Junior Rates Calculator (AU)
Updated November 2026 · Free · No sign-up
Calculate junior rates — Australia’s age-percentage system: under-21s earn a sliding share of the adult rate (typically 45-50% at 16, rising ~10 points yearly to 100% at 21), with award-by-award variations and retail’s 20-year-old full rate.
Quick answer: The standard junior scale (many awards): under 16: 36.8-45%; 16: 47.3-50%; 17: 57.8-60%; 18: 68.3-70%; 19: 82.5%; 20: 97.7-100%; 21: adult — percentages of the adult classification rate. Retail’s GRIA pays 20-year-olds 100% after 6 months. Casual loading and penalties stack on the junior rate.
How Junior Rates Work
Modern awards may set junior percentages of the adult rate for each age — the common scale steps ~10 points per birthday to 100% at 21. Key variations:
| Retail (GRIA) | 20-year-olds with 6+ months at the employer: 100% (the 2014 reform) |
| Fast food / hospitality | Standard scales, with casual loading ON the junior rate |
| No junior scale in the award | Full adult rates apply from the start — many professional/clerical contexts |
| Apprentices/trainees | Separate competency/year-based scales, not the junior percentages |
Worked Example
17-year-old casual, $25.65 adult base: 60% = $15.39 → +25% loading = $19.24/hour; Saturday penalties multiply from there. The birthday raise is automatic — from the first full pay period after each birthday; payroll systems missing birthdays are a standard FWO finding.
The Debates
Equal-pay-for-equal-work challenges recur (the SDA’s retail cases won the 20-year-old reform); employers argue youth employment economics. For workers the practical rules: penalties/loading stack on YOUR percentage, super is payable regardless of age on OTE (the under-18 450-hour/30-hr-week rule: under-18s need 30+ hrs/week for SG), and the rate floor is enforceable like any award term.
Check Your Rate
The FWO’s P.A.C.T. calculator resolves your award + classification + age to the exact dollar figure — junior underpayment (flat "training rates", missed birthdays, loading on the wrong base) is among the most-recovered categories. Back-claims reach 6 years. Related: casual loading, penalties.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are junior rates?
Age-based percentages of the adult award rate — commonly ~50% at 16 rising ~10 points per year to 100% at 21, varying by award.
When does the birthday raise apply?
From the first full pay period after the birthday — automatically; missed birthday increments are a classic underpayment.
Do juniors get casual loading and penalties?
Yes — the 25% loading and penalty rates apply ON the junior percentage rate.
Do 20-year-olds get adult rates in retail?
Under the General Retail Award: 100% after 6 months with the employer — one of several award-specific departures from the standard scale.
Do juniors get superannuation?
Yes on ordinary earnings — but under-18s only for weeks they work 30+ hours; from 18, no hours test.
✓ Formula verified • Last updated: November 3, 2026