What Is the Minimum Hourly Rate for a Cleaner?

The minimum hourly rate for a cleaner or commercial cleaner in Australia is set by the Cleaning Services Award 2020, administered by the Fair Work Commission. As of the 2024–25 financial year, a Level 1 cleaner — the entry-level classification for general cleaning duties — must be paid a minimum of $24.10 per hour for ordinary time work.

This rate is a legal floor, not a recommended rate. Paying below it to an employee covered by the Award is a breach of the Fair Work Act 2009 and can result in back-pay orders, civil penalties, and Fair Work Ombudsman enforcement action. Casual employees are entitled to an additional 25% loading on top of all base rates, making the minimum for a casual Level 1 cleaner approximately $30.13 per hour.

Minimum Hourly Rates by Classification Level (2024–25)

Level	Classification Description	Full-Time (Ord. Time)	Casual Rate (incl. 25%)	Typical Duties
Level 1	General cleaning; minimal supervision	$24.10	$30.13	Sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, bin replacement
Level 2	Specialised equipment or chemical handling	$25.20	$31.50	Floor scrubbers, APVMA-grade disinfectants
Level 3	Leading hand / team leader (up to 10 staff)	$26.50	$33.13	Supervises small cleaning team; reports to manager
Level 4	Supervisor (11+ staff) or specialist	$27.80	$34.75	Site supervisor; manages quality assurance
Level 5	Senior supervisor / contract manager	$29.20	$36.50	Multi-site or contract management responsibility

Award rates are reviewed and updated annually by the Fair Work Commission through the Annual Wage Review process, typically effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July each year. Employers must update pay rates at each review — failing to do so constitutes ongoing underpayment.

What Is the Cleaning Services Award 2020?

The Cleaning Services Award 2020 is a modern award made under the Fair Work Act 2009. It is one of approximately 120 modern awards that set industry and occupation-specific minimum employment conditions across Australia. The Award covers the majority of employees working in commercial cleaning, contract cleaning, and specialist cleaning environments.

The Award was made by the Fair Work Commission and operates as a safety net of minimum conditions. An employer and employee can agree to terms above the Award, but cannot agree to terms below it. A registered enterprise agreement may vary Award conditions provided the employee is overall better off — assessed under the Better Off Overall Test (BOOT) administered by the Fair Work Commission.

The Cleaning Services Award applies to employees of cleaning contractors, commercial cleaning companies, and businesses whose employees perform cleaning as a primary duty. It does not automatically cover every person who cleans as part of their job — for example, a shop assistant who mops at the end of a shift is not a cleaning industry employee and is covered by the Retail Award rather than the Cleaning Services Award.

Domestic cleaners employed directly by a private household to clean that household are not covered by the Cleaning Services Award 2020. They may fall under the Miscellaneous Award 2020 or the national minimum wage depending on the nature of the arrangement. The Cleaning Services Award covers cleaning businesses and their employees — not private domestic arrangements.

Penalty Rates: When Minimum Rates Increase

The Cleaning Services Award 2020 mandates higher rates of pay when work is performed outside standard weekday hours. These penalty rates reflect the social and personal cost to employees of working unsociable hours and are a non-negotiable component of Award compliance. They cannot be absorbed into a flat rate unless a registered enterprise agreement expressly provides for this and passes the BOOT.

The most significant penalty rate is the public holiday rate of 225 percent of the ordinary rate — meaning a Level 1 full-time cleaner working on a public holiday must be paid $54.23 per hour. For a commercial cleaning company operating on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, or ANZAC Day, this rate applies to all Award-covered employees working that day.

