Skip to main content
English (United Kingdom) English (Malaysia) English (New Zealand) English (Singapore)

Pharmacy Industry Award 2020 (MA000012)

Updated

The article provides guidelines about when to use the different work types and tags that we include as part of the pre-built pharmacy industry award package. To read further information about the pharmacy industry award, refer to Pharmacy Industry Award.

Key updates

  Select the current financial year tab to see award updates for the 2026/27 financial year. All previous updates before this time you can find in the historical financial years tab.

Current financial year Historical financial years
July 2026

10th

We have updated the rates of *Permanent – Saturday 7:00am–8:00am under Permanent L1 20yrs pay rate template to align with Award pay guide.

1st

We have updated the award to reflect the Fair Work Commission's National Minimum Wage increase detailed in the Annual Wage Review 2026 decision, and also includes updates to expense-related allowances. You can find more information on the Determinations here and here.

These changes come into effect from the first full pay period on or after the 1st July 2026. Please install these updates after you have finalised your last pay run before the first full pay period beginning on or after the 1st July 2026.

Note: The priority awards review for gender-based undervaluation, effective 30 June 2026, is covered in this update.

Installing the pre-built award package

To read details on how to install and configure this Pre-built Award Template, please review the following article. Before relying on the award information, users should carefully evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness, and relevance for their purposes. You should also obtain appropriate professional advice.

The award default Rule Set Period is set to Fortnightly. If you follow a different work pattern or roster period, you can review and set the rule-set period date that applies to your organisation. 

Conditions of pay

Ordinary hours of work and overtime
  Clause Conditions
Ordinary hours or work 13.1 Any day between 7:00 am and midnight.
Maximum hours per day 21.2 Maximum 12 hours
Maximum hours over a period

21.2

21.3
  • 38 ordinary hours per week (or 76 ordinary hours over 2 consecutive weeks)
  • PT: each hour worked over the number of ordinary hours agreed under clauses 10.4 and 10.12
Overtime

21.4(b)

 

21.4(c)

Mon-Sat: 1st 2 hours at 150% then 200% thereafter
Sunday: 200%
PH: 250%

Casual loading is not payable on overtime
Time off instead of payment for overtime (TIL).  21.5(b) Accrual is equivalent to an overtime penalty
Penalties
  Clause Conditions
Weekday 22.3(b)
  • Between 7am-8am; 150%
  • Between 7pm-9pm; 125%
  • Between 9pm-midnight; 150%
Saturday 22.3(b)
  • Between 7am-8am; 200%
  • Between 8am-6pm; 125%
  • Between 6pm-9pm; 150%
  • Between 9pm-midnight; 175%
Sunday 22.3(b)
  • Between 7am-9pm; 150%
  • Between 9pm-7am; 200%
Public Holidays 22.3(b) Paid at 225%
On-premise meal allowance 19.4 Meal break on the premises; paid at 150% for the period of the meal break
Work Conditions
  Clause Conditions
Auto meal breaks 15.2 30 mins unpaid break after 5 hours
Minimum shift engagement 10.7/11.1
10.14/11.5
  • PT/Cas: minimum of 3 consecutive hours
  • PT/Cas School students: minimum 2 hrs
    • Full-time secondary school student; and
    • Engaged to work between the hours of 3.00 pm and 6.30 pm on a day which they are required to attend school; and
    • The employee agrees to work, and a parent or guardian of the employee agrees to allow the employee to work, a shorter period than 3 hours; and
    • At least one employee classified at level 3 or higher engaged over the same period to supervise the school student.

Annual Leave Loading

 

23.3(b)(i)

 

23.3(b)(ii)
  • Day work: 17.5% or the relevant weekend penalty rates, whichever is greater but not both.
  • Shiftworker: 17.5% or the shift loading (including relevant weekend penalty rates) whichever is the greater but not both.
Extra Annual Leave 23.2 Additional one-week Annual leave for certain shiftworkers
Paid Family and domestic violence leave 27 Higher of penalties loading 

Special Note

  • The timesheet should have start and end times for the rules to apply correctly
  • Employees should add their meal breaks when they use the work type "On Site Meal Break"
  • Leaves should be converted into a timesheet with the standard hours of work
  • Annualised Wage Arrangements
    • Per clause 18.2(c), applies to a pharmacist or a pharmacy assistant level 4The clauses listed in the table below were not included in the award. If you need any of these clauses, it is necessary to create or customise the award.
Clauses not included in the award
Clause no. Clause Name Details
18.2(c) Annualised Wages Arrangements

Need to customise rules:

If in a pay period or roster cycle an employee works any hours in excess of either of the outer limit amounts specified in the agreement pursuant to clause 18.2(b)(iv), such hours will not be covered by the annualised wage and must separately be paid
16.4 Supported wage system

Need to create Pay Rate Templates and Employment Agreements.

