Operator Guide · Updated 18 May 2026
A plain-language guide to MA000005 — the six classification levels, apprentice and trainee progression, junior rates, casual loading, Saturday and Sunday penalties, public holidays, and the hairdresser tool allowance.
Step 1 — Classify Your Team
Every employee under MA000005 is classified at Level 1–6. The level sets the base hourly rate, before any apprentice percentage, junior percentage, casual loading, or penalty applies. Misclassification (paying a Level 4 stylist at Level 3 rates) is one of the most common underpayment findings in salon Fair Work audits.
Entry-level employees in their first year of work or a formal traineeship. Reception, salon assistance, shampoo, basic product knowledge. The base rate of the award.
Typical roles
Employees who have completed a relevant traineeship or have substantial salon-floor experience. More autonomous reception, retail sales, basic technical support to a senior stylist.
Typical roles
Holds Cert III in Hairdressing or Cert III in Beauty Services, or is in the final year of apprenticeship. Performs full services under salon supervision but is the chair-holder for routine bookings.
Typical roles
Fully qualified Cert III or Cert IV with 1–3 years post-qualification experience. Independent across the full service menu; minimal direct supervision needed.
Typical roles
Senior practitioner; sometimes mentors juniors or apprentices. Holds advanced colour, cutting, or aesthetic qualifications and a strong personal client base.
Typical roles
Day-to-day operational responsibility for the salon — staff rosters, banking, supplier orders, training calendar. May or may not hold a chair themselves.
Typical roles
Step 2 — Apprentice & Trainee Progression
Apprentices and trainees are paid a percentage of the qualified trade rate, increasing each year as they progress. The percentages below are indicative — confirm against the current Fair Work pay tool for exact dollar amounts at the time of hire.
3-year apprenticeship. Year 1 ~50% trade rate, Year 2 ~60%, Year 3 ~75–80%, Year 4 ~90% — see Fair Work pay tool for current rates.
Typically 24-month traineeship or full-time course; covers waxing, facials, manicure/pedicure, makeup. Trainee rates apply under the award.
Adds advanced facials, body treatments, electrolysis. Most therapists working unsupervised hold Cert IV — though Cert III is the minimum for many states.
Adult apprentices (21+ at the start of the apprenticeship) attract a higher pay scale at each year — usually closely tracking the junior-rate progression.
Step 3 — Junior Rates
Junior employees (not in apprenticeships) are paid a percentage of the adult Level 1 rate based on age. Apprentices have a separate scale — these percentages apply only to non-apprentice juniors (e.g. a 17-year-old salon assistant).
| Age | Percentage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Under 16 | ~50% | Of the adult Level 1 rate. |
| 16 years | ~60% | Of the adult Level 1 rate. |
| 17 years | ~70% | Of the adult Level 1 rate. |
| 18 years | ~80% | Of the adult Level 1 rate. |
| 19 years | ~90% | Of the adult Level 1 rate. |
| 20 years | Adult rate | Most employees reach adult rate at 20 under MA000005. |
Indicative percentages — confirm exact percentages and dollar amounts against the current MA000005 schedule on fwc.gov.au.
Step 4 — Apply Loadings
Loadings are percentage additions to the base hourly rate. They stack — a casual employee working Sunday attracts the casual loading + Sunday penalty.
| Type | Loading | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Casual loading | +25% | Added to base hourly rate for casual employees in lieu of annual leave, personal leave, and notice entitlements. Applied to every casual hour. |
| Saturday penalty | +33% (1.33x) | Full-time, part-time, and casual employees working ordinary Saturday hours. Casuals receive Saturday penalty PLUS casual loading on top of the base. |
| Sunday penalty | +50% (1.5x) | Time and a half for Sunday work for full-time, part-time, and casual employees (casuals receive Sunday penalty + casual loading). |
| Public holiday | +150% (2.5x) | Two-and-a-half times the ordinary rate for public-holiday work, in addition to entitlement to the holiday at ordinary rates if rostered off. |
| Overtime — first 2 hours | +50% (1.5x) | When daily or weekly ordinary hours are exceeded. Distinct from casual loading. |
| Overtime — after 2 hours / Sundays | +100% (2.0x) | Double time after the first 2 hours of overtime in a shift, or for all overtime worked on a Sunday. |
Percentages reflect the structure of MA000005 at the time of review. Always confirm specific clauses against the current instrument on fwc.gov.au.