Penalty Rates and Calculated Amounts — Level 1 Cleaner (2024–25)

Shift / Day	Rate %	L1 Full-Time	L1 Casual	Notes
Monday – Friday (ordinary hours)	100%	$24.10	$30.13	Standard weekday rates; no loading
Evening shift (6pm – midnight)	117.5%	$28.32	$35.40	Shift loading; conditions apply under Award
Saturday	125%	$30.13	$37.66	25% loading on ordinary rate
Sunday	150%	$36.15	$45.19	50% loading on ordinary rate
Public Holiday	225%	$54.23	$67.78	225% of ordinary rate; most costly shift
Overtime (first 2 hrs)	150%	$36.15	$45.19	Applicable after 38 ordinary hrs/week
Overtime (after 2 hrs)	200%	$48.20	$60.25	Double time after 2 hrs of overtime

Evening shift loadings apply under specific conditions set out in the Award. Where a shift falls predominantly between 6pm and midnight on a weekday, a 17.5% loading applies to the ordinary rate. This is particularly relevant for commercial office cleaning, which is typically performed after business hours. Employers who quote commercial cleaning contracts at flat rates without accounting for evening loadings risk underpaying their staff.

Most commercial office cleaning in Australia is performed between 5:30pm and 9pm on weekdays — which triggers the evening shift loading. An employer paying a Level 1 cleaner $24.10 per hour for an evening commercial clean is underpaying by $4.22 per hour. Over a 40-hour week of evening shifts, this is $168.80 per week in underpayment per employee.

National Minimum Wage vs Cleaning Services Award

The national minimum wage is set annually by the Fair Work Commission and applies to all employees not covered by a modern award or registered enterprise agreement. For 2024–25, the national minimum wage is $23.23 per hour, or $882.80 per week for a 38-hour week.

Because most cleaners employed by a cleaning business are covered by the Cleaning Services Award 2020, the Award minimum of $24.10 per hour — not the national minimum wage of $23.23 — is the applicable legal floor. An employer who pays a cleaning employee the national minimum wage instead of the Award minimum is underpaying by $0.87 per hour for every ordinary time hour worked.

While $0.87 per hour may appear minor, it compounds quickly. For a full-time Level 1 cleaner working 38 ordinary hours per week over 52 weeks, this underpayment totals $1,716.24 per year per employee. For a cleaning company with 20 employees, that represents $34,000 in annual underpayment liability before interest and penalties.

Rate Comparison: National Minimum Wage vs Award Rates

Rate Category	Minimum Rate	When It Applies
National Minimum Wage 2024–25	$23.23/hr	All employees not covered by an award or agreement
Cleaning Services Award — Level 1 (FT)	$24.10/hr	Overrides national minimum wage for covered employees
Cleaning Services Award — Level 1 (Casual)	$30.13/hr	Includes 25% casual loading; applies to most cleaning hires
Cleaning Services Award — Level 2 (FT)	$25.20/hr	Cleaners using specialist equipment or chemicals
Cleaning Services Award — Level 3 (FT)	$26.50/hr	Leading hands and supervisors
Miscellaneous Award 2020 (domestic)	$23.23/hr	May apply to in-home/domestic cleaners; lower baseline

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) conducts regular compliance audits of the cleaning industry, which has historically been identified as a sector with high rates of underpayment. The FWO’s Compliance and Enforcement Policy prioritises repeat offenders, businesses with vulnerable workers, and industries with systemic non-compliance. Civil penalties for underpayment can reach $93,900 per contravention for a body corporate and $18,780 per contravention for an individual under the Fair Work Act 2009.

Casual Employees and the 25% Loading

A significant proportion of the cleaning workforce in Australia is employed on a casual basis. Casual employment offers scheduling flexibility for both the employer and the employee, but the Cleaning Services Award 2020 requires that casual employees receive a 25% loading on all rates of pay in lieu of paid leave entitlements.

This means a casual Level 1 cleaner performing ordinary time weekday work must be paid a minimum of $30.13 per hour — not $24.10. When penalty rates apply on top of the casual rate, the amounts increase further: a casual Level 1 cleaner working on a Sunday is entitled to 150% of their casual rate (not the ordinary rate), which is $45.19 per hour.

Employers who engage workers as casuals but pay them at full-time rates without the 25% loading are underpaying regardless of whether the worker has consented to the arrangement. The casual loading is not a negotiable component of the Award — it is a mandatory entitlement.

