
- Level 5, Law graduate$33.99
- Level 5, Legal clerical and administrative employee$33.99
- Level 6, Law clerk$36.03
Hover or tap a row for last year's rate. Every rate, in every unit, is in the tables below.
Minimum pay by classification from 1 July 2026
Weekly rates are for a full-time week; hourly rates apply to full-time and part-time hours.
| Classification | Weekly | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1, Legal clerical and administrative employee | $1,073.10 | $28.24 |
| Level 2, Legal clerical and administrative employee | $1,119.10 | $29.45 |
| Level 3, Legal clerical and administrative employee | $1,182.10 | $31.11 |
| Level 4, Legal clerical and administrative employee | $1,241.40 | $32.67 |
| Level 5, Law graduate | $1,291.80 | $33.99 |
| Level 5, Legal clerical and administrative employee | $1,291.80 | $33.99 |
| Level 6, Law clerk | $1,369.20 | $36.03 |
Penalty and overtime rates
Percentages as the award sets them, and what they come to an hour at the first adult level. Higher classifications get the same percentages of their own rate. The tick on each bar marks 100%, the ordinary rate.
Shiftwork
Shiftworkers: ordinary, early morning, afternoon and night shift rates
Dollars an hour at Level 1, Legal clerical and administrative employee
| When | Full-time and part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary hours | 100%$28.24 | 125%$35.30 |
| Early morning | 110%$31.06 | 135%$38.12 |
| Afternoon & night shift | 115%$32.48 | 140%$39.54 |
| Permanent night | 130%$36.71 | 155%$43.77 |
| Non-continuous afternoon or night - First 3 hours | 150%$42.36 | 175%$49.42 |
| Non-continuous afternoon or night - After 3 hours | 200%$56.48 | 225%$63.54 |
Shiftworkers: weekend and public holiday rates
Dollars an hour at Level 1, Legal clerical and administrative employee
| When | Full-time and part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| All shiftworkers - Saturday | 150%$42.36 | 175%$49.42 |
| Continuous shiftworker only - Sunday & public holiays | 200%$56.48 | 225%$63.54 |
| Shiftworkers other than continuous shiftworkers - Sunday | 200%$56.48 | 225%$63.54 |
| Shiftworkers other than continuous shiftworkers - Public holidays | 250%$70.60 | 275%$77.66 |
Overtime
Full-time and part-time shiftworkers: overtime rates
Dollars an hour at Level 1, Legal clerical and administrative employee
| When | Rate |
|---|---|
| Shiftworkers other than continuous shiftworkers - Monday to Friday & Saturday until 12.00 pm - First 3 hours | 150%$42.36 |
| Continuous shiftworkers only - Monday to Sunday & Public holidays | 200%$56.48 |
| Shiftworkers other than continuous shiftworkers - Monday to Friday & Saturday until 12.00 pm - After 3 hours | 200%$56.48 |
| Shiftworkers other than continuous shiftworkers - Saturday after 12.00 pm & Sunday | 200%$56.48 |
| Shiftworkers other than continuous shiftworkers - Public holiday | 250%$70.60 |
Juniors, apprentices and other arrangements
Rates that depend on age, training or another arrangement. Open a group to see its rates.
Junior employeesJunior ratesClause 15.224 rates
| Classification | Hourly |
|---|---|
| Level 116 years | $14.12 |
| Level 117 years | $16.94 |
| Level 118 years | $19.77 |
| Level 119 years | $22.59 |
| Level 120 years | $25.42 |
| Level 1Under 16 years | $12.71 |
| Level 216 years | $14.73 |
| Level 217 years | $17.67 |
| Level 218 years | $20.62 |
| Level 219 years | $23.56 |
| Level 220 years | $26.51 |
| Level 2Under 16 years | $13.25 |
| Level 316 years | $15.56 |
| Level 317 years | $18.67 |
| Level 318 years | $21.78 |
| Level 319 years | $24.89 |
| Level 320 years | $28.00 |
| Level 3Under 16 years | $14.00 |
| Level 416 years | $16.34 |
| Level 417 years | $19.60 |
| Level 418 years | $22.87 |
| Level 419 years | $26.14 |
| Level 420 years | $29.40 |
| Level 4Under 16 years | $14.70 |
Allowances paid on top
No allowance is set for the work itself, and 7 cover costs you'd otherwise pay yourself, like meals, laundry or travel. The amounts are the Commission's, in force today; the award sets out exactly who gets each one and when.
To cover costs
| Allowance | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Meal allowance | ||
| Overtime, Monday to FridayClause 18.2(a)(i) | $20.75 each time | |
| Overtime, Monday to Friday, further allowanceClause 18.2(a)(i) | $16.54 each time | |
| Overtime, Saturday or SundayClause 18.2(a)(ii) | $20.75 each time | |
| Overtime, Saturday or Sunday, further allowanceClause 18.2(a)(ii) | $16.54 each time | |
| Uniform allowanceClause 18.3 | $3.75 a week | |
| Vehicle allowance | ||
| Motor carClause 18.4(a)(i) | $1.00 a km | |
| MotorcycleClause 18.4(a)(ii) | $0.34 a km | |
The award is the final word
These are the minimum rates the Fair Work Commission publishes for the award. Shift rules, rostering and who each classification covers are in the award itself, and an enterprise agreement can set different pay. Employees no award or agreement covers get the National Minimum Wage: $26.44 an hour from 1 July 2026.
Questions people ask
- What is the minimum pay rate under the Legal Services Award?
- From 1 July 2026, the lowest adult rate is $28.24 an hour ($1,073.10 a week full time), for Level 1, Legal clerical and administrative employee. The highest adult classification is $36.03 an hour. Junior rates, further down, can be lower.
- How does the Legal Services Award minimum compare?
- Its lowest adult rate is $28.24 an hour, 6.8% above the National Minimum Wage of $26.44 an hour. Of the 116 awards that set hourly rates, 15 have a higher minimum.
- How much did Legal Services Award rates go up on 1 July 2026?
- The lowest adult rate rose 4.75%, from $26.96 to $28.24 an hour, in the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review. The table shows each classification's rate before and after.
- What allowances are paid under the Legal Services Award?
- 7 allowances have a dollar amount set by the Commission, including a meal allowance, overtime, Monday to Friday of $20.75 each time, a meal allowance, overtime, Monday to Friday, further allowance of $16.54 each time and a meal allowance, overtime, Saturday or Sunday of $20.75 each time. The full list, with the clause each comes from, is on this page.
- Where do these rates come from?
- The Fair Work Commission's Modern Awards Pay Database, which publishes every award's minimum rates; we read it when the Commission changes an award. The award itself prevails if the two ever differ, and an enterprise agreement can set different pay.
Source: Fair Work Commission, Modern Awards Pay Database, licensed CC BY 4.0, read 27 Oct 2026 and arranged by The Finance Algorithm. Not endorsed by the Fair Work Commission. Read with the award: if they differ, the award prevails. General information, not legal or payroll advice.