Pay

Rates of Pay

Your rate of pay may be set by a Modern Award, or your employment contract. If you are not covered by a Modern Award or Enterprise Agreement, you must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. 

National Minimum Wage

From 1 July 2026, the National Minimum Wage is $ 1,004.90 per week (based on a 38-hour week) or $26.44 per hour. If you have an employment contract, it may provide for a higher rate of pay than the minimum.

Casual employees are generally entitled to a 25% casual loading in addition to their base hourly rate, unless a Modern Award, Enterprise Agreement or contract provides otherwise.  Casual loading is reviewed annually.

Pay increases

Your pay may increase if:

• you receive a promotion;
• you move to a higher aged-based pay rate (for example when you become an adult under your Award); 
• you progress to the next year of an apprentice or traineeship;
• you advance within your classification based on years of service;
• your Enterprise Agreement or Modern Award provides for wage increases; 
• the Fair Work Commission increases minimum wages; or 
• your employment contract provides for salary or performance reviews. 

If you do not receive a pay increase believe you are entitled to, you may have been underpaid.

As superannuation is calculated as a percentage of your ordinary earnings, your employer’s super contributions should also increase when your ordinary pay increases. 

Pay slips

Your employer must provide you with a pay slip within one working day of being paid, whether electronically or in hard copy.

A pay slip must include:

• your name;
• your employer’s name and ABN if they have one;
• the payment date and pay period;
• your hourly rate, hours worked and amounts paid;
• your gross and net pay;
• any bonuses, loadings, allowances, penalty rates or other separately identifiable entitlements;
• deductions from your gross pay including tax and superannuation, and the name of the super fund and;
• if you are paid an annual salary, your salary rate as at the last day of the pay period.

If your employer reports through Single Touch Payroll (STP), your income statement will be available through your Australian Taxation Office online account after the end of each financial year. Employers are no longer required to provide digital or paper summaries where STP reporting applies.

Underpayment of wages

If you think you have been underpaid, raise the issue with your employer first.  If the matter is not resolved, contact the NT Working Women’s Centre for assistance.  You may also be able to lodge a complaint with the Fair Work Ombudsman. In most cases, wage underpayment claims can be pursued within 6 years of the underpayment occurring.

Overpayment of wages

Sometimes employers accidentally overpay wages or other employment entitlements. 

Where this happens, employers and employees are encouraged to reach an agreement about how the overpayment will be paid, whether in a lump sum or by installments.

If an agreement cannot be reached, an employer may seek to recover the overpayment through the courts. An employer must show the overpayment resulted from a genuine mistake, such as a payroll or clerical error. 

If an employer deliberately paid an amount and later simply changed their mind, they cannot recover money unless the employee agrees to repay it.