Casual employees may be entitled to overtime under the applicable award, agreement or employment arrangements. The trigger and rate are not the same for every employee or industry.
What this means in practice
Do not apply a single weekly or daily threshold to every worker without checking the relevant instrument. Classification, ordinary hours, shift arrangements and other conditions can affect the calculation. Collect complete timesheets and ask about unclear rules before processing the pay run. Payroll software needs to be configured around the correct conditions; it does not determine them for you.
Your next steps
- Identify the applicable award or agreement
- Confirm classification and ordinary hours
- Review complete timesheets
- Check the relevant overtime rules
Get help with the next step
If this relates to your business, tell us about your current records and the task you need help with. We can explain our service scope and the information needed before work starts.
Official guidance: Fair Work Ombudsman: Pay and wages ↗
General information prepared on 26 September 2026. Rules and individual circumstances can change. Confirm the treatment that applies to you before acting.
Prepared by the Affordable Bookkeeper content team. Our services and practitioner arrangements.
