A full-time employee’s hours of work can be rostered to be an average of:
- 38 hours per week, or
- 76 hours over two weeks.
A roster cycle generally coincides with the pay period. However, a workplace can roster fortnightly and pay weekly.
When a workplace rosters fortnightly but pays weekly, full-time employees’ ordinary hours are averaged over two pay periods.
A full-time employee whose hours are averaged is paid for 38 ordinary hours each pay period.
Overtime
If the employee works overtime because they work more than 76 ordinary hours in the fortnight, it’s paid in the second pay period at the end of the fortnight.
Some overtime hours are paid for in the pay period when the employee works the overtime. These include when an employee works:
- more than 12 hours per day
- between midnight and 7am
- hours that aren't continuous apart from rest or meal breaks
- outside the rostering arrangements.
References
What to do next
- Use our Pay and Conditions Tool to calculate pay rates, allowances and penalty rates (including overtime).
- Not sure this is your award? Use Find my award to find out which award applies to you.
- Get help with pay.
- Find out about Other workplace relations help
