Skip to main content
English (Canada) English (United Kingdom) English (Malaysia) English (New Zealand) English (Singapore)

Dry Cleaning and Laundry Industry Award (MA000096)

Updated

This article provides guidelines on using the pre-built Dry Cleaning and Laundry Industry Award package. For further information about this industry award, refer to Dry Cleaning and Laundry Industry Award MA000096.

Key updates

  See the current financial year tab to see award updates for the 2026/27 financial year, while all previous updates before this time can be found in the historical financial years tab.

Current financial yearHistorical financial years
September 2026

9th

We’ve updated the following pay rate templates to align with the rates in the pay guide:
  • Permanent Apprentice 3rd Year – First 6 Months (Started after 1/1/14 – Completed Year 12)
  • Permanent Apprentice 3rd Year – Second 6 Months (Started after 1/1/14 – Completed Year 12)
  • Permanent Apprentice 3rd Year – Second 6 Months (Started after 1/1/14 – Did Not Complete Year 12)
July 2026

1st

We have updated the award to reflect the Fair Work Commission's National Minimum Wage increase detailed in the Annual Wage Review 2026 decision, and also includes updates to expense-related allowances. You can find more information on the Determinations here and here.

These changes come into effect from the first full pay period on or after the 1st July 2026. Please install these updates after you have finalised your last pay run before the first full pay period beginning on or after the 1st July 2026.

Install and configure the pre-built award package

For details on how to install and configure this Pre-built Award Template, please review the detailed help article here. Before relying on the award information, users should carefully evaluate its
accuracy, currency, completeness, and relevance for their purposes. You should
also obtain appropriate professional advice.

The award default Rule Set Period is set to Weekly that ends every Sunday. If you follow a different work pattern or roster period, you can review and set the rule-set period date that applies to your organisation. 

Special Notes

  • Schedule A—Dry Cleaning Classifications
    The platform does not automatically progress employees to Level 2 over a period of up to 6 months at Level 1. You will need to manually update each employee's profile.
  • Schedule B—Laundry Classifications
    The platform does not automatically progress employees to Level 2 over a period of up to 6 months at Level 1. You will need to manually update each employee's profile.
The following table consists of the clauses that can be customised for the award.
Rule Name Clause No. Details
Auto meal break 17
  • System can only accommodate a defined duration for unpaid breaks:
    • Award has been set up with 30 minutes unpaid break to be automatically deducted from time worked if no break is recorded on timesheets.
  • System can only accommodate a fixed number of hours worked for break to apply:
    • Award has been set up to apply the unpaid break automatically after 5 hours and 30 minutes of work.

This rule can be customised.
Minimum break between shifts after overtime 23.4(b) If employee is entitled to be absent for 10 consecutive hours, and there will be no loss of pay for ordinary hours of work time which occur during this absence, the employee should use the work type "Rest Period After Overtime - No Loss of Pay" for the full shift.

Shiftworker

Permanent Night Shift

25.1

25.4

Employees can only be assigned the respective tag "Shiftworker" OR "Permanent Night Shift".

Assigning an employee to both tags would not trigger correct calculations.

Conditions of Pay

Ordinary hours of work
  Clause Conditions
Ordinary hours of work 13.2

Dry cleaning workplaces:

  • Monday to Friday: 7am-7pm.
    • Prescribed late shopping nights: 7am-9pm.
  • Saturday: 7am-5pm.

Laundry workplaces:

  • Monday to Friday: 6am-6pm (Day workers)
  • Monday to Sunday: (Shiftworkers)
Maximum Daily Engagement

10.5

 

 

 

 

 

 

13.1

Part-time: All time worked in excess of the hours agreed.

Laundry Workplaces

Day Workers:

  • 7.6 hours per day.
  • 4 days of 8 hours and 1 day of 6 hours.

Shiftworkers:

  • 10 hours.
Maximum hours worked in a period

13.2

 

 

 

10.5

Dry Cleaning:

  • 38 hours per week. 

Laundry Workplaces:

  • 38 hours per week, over a 4-week cycle.

