Schools General Staff Award 2020 — free pay & rights calculator | Expert Zoom

Frequently Asked Questions

• What are the current pay rates under the Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award 2020?

  The Award sets minimum rates from Level 1.1 (AUD $24.95/hour, AUD $948.00/week) up to Level 8 (AUD $44.52/hour, AUD $1,691.90/week). These are the minimums as of the 2025-26 wage year following the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review. Your employer may pay above these rates under an enterprise agreement or individual contract.

• How much redundancy pay am I entitled to under the Schools General Staff Award?

  The Award does not provide any redundancy pay above the NES minimum. Genuine redundancy entitlements are set by Fair Work Act 2009 Schedule 4: 4 weeks at 1 year rising to a maximum of 16 weeks at 9 years (then capped at 12 weeks for 10+ years). Small business employers with fewer than 15 employees are exempt from NES redundancy pay.

• How many days annual leave do school general staff get?

  Full-time employees are entitled to 4 weeks (20 days) of paid annual leave per year under the NES (Fair Work Act 2009 s.87). Shiftworkers who regularly work Sundays and public holidays are entitled to 5 weeks. Annual leave loading of 17.5% is payable under the Award when leave is taken.

• What is the notice period under the Schools General Staff Award?

  The Award does not set a longer notice period than the NES minimum under Fair Work Act 2009 s.117. The NES scale is: less than 1 year = 1 week; 1–3 years = 2 weeks; 3–5 years = 3 weeks; 5+ years = 4 weeks. Employees aged 45 or over with 2+ years of service receive an extra 1 week supplement.

• How much superannuation does my employer have to pay?

  From 1 July 2025, the Superannuation Guarantee (SG) rate is 12% of ordinary time earnings (Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992). Your employer must pay this amount into a complying super fund. Under this Award, employees may choose from funds including NGS Super, UniSuper, Aware Super, HESTA, and AustralianSuper, among others.

• What is the casual loading under the Schools General Staff Award?

  Casual employees receive a 25% loading on the minimum hourly rate for every ordinary hour worked (Award clause 11.1 and NES s.67B). This loading compensates for the absence of paid leave entitlements. Casuals are engaged for a minimum of 2 hours per shift.

• What penalty rates apply on weekends under the Schools General Staff Award?

  Saturday ordinary hours attract 150% of the minimum hourly rate for most employees (125% for cooking/catering and boarding supervision staff). Sunday ordinary hours attract 200% (175% for cooking/catering and boarding supervision). Public holiday overtime is 250% for full-time/part-time employees and 275% for casuals.

• What is the minimum wage under the Schools General Staff Award?

  The lowest minimum rate under the Award (Level 1.1) is AUD $24.95 per hour (AUD $948.00 per week) as of 2025-26, which is above the National Minimum Wage of AUD $24.10/hour. This applies to adult employees; junior employees under 20 at Levels 1–2 may receive a proportional rate (50–90% of the adult rate).

• Does the Schools General Staff Award cover government school employees?

  The Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award 2020 is a federal Modern Award that applies to non-teaching staff in schools in the national workplace relations system. This includes many independent and Catholic schools. Government school employees may be employed under state government enterprise agreements — check with your employer or union if you are unsure which instrument covers you.

• What allowances am I entitled to under the Schools General Staff Award?

  The Award provides several allowances: First Aid (AUD $920.47/year or AUD $3.84/day), Sleepover (AUD $61.36 per sleepover), Meal (AUD $19.93/occasion if no meal provided), Tool allowance for tradespersons (AUD $17.90/week; AUD $33.88/week for carpenters), Uniform (AUD $1.20/day up to AUD $6.00/week or employer provision), Vehicle (AUD $0.99/km up to 400 km/week), and On-call (one ordinary hour's pay per 24-hour on-call period).