A casual cleaning employee who works a regular and predictable roster — for example, every Monday and Wednesday morning — may be entitled to request conversion to permanent employment under the Fair Work Act 2009 after 12 months of regular casual engagement. Employers must respond to such requests within 21 days and can only decline on reasonable grounds.

What the Minimum Rate Does Not Include

The minimum hourly rates specified in the Cleaning Services Award 2020 represent the base rate of pay only. Several additional obligations exist that increase the true cost of employing a cleaner above the stated minimum rate.

Superannuation is the most significant additional cost. Employers must contribute 11.5% of ordinary time earnings to the employee’s nominated superannuation fund. This is in addition to — not included in — the Award minimum rate. For a Level 1 full-time cleaner earning $24.10 per hour, the employer’s superannuation obligation adds approximately $2.77 per hour to the total employment cost.

Allowances under the Award are payable in addition to the base rate where specific conditions are met. These include the toilet cleaning allowance, leading hand allowances, broken shift allowances, and vehicle allowances where employees use their own vehicle for work travel.

Award Allowances Payable in Addition to Base Rate

Allowance Type	Frequency	Approx. Amount	Condition
Toilet cleaning allowance	Per shift	~$0.85 – $1.20	Payable when employee regularly cleans toilets
Leading hand allowance (up to 3)	Per hour	~$0.65	In addition to base rate; 1–3 employees supervised
Leading hand allowance (4–10)	Per hour	~$1.00	Supervisory loading; 4–10 employees
Broken shift allowance	Per break	~$2.50	When shift is broken by a non-paid meal break gap
Vehicle / travel allowance	Per km	ATO rate (88c)	If employee uses own vehicle for work travel
Clothing / uniform allowance	Annual	~$1.70/week	Where employer requires specific clothing
Meal allowance (overtime)	Per occasion	~$15.50	When overtime extends beyond specified period

True Cost of Employment: Base Rate to All-In Cost

Understanding the true cost of employing a cleaner requires adding all statutory obligations to the Award base rate. For budgeting and quoting purposes, cleaning businesses should calculate their all-in employment cost — not just the Award minimum — to ensure their pricing covers labour costs and maintains a sustainable margin.

Total Employment Cost — Level 1 Full-Time Cleaner (2024–25)

Cost Component	Per Hour (approx.)	Annual (FT, 38 hrs)	Notes
Base ordinary time wage (Level 1 FT)	$24.10/hr	—	Award minimum; non-negotiable
Superannuation guarantee (11.5%)	$2.77/hr	$5,773	Paid quarterly to nominated super fund
Annual leave loading (17.5% of 4 weeks)	~$0.65/hr	$1,353	17.5% loading on 4 weeks annual leave
WorkCover / workers’ compensation	$1.20–$2.40/hr	$2,500–$5,000	Rate varies by state and claims history
Payroll tax (if threshold exceeded)	Variable	Variable	State-based; threshold varies $700K–$2M
TOTAL ESTIMATED EMPLOYER COST	$28.72–$30.00/hr	~$60,000–$63,000	Full-time Level 1 cleaner; all-in annual cost

A cleaning business quoting a job at $28 per hour with a Level 1 full-time cleaner on ordinary time rates is operating at a break-even or loss position once superannuation, workers’ compensation, and allowances are factored in. The true all-in cost of a Level 1 full-time cleaner in 2024–25 is approximately $28.72 to $30.00 per hour before overhead and profit margin.

Superannuation for Cleaners: Employer Obligations

Superannuation is a statutory obligation for all employers in Australia and is not included in the Award minimum rate. The Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 requires employers to contribute a minimum percentage of an employee’s ordinary time earnings to a complying superannuation fund.

As of 2024–25, the Superannuation Guarantee rate is 11.5% of ordinary time earnings. This rate will increase to 12% from 1 July 2025 under the legislated schedule. The $450 per month earnings threshold — which previously excluded very low earners from super — was removed from 1 July 2022, meaning all employees regardless of earnings are now entitled to superannuation contributions from their employer.

