Last fact-checked: 29 August 2026. Rates below apply from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026. This article provides general information, not personal workplace, tax, financial, legal or migration advice.

Fruit-picking pay in Australia depends on the work, applicable award or enterprise agreement, classification, employment type, hours and whether the employee is paid hourly or by piece rate. Weekly earnings cannot be promised because available hours, crop conditions, weather and individual circumstances vary.

The quick answer

As at 29 August 2026, an adult Level 1 employee covered by the Horticulture Award must receive at least:

• $25.74 per hour as a full-time or part-time employee; or
• $32.18 per hour as a casual employee, including the 25% casual loading.

Level 1 is an entry classification. Under the Award, an employee progresses to Level 2 after no more than three months of horticulture-industry experience, including relevant experience gained with another employer. Current adult Level 2 minimums are $26.44 per hour full-time or part-time and $33.05 per hour casual.

These are minimum examples, not guaranteed weekly earnings. Check the current result for a particular job using the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Pay and Conditions Tool.

First check which pay rules cover the job

The Horticulture Award 2020 generally covers work such as planting, picking, washing, packing, storing and grading horticultural crops. It can also cover labour-hire employees while they perform covered horticulture work.

Not every farm role falls under this Award. For example, the Horticulture Award excludes the wine industry. Picking wine grapes or pruning wine-grape vines may instead fall under the Wine Industry Award. An enterprise agreement or another industrial instrument may also apply.

Before comparing pay, confirm:

• the employer’s legal name
• the award or enterprise agreement
• the employee’s classification and relevant experience
• whether the employee is casual, part-time or full-time
• whether the work is hourly or piecework
• any applicable allowances, overtime or public-holiday conditions.

Fair Work’s horticulture pay and piece-rate guide gives current official examples.

Current adult Horticulture Award examples

Hourly-pay situation	Level 1	Level 2
Full-time or part-time ordinary hour	$25.74	$26.44
Casual ordinary hour	$32.18	$33.05
Casual overtime hour when an Award overtime trigger applies	$45.05	$46.27
Casual work on a public holiday	$57.92	$59.49

These figures do not include any additional all-purpose allowance that applies to a particular job. Junior rates may apply to workers aged 18 or 19, and higher classifications have higher minimums.

Do casual fruit pickers automatically receive weekend rates?

Not under every arrangement. Under the Horticulture Award, an hourly-paid casual employee can work ordinary hours on any day of the week. Under the standard spread, ordinary casual hours worked between 5:00 am and 8:30 pm—including Saturday or Sunday—are paid at the casual ordinary rate unless the day is a public holiday.

There is therefore no universal rule that every casual fruit picker receives 150% on Saturday or 175% on Sunday. A night loading generally applies to ordinary casual hours outside the standard daily spread. Permitted spread variations can apply in some states and territories.

Public holidays are different. An hourly-paid casual receives 225% of the minimum hourly rate, inclusive of casual loading. Full-time, part-time and shiftworker rules differ, so use the Pay and Conditions Tool for the actual roster.

When does overtime apply?

For an hourly-paid casual under the Horticulture Award, overtime applies to hours worked beyond:

• 12 hours in one engagement
• 12 hours in a single day, or
• 304 ordinary hours over an eight-week period.

It does not automatically begin merely because a casual employee works more than 38 hours in one week. Full-time and part-time employees have different ordinary-hours and overtime tests. Fair Work explains these differences in its Horticulture Award hours and overtime guide.

How do fruit-picking piece rates work?

A piece rate pays for output—for example, each bin, bucket, tray, carton or kilogram completed. Piece rates are not a way to avoid minimum pay obligations.

Daily minimum wage guarantee

A pieceworker covered by the Horticulture Award must receive, for each day worked, at least their applicable hourly rate multiplied by the number of hours worked that day. For casuals, the hourly rate includes the 25% casual loading.

For example, Fair Work’s current Level 1 example shows that an adult casual pieceworker who works 7.6 hours has a daily minimum guarantee of $244.57: $32.18 × 7.6 hours. If the worker earns more through output, the higher piece-rate amount must be paid. A high-output day cannot be used to offset a shortfall on another day.