Employee receiving a supported wage (see Schedule D—Supported Wage System).
16.5(a) National training wage

Need to create Pay Rate Templates and Employment Agreements.

  • Schedule E to the Miscellaneous Award 2020 sets out minimum wage rates and conditions for employees undertaking traineeships.
10.12 Part-time additional hours paid at casual loading

Need to customise rules:

  • A part-time employee who has worked on any day the number of hours agreed under clause 10.4 may agree to work additional hours on that day on the terms applicable to a casual employee. An agreement to work additional hours must be in writing.
28.3
Substitution of certain public holidays by agreement at the enterprise.

Need to customise rules:

  • An employer and employee may agree to substitute another day for a day that would otherwise be a public holiday under the NES.
  • An employer and employee may agree to substitute another part-day for a part-day that would otherwise be a part-day public holiday under the NES.

Work types

The following lists out and explains the work types an employee can select on their timesheet.

A - F
Annual leave taken. Choose this work type when annual leave was taken
Carer's leave Choose this work type when carer’s leave was taken
Compassionate leave taken. Choose this work type when compassionate leave is taken.
G - L
Kilometre allowance You should use this work type where an employer asks an employee to use their own motor vehicle in the performance of their duties. You should enter the kilometres travelled ‌into the Units field. Refer section 19.4 of the Pharmacy Industry Award.
Long service leave Choose this work type when long service leave is taken.
M - R
No meal break Normally, meal breaks are automatically added for shifts over 5h30m. Use this work type to indicate that no meal break was taken during the shift.
OT worked with no prior notice (1.5 - 4 OT hrs) An employee that was required to work between 1.5 hours and four hours of overtime with less than 24 hours’ notice and not provided with a meal should add one unit of this allowance to their shift. Refer section 19.1 of the Pharmacy Industry Award.
OT worked with no prior notice (4+ OT hrs) An employee that was required to work more than four hours of overtime with less than 24 hours’ notice and not provided with a meal should add one unit of this allowance to their shift. Do not add both OT worked with no prior notice (1.5 - 4 OT hrs)" and OT worked with no prior notice (4+ OT hrs), only the most relevant one. Refer section 19.1 of the Pharmacy Industry Award.
Public holiday not worked Shift workers should choose this work type for public holidays that they elect not to work.
S - Z
School Student 2 hr Minimum Engagement Choose this work type where, under clauses 12.12 and 13.5, part time and casual school students are eligible for a 2 hour minimum shift engagement as opposed to the standard three hour minimum shift engagement.
Sick leave Choose this work type when sick leave was taken
Time in lieu leave taken. Choose this work type when time in lieu leave is taken.
Time off in lieu of overtime Choose this work type if the employee elects to accrue time in lieu rather than receive payment for any overtime for this shift.
Unpaid leave Choose this work type when they take unpaid leave.

Tags

The following tags are available for application to employees under the Pharmacy Industry Award.

A - F
Broken Hill Allowance Assign this tag when an employees workplace is within the County of Yancowinna in New South Wales (Broken Hill)
S - Z
Shiftworker Assign this tag if the employee you employ the employee as a shift worker. Refer to section 28.2 of the Pharmacy Industry Award for the definition of a shift worker.
Time in lieu of overtime Assign this tag if the employee elects to always accrue time in lieu of being paid overtime.

System limitations

Please note that rules will not be able to interpret or calculate the below clauses due to platform limitations and will require manual intervention.

14.1(c) Rostering Arrangements-full-time and part-time employees

(c) Despite clause 14.1(b), employees may be rostered to work ordinary hours on 6 days one week if they are rostered to work ordinary hours on no more than 4 days the following week.

21.5 Time off instead of payment for overtime

  • If the employee requests at any time, to be paid for overtime covered by an agreement under clause 21.5 but not taken as time off, the employer must pay the employee for the overtime, in the next pay period following the request, at the overtime rate applicable to the overtime when worked.

  • If time off for overtime that has been worked is not taken within the period of 6 months mentioned in clause 21.5(c), the employer must pay the employee for the overtime, in the next pay period following those 6 months, at the overtime rate applicable to the overtime when worked.

     

Powered by Zendesk