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Fast Food Industry Award: rostering & penalty rules

What the Fast Food Industry Award (MA000003) asks of a roster — ordinary hours, weekend and public-holiday loadings, weekday evening rates, casual loading and overtime — and how Schedaddle flags each one as you roster. This is general information, not legal advice.

Rates verified: July 2025

The Fast Food Industry Award (MA000003) covers employees of fast-food chains and quick-service outlets — the order-takers, cooks, and shift workers behind the counter — where an enterprise agreement does not apply. It carries weekend and public-holiday penalty rates and casual loading, but no weekday evening loading, which makes its band structure the simplest of the three retail-adjacent awards Schedaddle reads.

What the MA000003 requires

Ordinary hours
38 ordinary hours per week, up to 11 ordinary hours in a day, within an 12-hour spread of hours.
Weekend & public holiday loadings
Saturday 25% loading (1.25× the base rate); Sunday 50% loading (1.5× the base rate); public holiday 150% loading (2.5× the base rate).
Overtime
Beyond the daily ordinary cap, first 2 hrs are paid at time-and-a-half (1.5× the base rate), then double time (2× the base rate) after that.
Casual loading
Casual employees are paid a 25% loading on top of the base rate (and on top of penalty rates where they apply).
Minimum engagement
A casual or part-time shift is generally at least 3 hours.
Maximum consecutive days
Up to 6 consecutive days before a break in roster is required.
Casual conversion
A regular casual can become eligible to convert to permanent after 12 months of regular work.
Citation
Fast Food Industry Award — MA000003 (Fair Work Act 2009; Fair Work Commission Modern Awards).

Rates are reviewed annually in the Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review and take effect on 1 July each year. Rates verified July 2025; figures derive from Schedaddle’s award engine — verify against the current award before relying on them.

Penalty bands at a glance

BandRate
Ordinary hoursBase rate (1×)
Saturday1.25× the base rate
Sunday1.5× the base rate
Public holiday2.5× the base rate
Overtime (first 2 hrs)1.5× the base rate
Overtime (after the first tier)2× the base rate
Casual loading+25% on top of the applicable rate

Want the full picture across weekend, Sunday and public-holiday work? Read the retail penalty-rates guide →

How Schedaddle handles the MA000003 as you roster

Pick the Fast Food Industry Award in Settings and Schedaddle reads its penalty structure. As clocked shifts come in, the Award Hours Breakdown report classifies each into its band — ordinary, weekday evening, Saturday, Sunday and public holiday — applies casual loading and tiered overtime beyond the 11-hour ordinary cap and the 12-hour spread of hours, and shows the loaded labour cost of the roster per employee and per store.

Honest about the limits. General information only — not legal or payroll advice. Penalty rates carry classifications, allowances, and coverage tests this page does not evaluate, and they change annually. Confirm the current figures with the Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission, or your payroll provider before paying staff. Schedaddle’s figures are flags and estimates from a rate reference, not net pay, STP, or award interpretation guaranteed against your classifications and allowances.

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MA000003 FAQ

What penalty rates apply under the Fast Food Industry Award?

Under the Fast Food Industry Award (MA000003), the same hour is paid differently by day and time: Saturday is a 25% loading (1.25× the base rate), Sunday a 50% loading (1.5× the base rate), and a public holiday a 150% loading (2.5× the base rate). Casual employees also receive a 25% loading on top. Verify the current figures with the Fair Work Ombudsman — rates change annually on 1 July.

Does Schedaddle calculate award penalties?

Schedaddle classifies every clocked shift into its penalty band — ordinary, Saturday, Sunday, public holiday, weekday evening — applies casual loading and tiered overtime, and shows the loaded labour cost of the roster in ordinary-hour-equivalent terms. It is reporting to verify, not a payroll calculation or legal advice.

Is casual loading on top of penalty rates?

Yes — under the MA000003 a casual’s 25% loading applies on top of the base rate, including where a penalty rate already applies. Schedaddle marks which employees are casual and weights their hours accordingly in the award report.

General information only — not legal or payroll advice. Penalty rates carry classifications, allowances, and coverage tests this page does not evaluate, and they change annually. Confirm the current figures with the Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission, or your payroll provider before paying staff.

See the award cost of your roster.

Pick the MA000003 and Schedaddle shows penalty-rate hours and loaded labour cost — per employee, per store.

Start freeTry the award rates calculator →