Part-time: All time worked in excess of the hours agreed.
Overtime

23.1

 

 

 

23.2
  • Monday to Saturday - First 3 hours at 150%, then 200% thereafter.
  • Sunday - 200%.
  • Public Holiday - 250%.

In calculating overtime, each day's work will stand alone.
RDO Accrual 14.3

Laundry Workplaces:

  • Dayworkers to accrue 0.4 of an hour per 8 hours of work per day.
Call Back 23.5
  • Minimum of 4 hours.
  • Paid at overtime rate.
Time off in lieu 23.3(b) The period of time off that an employee is entitled to take is equivalent to the overtime payment that would have been made.
Penalties
  Clause Conditions
Shift penalties

25.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

25.6

 

 

 

 

25.5
  • Morning shift - dry cleaning: commencing before 7am and finishing after midday, paid at 115% of the minimum hourly rate.
  • Morning shift - laundry: commencing before 6am.
  • Afternoon shift: finishing after 6pm and at or before midnight, paid at 115% of the minimum hourly rate.
  • Night shift: finishing at midnight and at or before 8am, 115% of the minimum hourly rate.
  • Permanent night shift: paid at 130% of the minimum hourly rate.

Dry Cleaning:

  • Non-successive shift of less than 3 shifts: paid at 150% of the minimum rate for the first 3 hours, then 200% of the minimum rate thereafter.

Laundry:

  • Non-successive shifts of less than 5 shifts, paid at 150% of the minimum rate for the first 3 hours, then 200% of the minimum rate thereafter.
Minimum break between shifts after overtime 23.4 10 hours break after an overtime shift, otherwise paid at 200% of the minimum hourly rate.
Weekend penalties

24.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24.2

Shiftworkers

Dry cleaning:

  • Saturday before midday: 125% of the minimum hourly rate.
  • Saturday after midday: 150% of the minimum hourly rate.

Laundry Workplaces:

  • Saturday before midday: 125% of the minimum hourly rate.
  • Saturday after midday: 150% of the minimum hourly rate.
  • Sunday: 200% of the minimum hourly rate.
Friday shift that spans to Saturday 24.1(b)

Laundry Workplaces:

If a Friday shift spans to Saturday, employee will be paid whichever is higher.

  • Shiftworker: Saturday before midday: 125% of the minimum hourly rate.
  • Permanent night shift rate: 130% of the minimum hourly rate.
Public Holidays 24.3
  • Ordinary hours worked - 250% of the minimum hourly rate.
Working through meal break 17.1
  • Paid at 150% of the minimum rate.
  • Weekend/Public Holiday: 150% of the minimum rate or the relevant penalty rate, whichever is higher.
Work conditions
  Clause Conditions
Auto meal break 17.1 30 minutes unpaid meal break after 5.5 hours of work.
Minimum shift engagement

10.4

 

11.4

 

23.5
  • Minimum of 3 hours per engagement for part-time employees.
  • Minimum of 3 hours per day for casual employees.
  • Minimum of 4 hours when recalled to work overtime.
Higher duties 18.6
  • An employee engaged for more than 4 hours during one day or shift on duties carrying a higher minimum hourly rate than their ordinary classification must be paid the higher minimum hourly rate for the day or shift.
  • An employee undertaking higher duties for 4 hours or less during one day or shift must be paid the higher minimum hourly rate for the time worked at the higher level.
Time off in lieu 23.3(b) The period of time off that an employee is entitled to take is equivalent to the overtime payment that would have been made.
Annual Leave Loading 26.2
  • 17.5%.
  • Shiftworkers receive the higher 17.5% OR weekend and shift penalties.
Higher of Paid FDVL 17.1 Employees will receive the earnings from the evaluated shift: weekend and shift penalties.

Work types

Work types are a description of the kind of shift you are working, and you select them when you record a timesheet. The following is a list of work types employees can select on their timesheet, and the meaning of each item.