Superannuation Obligations for Cleaning Employers

Superannuation Item	Detail	Notes
Superannuation Guarantee rate (2024–25)	11.5% of ordinary time earnings	Increases to 12% from 1 July 2025
Payment frequency	Quarterly minimum	Due 28 days after end of each quarter
Eligible employees	All employees (no minimum threshold)	$450/month threshold removed July 2022
Default fund (cleaning industry)	CBUS or Hostplus	Employer uses default unless employee nominates
Stapled super fund	ATO-assigned fund	Check ATO portal for new employees from Nov 2021
Late or non-payment consequence	Superannuation Guarantee Charge (SGC)	SGC = unpaid super + 10% interest + $20 admin fee per employee per quarter; non-deductible
Voluntary employee contributions	Salary sacrifice allowed	Pre-tax contributions; reduces employee taxable income

The default superannuation fund for the cleaning industry in Australia has historically been CBUS (Construction and Building Unions Superannuation) or Hostplus. Employers must contribute to the employee’s stapled superannuation fund if one has been assigned by the ATO — a requirement introduced in November 2021 to prevent duplicate accounts. The ATO provides a stapled fund lookup tool for employers through the ATO Online Services for Business portal.

Late or non-payment of superannuation triggers the Superannuation Guarantee Charge (SGC), which is administered by the ATO. The SGC consists of the unpaid superannuation amount, an interest component of 10% per annum, and an administration fee of $20 per employee per quarter. Critically, the SGC is not tax-deductible — making non-payment significantly more expensive than timely compliance.

Common Underpayment Risks for Cleaning Employers

The cleaning industry is one of the most frequently audited sectors by the Fair Work Ombudsman, in part because of the prevalence of casual and migrant workers, high staff turnover, and complex rostering involving evening and weekend shifts. Understanding the most common underpayment scenarios reduces compliance risk.

Employer Action	Breach Type	Consequence
Paying national min. wage to Award-covered employee	Underpayment	Back-pay + interest; up to $93,900 penalty per contravention (body corporate)
Absorbing penalty rates into flat rate	Award breach	Flat rates must meet or exceed all applicable Award conditions
Failing to pay casual loading	Underpayment	25% loading is mandatory; cannot be waived
Not paying super or paying late	SGC liability	SGC = unpaid super + 10% interest + admin fee; non-deductible
Classifying employee as contractor	Sham contracting	Fair Work Act civil penalty; back-pay of all Award entitlements
Not paying evening/weekend penalty rates	Award breach	Penalty rates apply regardless of employment type
Paying below minimum to piece-rate workers	Underpayment	Piece rate must average at or above Award minimum per hour worked

Sham contracting — where an employer misrepresents an employment relationship as a contractor arrangement to avoid Award obligations — is a specific civil penalty provision under section 357 of the Fair Work Act 2009. The maximum penalty is $93,900 per contravention for a body corporate. The FWO has pursued multiple cleaning industry sham contracting cases resulting in significant penalties and back-pay orders.

How to Stay Compliant With Minimum Rate Obligations

The most reliable way to ensure ongoing compliance with Award minimum rates is to use payroll software that is updated automatically when Fair Work Commission rate increases take effect. Software platforms used in the cleaning industry include Employment Hero, Xero Payroll, MYOB, KeyPay, and Tanda, all of which provide Award-based pay rules for the Cleaning Services Award 2020.

Employers should also conduct an annual self-audit of pay rates following each Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review — typically announced in June and effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. This involves updating base rates, casual loadings, penalty rate calculations, and all applicable allowances in the payroll system.

Where there is uncertainty about whether a worker is an employee or contractor, or which Award applies, the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT) provides a free, authoritative rate calculator for all modern awards including the Cleaning Services Award 2020. The FWO’s anonymous reporting line and employer advisory service are also available for compliance guidance without penalty risk.

We also have a in-depth report on writing cleaning quotes to help new sales cleaning employees.