Is Public Holiday Pay Double Time? The Real Rates
Public holiday pay is rarely a flat double time. Australian rates typically run 150% to 275% of your ordinary rate, depending on your award.
Public holiday pay is not automatically double time. Working the day usually earns a penalty rate set by your award or enterprise agreement, and that figure typically sits between 150% and 275% of your ordinary hourly rate. Staying home on a holiday that would have been a working day pays your ordinary rate instead.
Where the "double time" shorthand came from
Older award language bundled a base penalty rate with an extra loading, or with a day in lieu, and people rounded the whole package down to "you get paid double". The habit outlived the wording.
Modern awards write the percentage into the public holiday clause, and it is rarely a clean 200%. Some classifications land under it and plenty sit above.
What the bands actually look like
Two things decide what you are owed: whether you work the day, and what kind of employee you are. The bands below are the common shape across modern awards rather than a promise about your job.
| Situation | Typical rate | What sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Not worked, normal working day | 100% of ordinary pay | The National Employment Standards paid day off for full-time and part-time staff |
| Full-time or part-time, shift worked | 150% to 250% | The public holiday clause in the award or agreement covering the role |
| Casual, shift worked | 175% to 275% | One combined figure that usually folds in the 25% casual loading |
| Covered by an enterprise agreement | Set by the agreement | Can differ from the award while employees stay better off overall |
Fair Work sets a floor, not a universal number, so read the percentage in your own instrument before you measure a payslip against it. The public holiday pay rates guide works through each employment type in turn.
Why the range is so wide
Public holiday pay is set award by award, and sometimes agreement by agreement, on top of a Fair Work minimum. No single national percentage exists to look up.
- Industry. A retail award and a hospitality award can name different percentages for the same date.
- Employment type. Casual rates are published as one combined figure, which is why they sit at the top of the range. How casual public holiday pay works covers that in detail.
- Minimum engagement. Many awards guarantee a number of paid hours for any public holiday shift, so a short shift can be worth more than the hourly rate suggests.
The dates move as well. A public holiday in one state is an ordinary working day in another, so confirm the date on the public holidays pages before the rate matters at all.
A holiday on your day off pays nothing extra
Where the holiday lands on a day you were never rostered to work, most awards ask for no extra payment and no substitute day off. That covers a weekend for a Monday-to-Friday employee, and an off day in a rotating roster.
The exception is a roster changed around the holiday. Where a day that would have been yours is moved or stood down, some awards call for a day in lieu or extra pay. That one is award-specific, so read the public holidays clause rather than assuming it applies.
How to check your own rate
- Identify the award or enterprise agreement covering your role, from your payslip or the Fair Work Ombudsman's Find My Award tool.
- Read the public holiday clause for your employment type, not the general penalty rate table.
- Put your classification through the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool for the dollar figure.
- Check the date is a public holiday where you work on the public holidays pages, then map the year against your roster with the Working Days Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Is public holiday pay double time in Australia?
No. Double time is a rounded memory of older award packages. The rate written into a modern award is anything from 150% to 275% of the ordinary rate, and someone who takes the paid day off is simply on their normal pay.
How much extra do you get paid on a public holiday?
Half as much again at the low end, and close to triple at the high end. Permanent staff commonly see 150% to 250% for hours worked and casuals 175% to 275%. Only your award or agreement gives the exact number.
What happens if a public holiday falls on your day off?
Nothing, in most cases. The day passes like any other day you were not rostered, with no extra payment and no banked replacement day. Ask about a day in lieu only if the roster was rearranged around the date.
Do part-time employees get paid for a public holiday they don't work?
Yes, when the holiday falls inside their agreed pattern of hours. A part-timer who never works Fridays is not paid for a Friday holiday, because the entitlement follows the roster rather than the calendar.
Why do public holiday rates range from 150% to 275%?
Because each award negotiates its own figure above the Fair Work minimum. The same job title in two industries can carry two different percentages, and an enterprise agreement can set a third.
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