Hospitality salaries · MA000009
Chef / Head Chef Salary in Australia
Pay for chef / head chef roles in Australia depends on the venue, your experience, and the hours and shifts you work — for shift-based roles, nights, weekends and public holidays often carry penalty rates, and casual work a loading in place of paid leave. On Tavro the pay is shown on every chef / head chef listing, so you can see what a role actually pays before you apply.
Fair Work award base rate
Award base — full-time
$32.13/hr
Award base — casual
$40.16/hr
Full-time (annual)
$63,489/yr
MA000009 base rate (classification L6), effective 1 July 2026. Excludes evening, weekend, public-holiday and overtime penalties — verify your classification at fairwork.gov.au.
What chef / head chefs actually earn on Tavro
$39.24/hr
Median advertised rate across 6 live chef / head chef listings on Tavro.
Chef / Head Chef pay — frequently asked questions
What is the award rate for a chef / head chef in Australia?
Under the Fair Work Hospitality Industry (General) Award (MA000009), the base rate for a chef / head chef is about $32.13/hr full-time, or $40.16/hr casual (which includes the 25% casual loading), as at 1 July 2026. These are base weekday rates — evening, weekend, public-holiday and overtime penalties are paid on top.
How much does a chef / head chef earn per year?
A full-time chef / head chef on the award base rate earns roughly $63,489 per year before penalties, superannuation and overtime. Actual pay varies by venue, experience and hours — on Tavro every listing shows the salary upfront.
Do chef / head chefs get penalty rates?
Yes. The figures above are base rates only. Under MA000009, hospitality staff are generally entitled to higher rates for evenings, weekends, public holidays and overtime. Check your exact entitlements at fairwork.gov.au.
Looking for chef / head chef work?
Every listing shows the salary upfront — no guessing.