Am I paying the right award wage?

Awards set out employment conditions and minimum pay rates. 

There are over 100 industry based awards and they cover most workers in Australia.  That said, whilst financial planners come under an award, accountants don’t; but some workers within an accounting firm may come under an office award depending their duties.

Larger employers with a registered agreement in place have the terms of that agreement over-rule any award(s) that may otherwise be applicable.

Awards can also determine what the default super choice fund.  No wonder industry super funds have go to be so big!

So with all this complexity it’s important to make sure you pay under any applicable award.  But how do you do that?

You can find a list of awards at – https://www.fairwork.gov.au/awards-and-agreements/Awards/list-of-awards

Better yet, you can see what awards that may relate to your employees at Fair Work Australia’s award checker – https://www.fairwork.gov.au/awards-and-agreements/awards/find-my-award/  Please also refer to clause 4 as that is usually the clause that sets out who is covered by the award.  You can also check the most important job classifications which can usually be found within the pay clause or a schedule.

At MRS, we will spend today planning for your success.