How the piece rate must be set

The employer must set the rate so that a worker performing at the average productivity of a competent pieceworker can earn at least 15% more per hour than their applicable hourly rate. Under the Award, a competent pieceworker has at least 76 hours’ experience performing the particular piecework task; relevant previous experience can count.

For a Level 1 adult casual, Fair Work’s current example means the piece rate must allow the competent average worker to earn at least $37.01 per hour. This is a rate-setting test, not a promise that every worker will earn that amount for every hour.

Written records are required

Before piecework begins, the employer must make, sign and give the worker a piecework record setting out matters including the task, amount per unit, applicable hourly rate and the daily minimum-wage guarantee. Piece rates must be based on individual effort rather than a combined group rate.

Casual pieceworkers do not receive overtime under the Horticulture Award for hours spent earning a piece rate. Separate public-holiday piece-rate provisions apply. See Fair Work’s guide to using horticulture piece rates.

What could a week’s gross pay look like?

There is no single reliable weekly amount. The safest calculation is ordinary-hour pay plus any applicable overtime, penalties and allowances, or any higher lawful piecework earnings.

For arithmetic illustration only, an adult Level 1 casual completing 20 ordinary hours would receive at least $643.60 gross before tax (20 × $32.18). An adult Level 2 casual completing 38 ordinary hours would receive at least $1,255.90 gross before tax (38 × $33.05). These examples do not predict available hours, productivity, take-home pay or total seasonal earnings.

Tax, super and deductions

Income tax

Gross pay is not the same as take-home pay. Working Holiday visa holders can be subject to specific tax and withholding rules, while tax residency, total income and individual circumstances can change the result. Do not assume that one tax percentage applies in every case or that a refund is guaranteed. Check the ATO’s current working holiday maker tax rates or obtain advice from a registered tax agent.

Superannuation

The super guarantee rate is 12% for 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Under Payday Super, which commenced on 1 July 2026, employers calculate super guarantee on qualifying earnings each payday and contributions generally need to reach the employee’s fund within seven business days, unless an extended timeframe applies.

Super guarantee is an employer obligation, not an ordinary deduction from cash wages. It must not be used to reduce cash pay below the applicable minimum. Check the ATO’s current super guarantee rates and Payday Super guidance.

Eligible former temporary residents may be able to claim a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment after leaving Australia and after their visa has ceased. Withholding tax applies, so this is not a full “super refund”. See the ATO’s temporary residents and superannuation guidance.

Accommodation and transport deductions

Employer-arranged accommodation or transport is not automatically deductible from wages. Deductions are lawful only in limited circumstances and generally need genuine written agreement where employee authorisation is relied on. Workers must be paid money for their work; accommodation, transport, food or other services cannot replace minimum wages.

Every lawful deduction must be recorded and itemised on the payslip. Read Fair Work’s horticulture deductions guidance.

How to check whether your pay is correct

Keep your own record of start and finish times, breaks, crop and task, units completed, rate per unit, work location, public holidays and deductions. Compare your records with each payslip and check the employer’s legal name, classification, employment type, ordinary and overtime hours, allowances, gross and net pay, deductions and super information.

If something does not match, raise it promptly with payroll or the employer. Workers can also contact the Fair Work Ombudsman or use the Pay and Conditions Tool.

Pay and visa eligibility are separate questions

Correct pay, genuine employment records and a licensed labour-hire provider are important, but they do not by themselves prove that work will qualify someone for a second or third Working Holiday Maker visa. Subclass 417 and subclass 462 requirements can differ, and the Department of Home Affairs decides each application. Check the current Working Holiday Maker specified-work conditions. No employer can guarantee a visa outcome.

Looking for agricultural work?

To ask about current agricultural work, contact Orchard Tech. Before accepting a role, ask for the applicable award or agreement, classification, employment type, pay method, rate, expected hours, job location, deductions and super arrangements in writing.

Sources checked 29 August 2026: Horticulture Award 2020 [MA000028], Fair Work Ombudsman horticulture guidance, Australian Taxation Office super and tax guidance, and Department of Home Affairs Working Holiday Maker guidance. Review this page after any award, tax, super or visa-rule change and no later than July 2027.