Hospitality salaries · MA000009
Waitstaff Salary in Australia
Pay for waitstaff 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 waitstaff listing, so you can see what a role actually pays before you apply.
Fair Work award base rate
Award base — full-time
$27.08/hr
Award base — casual
$33.85/hr
Full-time (annual)
$53,510/yr
MA000009 base rate (classification L2), effective 1 July 2026. Excludes evening, weekend, public-holiday and overtime penalties — verify your classification at fairwork.gov.au.
What waitstaffs actually earn on Tavro
NO MEDIAN YET
Not enough live waitstaff listings to publish a median that would mean anything. The award floor above still applies.
Waitstaff pay — frequently asked questions
What is the award rate for a waitstaff in Australia?
Under the Fair Work Hospitality Industry (General) Award (MA000009), the base rate for a waitstaff is about $27.08/hr full-time, or $33.85/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 waitstaff earn per year?
A full-time waitstaff on the award base rate earns roughly $53,510 per year before penalties, superannuation and overtime. Actual pay varies by venue, experience and hours — on Tavro every listing shows the salary upfront.
Do waitstaffs 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 waitstaff work?
Every listing shows the salary upfront — no guessing.