You and the person working next to you do the same job. Same shift, same section, same skill. But your hourly rate is higher — and you might not know why.
If you're casual, that gap has a name: casual loading. It's the single most misunderstood number on a hospitality payslip — worth thousands of dollars a year, and quietly left off more pay packets than any other entitlement. Here's exactly what it is, why it exists, and how to check you're getting it.
Note: Award rates change every year on 1 July. The figures below are current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Always confirm your own rate with the Fair Work pay calculator (PACT) before acting on it.
The Short Answer
Casual loading is an extra 25% on top of the base hourly rate, paid to casual employees. It applies under both awards that cover hospitality — the Hospitality Industry (General) Award (MA000009) and the Restaurant Industry Award (MA000119) — and it's not optional. A casual can't be paid the plain permanent base rate; the 25% is part of the legal minimum.
So a casual on a base of $26.44/hr is legally owed $33.05/hr for ordinary hours. Not as a favour. As the floor.
What the 25% Is Actually Paying For
The loading isn't a bonus and it isn't your employer being generous. It's compensation for everything a casual gives up that a permanent employee keeps:
- No paid annual leave — a permanent gets four weeks a year; you get none.
- No paid sick or carer's leave — call in sick as a casual and that shift is simply unpaid.
- No notice or redundancy — a casual shift can end without warning.
- No guaranteed hours — 38 hours this week, six the next, and no obligation either way.
The 25% is the price of that flexibility, converted to cash and paid to you shift by shift. Which is why the trade only works in your favour if you're actually getting it.
The Casual Rates (HIGA, 2026–27)
Base rates are the ordinary full-time/part-time rate; the casual column is that rate + 25%. These are the Hospitality Industry (General) Award rates from 1 July 2026.
| Classification | Base (FT/PT) | Casual (+25%) |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory (first 3 months) | $25.74 | $32.18 |
| Level 1 — Food & Beverage / Kitchen Attendant Grade 1 | $26.44 | $33.05 |
| Level 2 — Cook Grade 1 / F&B Grade 2 | $27.08 | $33.85 |
| Level 3 — Cook Grade 2 / skilled attendant | $27.97 | $34.96 |
| Level 4 — Tradesperson (e.g. qualified cook) | $29.45 | $36.81 |
| Level 5 — Supervisor / department head | $31.30 | $39.13 |
The Restaurant Award (MA000119) uses the same 25% loading on a very similar rate structure. For the full level-by-level breakdown across both awards — plus super, leave and allowances — see our hospitality award wage guide. For what different roles actually pay in practice, see the hospitality salary benchmarks, or look up your exact grade on the Tavro salary pages.
Do Casuals Get Penalty Rates On Top? Yes — But Read This
This is where most casuals lose money, in both directions.
Yes, casuals get weekend and public-holiday penalty rates — but the casual penalty percentage already has the 25% built into it. You don't add the loading a second time.
Here's a Level 1 food & beverage attendant (base $26.44) as a worked example:
| When you work | Casual rate | The maths |
|---|---|---|
| Monday–Friday (ordinary) | $33.05 | base + 25% |
| Saturday (150%) | $39.66 | $26.44 × 1.5 |
| Sunday (175%) | $46.27 | $26.44 × 1.75 |
| Public holiday (250%) | $66.10 | $26.44 × 2.5 |
A casual pulling a Sunday double is on $46.27/hr — before overtime. That's the number worth knowing before you say no to a Sunday.
Two things people get wrong here:
- Don't double-dip. If your payslip shows the Sunday casual rate (175%), the loading is already inside it. Being told "we'll pay you 175% plus your casual loading" is unusual — usually it means the 175% already includes it.
- Ordinary casual is 125%, not 100%. Your weekday rate should never be the plain base rate. If it is, you're being paid as a permanent without any of the permanent benefits.
Casual vs Permanent: The Honest Trade-Off
More per hour isn't automatically the better deal. The 25% is real money, but it's buying you flexibility, not security.
Casual suits you if you want to say no to shifts, you're studying or working around other commitments, you value the higher hourly rate now over paid leave later, or you're testing a venue before committing.
Permanent suits you if you want predictable income, paid holidays and sick days, and the stability that makes renting or a loan easier. A permanent on $26.44 with four weeks' paid leave can end up better off over a year than a casual on $33.05 who takes unpaid time off.
There's no universally right answer — but there is a wrong one: being called casual, paid the casual rate, and then rostered like a permanent with fixed hours every week. If your "casual" role has looked identical for months — regular, predictable shifts — you may be entitled to convert to permanent (generally after 6 months, or 12 with a small-business employer). That's worth a conversation with your employer or the Fair Work Ombudsman.
How to Check You're Actually Getting It
Three minutes, once, and you'll know:
- Find your base rate. Identify your award (it's set by the venue type, not your job title) and your classification level, then check the base on the Fair Work pay calculator.
- Add 25%. Multiply the base by 1.25. That's the minimum you should see for ordinary weekday hours.
- Read your payslip. It must say "casual", show the hours and the rate, and arrive within one working day of payday. If it lists you at the plain base rate, or doesn't say casual at all, something's off.
If the number on your payslip is lower than the number you calculated, that's an underpayment — and the Fair Work Ombudsman investigates claims for free.
The "Flat Rate" Trap
Some venues pay a single "flat rate" — say $30/hr for everything, weekends included. That's legal only if the flat rate leaves you no worse off than the award would in every pay period, once loading and penalty rates are counted.
Do the test on a real week. A flat $30/hr sounds fine until you work a Sunday, where the award casual rate is $46.27. Over a roster with weekend shifts, a flat rate can quietly sit below what you're owed. You're allowed to add it up — and to ask.
Common Questions
Is casual loading always 25%? Under the hospitality and restaurant awards, yes — 25%. Some enterprise agreements set a different figure, but an agreement must leave you at least as well off as the award overall. Check your agreement if one applies.
Do I get casual loading on public holidays too? Yes — the public-holiday casual rate (250% for most classifications) already includes the loading. You never add it separately.
Does casual loading count towards my super? Your ordinary earnings do — your employer pays 12% super on your ordinary time earnings, casual included, from the first dollar. Penalty rates and some loadings can be treated differently, so check your super is landing at myGov → ATO → Super.
Can my employer pay me the base rate and "sort out" the loading later? No. The casual rate is the minimum for every casual hour, on the payslip, at the time. There's no "later".
Every role on Tavro shows the pay upfront — the actual rate, before you apply, not after. If you work hospo in Sydney, create a profile and apply to the roles that put their money on the table. No "competitive rate." No exceptions.