Hospitality salaries
Kitchen Hand Salary in Australia
Kitchen hands keep a kitchen moving — prepping ingredients, washing up and supporting the chefs. It’s a common entry point into hospitality, with roles in almost every café, pub, restaurant and hotel in Australia.
Fair Work award base rate
Award base — full-time
$25.61/hr
Award base — casual
$32.01/hr
Full-time (annual)
$50,605/yr
MA000009 base rate (classification L2), effective 1 July 2025. Excludes evening, weekend, public-holiday and overtime penalties — verify your classification at fairwork.gov.au.
What kitchen hands actually earn on Tavro
Kitchen Hand pay — frequently asked questions
What is the award rate for a kitchen hand in Australia?
Under the Fair Work Hospitality Industry (General) Award (MA000009), the base rate for a kitchen hand is about $25.61/hr full-time, or $32.01/hr casual (which includes the 25% casual loading), as at 1 July 2025. These are base weekday rates — evening, weekend, public-holiday and overtime penalties are paid on top.
How much does a kitchen hand earn per year?
A full-time kitchen hand on the award base rate earns roughly $50,605 per year before penalties, superannuation and overtime. Actual pay varies by venue, experience and hours — on Tavro every listing shows the salary upfront.
Do kitchen hands get penalty rates?
Yes. The figures above are base rates only. Under MA000009, hospitality staff are generally entitled to higher rates for evenings, weekends, public holidays and overtime. Check your exact entitlements at fairwork.gov.au.
Looking for kitchen hand work?
Every listing shows the salary upfront — no guessing.