Step 5 — Allowances
The hairdresser tool allowance is the most commonly missed entitlement. If your stylist supplies their own scissors, you owe them the weekly amount — even if you also supply other equipment.
Weekly amount paid to hairdressers who supply their own tools (scissors, combs, clips). Most salons that pay tools also let staff buy/keep premium scissors — common practice.
For nominated employees holding a current first-aid certificate and required to perform first-aid duties on shift.
Paid when overtime extends past the normal meal break and the employee was not notified in advance to bring a meal.
Paid where the employer requires a specific uniform but does not supply or launder it. Many salons supply uniforms instead.
When a Level 4 stylist temporarily performs the duties of the Level 6 manager (e.g. manager on annual leave), they're entitled to the higher rate for the duration.
Multi-site salon chains paying staff to move between locations during a shift must pay travel time at ordinary rate plus reasonable mileage if own vehicle is used.
Monday to Friday 7:00 am to 9:00 pm, Saturday 7:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Sunday by agreement. Work outside this span attracts overtime regardless of total hours.
38 hours per week for full-time employees, averaged over the roster cycle. Hours beyond 38/week or 9.5/day trigger overtime rates.
Full-time employees rostering 40 hours/week may accrue an RDO every 4 weeks. The RDO mechanism is optional under MA000005 — check the contract.
Paid 10-minute tea break after 4 hours; unpaid 30–60 minute meal break after 5 hours. If overtime extends past the normal meal break without notice, meal allowance kicks in.
A “Senior Stylist” doing only Level 4 duties is still a Level 4 employee. The classification is determined by the actual work, not the marketing title.
A casual stylist on a Sunday at +25% loading + 50% Sunday penalty is being paid ~190% of base rate. For many salons, Sunday only breaks even if the chair is at 80%+ occupancy. Quote Sunday work realistically.
Most underpayment claims in salons hinge on the tool allowance, not the base rate. Add it as a separate payslip line item from day one.
The Superannuation Guarantee applies to all ordinary time earnings, casual loading included. Most underpayment claims add 15–25% in missed super contributions on top of the base wage shortfall.
The Hair and Beauty Industry Award 2020 (MA000005) covers hairdressers, barbers, beauty therapists, makeup artists, nail technicians, and salon support staff in Australia. It's published by the Fair Work Commission and reviewed annually. Sole-trader operators without staff don't strictly fall under the award, but anyone with even one part-time or casual employee does.
Specific dollar amounts change each 1 July when the Fair Work Commission updates minimum award wages (the Annual Wage Review). Always check the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay & Conditions Tool (pay.fairwork.gov.au) or the MA000005 instrument on fwc.gov.au for current rates. Rates in any third-party guide go stale fast — never rely on a cached figure.
Apprentices are usually engaged full-time or part-time, not casual. They receive Saturday and Sunday penalty rates on top of their apprentice percentage, but not casual loading. School-based apprentices may have different arrangements — confirm the training contract terms.
Casual loading (+25%) is paid on every casual hour worked, in lieu of paid leave entitlements. Overtime is paid when hours worked exceed the daily or weekly ordinary-hours threshold — typically +50% for the first 2 hours and +100% thereafter. A casual employee can receive both: casual loading on every hour, plus overtime rates on hours beyond the threshold.
Only if the arrangement is genuinely a contractor relationship — the contractor sets their own prices, books their own clients, supplies their own product, and bears commercial risk. If you control bookings, set prices, and provide product, the ATO and Fair Work will deem them an employee regardless of what the contract says. Misclassification is the single biggest area of audit attention in the salon industry.
Time-and-wages records must be kept for 7 years and include hours worked, base and penalty rates, allowances paid, leave taken, and superannuation contributions. Salons are a focused Fair Work audit target — clock-in records, rostering, and payslips need to reconcile cleanly. Booking software that timestamps shift start/end (like the OneBookPlus shift log) makes audits trivial.
OneBookPlus tracks every shift, calculates penalty rates and loadings, and feeds your existing payroll provider — built for Australian salon operators.
Last reviewed and updated: by Bishal Shrestha
About the author
Founder & CEO, OneBookPlus
Bishal has over a decade of experience in digital marketing, web development, and small business consulting across Australia. Bishal has rostered Australian salons against MA000005 — classifications, junior rates, casual loading, and Saturday/Sunday penalties.
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