Free Australian casual loading calculator. Enter the equivalent permanent (full-time or part-time) base hourly rate, the hours worked, and the casual loading percentage, defaulting to the standard 25% modern-award loading, to calculate the casual hourly rate (base × 1.25 at 25%), the loading amount per hour, and the total gross pay. The 25% casual loading compensates casual employees for entitlements they don't receive, such as paid annual leave, paid personal/carer's leave, notice and redundancy. Some awards and enterprise agreements set a different loading, so always check the award that applies.
The equivalent full-time/part-time rate, before loading.
Ordinary hours for the pay period (e.g. per week).
Standard modern-award loading is 25%. Check your award if different.
Casual Hourly Rate
$0.00
$0.00 loading per hour
Total Pay
$0.00
Gross, before super & tax
Base /hr
$0.00
Loading /hr
$0.00
Casual /hr
$0.00
The 25% casual loading is set by Australian workplace legislation and modern awards and can change. It is the standard rate in most awards and the default under the National Employment Standards, but your award or enterprise agreement may set a different loading. This is a gross estimate before superannuation and tax.
Payroll & rosters
Award rates, super and leave handled for you, free to start.
Casual employees in Australia are paid a higher hourly rate than equivalent permanent (full-time or part-time) employees. This higher rate includes a casual loading, most commonly 25%, paid in lieu of the entitlements casuals don't receive, such as paid annual leave, paid personal/carer's (sick) leave, paid public holidays they don't work, notice of termination, and redundancy pay.
The maths is straightforward:
Worked example. A permanent base rate of $30.00 per hour with the standard 25% casual loading becomes $30.00 × 1.25 = $37.50 per hour. The loading is $7.50 per hour. Over a 20-hour week that's base pay of $600.00, casual loading of $150.00, and total gross pay of $750.00 before super and tax.
Casual employees generally have no firm advance commitment to ongoing work and can accept or decline shifts. Because they don't accrue paid leave or get redundancy and notice entitlements, the 25% loading compensates them up-front through a higher rate of pay for every hour worked.
The casual loading is set by legislation and awards and can change. 25% is the standard figure in most modern awards and the default under the National Employment Standards for award and agreement-free employees, but a specific modern award or enterprise agreement can set a different percentage, and the treatment of casual loading on overtime and penalty rates varies between awards. Always confirm the rate in the award or agreement that applies to the role using the Fair Work Pay and Conditions Tool.
The standard casual loading is 25%. It is added on top of the equivalent permanent (full-time or part-time) base hourly rate to compensate casual employees for entitlements they don't receive, such as paid annual leave, paid personal/carer's leave, notice of termination and redundancy pay. Most modern awards set 25%, and it's also the default loading under the National Employment Standards for award and agreement-free employees. Some awards or enterprise agreements specify a different percentage, so always check the award that applies.
Multiply the permanent base hourly rate by the loading percentage to get the loading amount, then add it to the base rate. With the standard 25% loading: casual hourly rate = base rate × 1.25. For example, a $30.00 base rate becomes $30.00 × 1.25 = $37.50 per hour, of which $7.50 is the casual loading.
Casual employees miss out on many entitlements that permanent employees receive, including paid annual leave, paid sick and carer's leave, paid public holidays they don't work, notice of termination, and redundancy pay. The 25% casual loading is paid in lieu of those entitlements, it's compensation built into the higher hourly rate rather than accrued leave.
It depends on the award or agreement. Some modern awards apply penalty rates and overtime to the base rate and then add the casual loading; others compound them differently or already build the loading into the casual penalty rates. The treatment varies between awards, so check how your specific award calculates casual overtime and weekend/public-holiday penalties, this calculator covers the base ordinary-hours loading only.
Yes. Super is generally payable on a casual employee's ordinary time earnings, which includes the casually-loaded hourly pay. From 1 July 2025 the Super Guarantee rate is 12%, so super is calculated on the loaded earnings in addition to the cash wage shown here. This calculator shows gross pay before super and tax.
Only if a registered award or enterprise agreement sets a lower loading for that role. The 25% default applies to award and agreement-free employees under the National Employment Standards. Paying less than the loading required by the applicable award is generally a breach of the Fair Work Act. If no lower figure is specified, 25% is the rate to use.
Sources & methodology
This calculator applies the casual loading percentage you enter (defaulting to the standard 25% modern-award loading) to a permanent base hourly rate: casual hourly rate = base rate × (1 + loading%). It then multiplies by the hours worked to show base pay, loading, and total gross pay. Figures are computed in your browser, nothing you enter is stored or sent to a server.
Authoritative sources
Reviewed by Bishal Shrestha — Founder of OneBookPlus, 10+ years building tools with Australian tax-agent and BAS-agent practices. Last reviewed and updated: June 2026.
Disclaimer: This tool provides estimates only and is not professional advice. For decisions that affect your tax, finances, or compliance position, consult a registered professional.
OneBookPlus runs award-based pay, super and leave, with rosters and timesheets that flow straight into payroll.