The Finance Algorithm

Security Services Industry Award pay rates

Award code MA000016, with rates in force from 1 July 2026.

Minimum pay for 5 adult classifications under the Security Services Industry Award 2020, from 1 July 2026: $28.42 to $31.20 an hour before tax. Casuals get a 25% loading on top.

Lowest adult rate

$28.42an hour

For Security Officer Level 1. $1,080.10 for a full-time week. Up 4.75% from $27.13. Casuals get $35.53 an hour, with the 25% loading.

Its lowest adult rate is $28.42 an hour, 7.5% above the National Minimum Wage of $26.44 an hour. Of the 116 awards that set hourly rates, 13 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
  1. Security Officer Level 1$28.42
  2. Security Officer Level 2$29.24
  3. Security Officer Level 3$29.73
  4. Security Officer Level 4$30.23
  5. Security Officer Level 5$31.20
Before 1 JulFrom 1 Jul

Hover or tap a row for last year's rate. Every rate, in every unit, is in the tables below.

Penalty rates at a glance

Percent of the ordinary rate, and dollars an hour at Security Officer Level 1.

Employees: ordinary and penalty rates
WhenFull-time and part-timeCasual
Day100%$28.42125%$35.53
Night121.7%$34.59146.7%$41.69
Permanent night130%$36.95155%$44.05
Saturday150%$42.63175%$49.74
Sunday200%$56.84225%$63.95
Public holiday250%$71.05275%$78.16

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. Casual hourly adds the 25% loading.

ClassificationWeeklyHourlyCasual hourly
Security Officer Level 1$1,080.10$28.42$35.53
Security Officer Level 2$1,111.00$29.24$36.55
Security Officer Level 3$1,129.80$29.73$37.16
Security Officer Level 4$1,148.70$30.23$37.79
Security Officer Level 5$1,185.70$31.20$39.00

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.

Evenings, weekends and public holidays

Employees: ordinary and penalty rates

Dollars an hour at Security Officer Level 1

Employees: ordinary and penalty rates
WhenFull-time and part-timeCasual
Day100%$28.42125%$35.53
Night121.7%$34.59146.7%$41.69
Permanent night130%$36.95155%$44.05
Saturday150%$42.63175%$49.74
Sunday200%$56.84225%$63.95
Public holiday250%$71.05275%$78.16

Overtime

Full-time and part-time employees: overtime rates

Dollars an hour at Security Officer Level 1

Full-time and part-time employees: overtime rates
WhenRate
Monday to Saturday - first 2 hours150%$42.63
Monday to Saturday - after 2 hours200%$56.84
Sunday - all day200%$56.84
Public holiday - all day250%$71.05

Allowances paid on top

11 allowances are for the work itself, paid when the job calls for it, and 5 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.

For the work

Security Services Industry Award allowances for the work
AllowanceAmount
First aid allowance
Maximum per weekClause 17.2(b)$38.19 a week
Per shiftClause 17.2(b)$7.68 a shift
Firearm allowance
Maximum per weekClause 17.3$19.21 a week
Per shiftClause 17.3$3.84 a shift
Broken shift allowanceClause 17.4$18.30 per rostered shift
Supervision allowance
1 to 5 employeesClause 17.5(a)$47.68 a week
6 to 10 employeesClause 17.5(b)$55.02 a week
11 to 20 employeesClause 17.5(c)$71.40 a week
Over 20 employeesClause 17.5(d)$84.28 a week
Relieving officer allowanceClause 17.6(a)$47.23 a week
Aviation allowanceClause 17.7$2.11 an hour

To cover costs

Security Services Industry Award allowances to cover costs
AllowanceAmount
Meal allowance, more than one hour’s overtime without noticeClause 17.8(b)$22.14 each time
Vehicle allowance
Motor vehicleClause 17.9(b)(i)$1.00 a km
MotorcycleClause 17.9(b)(ii)$0.34 a km
BoardClause 21.3(d)$3.31 a week
LodgingClause 21.3(d)$1.67 a week

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 Security Services Industry Award?
From 1 July 2026, the lowest adult rate is $28.42 an hour ($1,080.10 a week full time), for Security Officer Level 1. The highest adult classification is $31.20 an hour.
How does the Security Services Industry Award minimum compare?
Its lowest adult rate is $28.42 an hour, 7.5% above the National Minimum Wage of $26.44 an hour. Of the 116 awards that set hourly rates, 13 have a higher minimum.
How much did Security Services Industry Award rates go up on 1 July 2026?
The lowest adult rate rose 4.75%, from $27.13 to $28.42 an hour, in the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review. The table shows each classification's rate before and after.
What is the casual loading under the Security Services Industry Award?
25% on top of the ordinary hourly rate, paid instead of leave entitlements. For Security Officer Level 1 that makes $35.53 an hour.
What are Sunday rates under the Security Services Industry Award?
Full-time and part-time employees get 200% of the ordinary rate on Sunday: $56.84 an hour at Security Officer Level 1. Public holidays are 250%. Casual rates are in the penalty tables above.
What allowances are paid under the Security Services Industry Award?
16 allowances have a dollar amount set by the Commission, including a first aid allowance, maximum per week of $38.19 a week, a first aid allowance, per shift of $7.68 a shift and a firearm allowance, maximum per week of $19.21 a week. 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.