Cleaning Services Award Pay Rates and Employment Guide
Most Australian cleaners employed in contract cleaning are covered by the Cleaning Services Award 2020 (MA000022), which sets minimum pay rates across three classification levels, plus casual loading and penalty rates for weekends, public holidays and certain hours. Published dollar figures vary across secondary sources and change annually, so this guide explains the structure and points you to Fair Work's own tools for the exact current rate.
Key takeaways
- Confirm whether the Cleaning Services Award covers the employer and employee.
- Classification, employment type, shift timing and work area can change entitlements.
- Use the current Fair Work award and PACT rather than a copied rate.
- Budget penalties, allowances, superannuation, leave and minimum engagements before hiring.
Quick answer: Most Australian cleaners employed in contract cleaning are covered by the Cleaning Services Award 2020 (MA000022), which sets minimum pay rates across three classification levels, plus casual loading and penalty rates for weekends, public holidays and certain hours. Published dollar figures vary across secondary sources and change annually, so this guide explains the structure and points you to Fair Work's own tools for the exact current rate.
Who the Cleaning Services Award Covers
The Cleaning Services Award generally applies to employers and employees in the contract cleaning industry. Importantly, a cleaner directly employed within a different industry (a factory cleaner employed by a manufacturer, for example) may instead be covered by that industry's own award. Coverage should always be confirmed using Fair Work's award finder tools rather than assumed.
Employee Versus Contractor
This distinction matters enormously, and Fair Work has been explicit that a genuine employment relationship can't be relabelled as a contracting arrangement simply to avoid minimum entitlements. A worker directed on how, when and where to work, using your equipment, and working solely for your business, is likely an employee under law regardless of what any agreement calls them, and is entitled to award minimums accordingly.
If you're taking on help and are unsure whether it's genuinely a contracting arrangement or an employment relationship, this is worth checking properly, since misclassification carries real legal and financial risk.
Classification Levels
The award structures cleaning employees across classification levels, generally reflecting scope of responsibility, with Level 1 covering standard cleaning duties and higher levels reflecting supervisory or more specialised responsibilities. Each level carries its own minimum hourly rate.
Full-Time, Part-Time and Casual
Full-time and part-time employees are paid the award's base rates for their classification. Casual employees receive those same base rates plus a casual loading, generally 25%, in place of entitlements like paid leave that casuals don't receive.
Minimum Engagement
Casual cleaning employees are generally entitled to a minimum engagement length per shift, meaning even a short callout must be paid for at least that minimum period, rather than only for time actually worked if it falls under that threshold.
Penalty Rates
The award applies loadings for work outside standard hours, structured broadly as: a higher rate for Saturday work, a higher rate again for Sunday work, and the highest loading for public holiday work, with casual rates carrying their loading on top of these penalty rates as well. Early morning, night, and overtime work can attract further specific loadings.
Why You Shouldn't Rely on a Number From This Article, or Any Blog
Award rates increase annually, generally from the first full pay period on or after 1 July, following the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review. Published rates on third-party sites are frequently a year or more out of date, or reflect a rate before the most recent increase, since many were written before the current year's review took effect.
The only reliable source for the exact current rate is Fair Work's own Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT), or the current Cleaning Services Award pay guide published directly by the Fair Work Ombudsman.
What This Means Practically for a Small Cleaning Business
If you're hiring, check the current rate directly through Fair Work before setting any pay rate, every time you hire, not just once.
Keep a simple record of when you last checked, since rates change annually and it's easy to assume last year's figure is still correct.
Understand that a "flat rate per job" arrangement for an employee, structured to come in below what the award would require for the hours worked, isn't compliant regardless of how the arrangement is framed.
Where to Check Current Rates
Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT), for a specific, current calculation based on classification and hours.
The Cleaning Services Award pay guide, published directly by the Fair Work Ombudsman, updated annually.
Fair Work's award coverage tool, to confirm which award actually applies to a specific role before applying any rate at all.
The bottom line
The Cleaning Services Award sets a clear structure, classification levels, casual loading, penalty rates, minimum engagement, but the exact dollar figures change annually and are frequently misquoted on older or third-party pages. Always confirm the current rate directly through Fair Work before setting or accepting pay.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to common questions about this topic.
Not necessarily. It generally covers contract cleaning employers and employees, but a cleaner employed directly within another industry may fall under that industry's award instead. Confirm coverage before applying any rate.
Sources and further reading
We prioritise official, primary, and current sources. Links were last checked on the dates shown.
- Cleaning Award summary — Fair Work Ombudsman. Checked 27 July 2026.
- Entitlements for employees under the Cleaning Award — Fair Work Ombudsman. Checked 28 July 2026.
- Employee or independent contractor — Fair Work Ombudsman. Checked 28 July 2026.
About the author
Tidyly Editorial Team
The Tidyly Editorial Team creates practical guidance for Australian cleaning businesses using product experience, first-party examples, and current primary sources.
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