A - F
Annual Leave Taken Choose this work type when annual leave is taken.
Call Back Choose this work type if recalled to work overtime.
Compassionate Leave Taken Choose this work type when compassionate leave is taken.
Disability Allowance Choose this work type if an employee is required to handle foul laundry.
Family and Domestic Violence Leave Taken Choose this work type when unpaid Family and Domestic Violence Leave is taken.
First Aid Allowance Choose this work type if appointed to perform First Aid duty.
L - O
Late Shopping Nights Choose this work type if assigned to work Late Shopping Nights whose ordinary hours are from 7am-9pm.
Leave Without Pay Taken. Choose this work type if any unpaid leave is taken.
Less than 10 hours break after overtime Choose this work type if an employee is required to work with less than 10 hours break after overtime.
Long Service Leave Taken. Choose this work type when any unpaid leave is taken.
No minimum engagement Choose this work type in rare cases where minimum engagement should not apply.
Overtime Meal Allowance Choose this work type if an employee is required to work overtime for more than one hour after the usual finishing time on any day.
P - T
Paid Community Service Leave Taken Choose this work type when community service leave is taken.
Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave Taken Choose this work type when paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave is taken.
Personal/Carer's Leave Taken Choose this work type when personal and/or carer's leave is taken.
Public Holiday not worked Choose this work type when a Permanent employee is not required to work on a shift falling on a gazetted public holiday that the employee would have otherwise worked on had it not been a public holiday.
RDO Accrual Choose this work type to accrue 0.4 RDO per day for every 8 hours of work.
RDO Taken Choose this work type when rostered day of leave is taken.
Rest Period After Overtime - No Loss of Pay Choose this work type when an employee is entitled to be absent for 10 consecutive hours with no loss of pay for ordinary hours of work time which occur during this absence.
Time in Lieu of Overtime Choose this work type to convert certain overtime work hours into a Time in Lieu accrual.
Time in Lieu taken Choose this work type when Time in Lieu is taken.

Shift conditions

Shift Conditions are further details you can add to a shift where more than one condition applies to your shift. Shift conditions are selected when you edit a timesheet record, or when clocking on using the ClockMeIn Time and Attendance or Swag apps. The following is a list of Shift Conditions employees can select on their timesheet, and the meaning of each item.

A - F
Disability Allowance Select this shift condition if employee is required to handle foul laundry.
First Aid Allowance Select this shift condition if appointed to perform first aid duty.
G - L
Less than 10 hours break after overtime Select this shift condition if an employee previously worked overtime and did not have a 10-hour break between the overtime shift and regular shift.
M - R
No minimum engagement Select this shift condition in rare cases where minimum engagement should not apply.
Overtime Meal Allowance Select this shift condition if an employee is required to work overtime for more than one hour after the usual finishing time on any day.

Tags

Employee Tags are specific conditions typically related to the employee’s agreement. These are often conditions negotiated and agreed between the employer and the employee, or unique characteristics of the employee’s role. Payment of these provisions is usually of a recurring and ongoing nature.

A - F
4/8 - 1/6 Assign this tag if a Laundry Workplaces employee’s working arrangement is 4 days of 8 hours work and one day of 6 hours work.
6-day workplace Assign this tag if a Laundry Workplace employee is assigned in a 6-day workshop.
Disability allowance — handling foul laundry Assign this tag if an employee is required to handle foul laundry.
First Aid Assign this tag if an employee is appointed to perform first aid duty.
G - L
Late Shopping Nights Assign this tag if a Dry Cleaning Workplace employee is assigned to work on Late Shopping Nights whose ordinary hours is from 7am - 9pm.
M - R
Permanent Night Shift Assign this tag if an employee is assigned on a permanent night shift which does not alternate with another shift or day. NB: An employee assigned this tag should not also be assigned the “Shiftworker” tag.
RDO Assign this tag if a Laundry Workplace employee is to accrue 0.4 RDO per 8 hours of work.
S - Z
Shiftworker Assign this tag if an employees is shiftworker who works an afternoon shift and/or night shift whether alternating with day work or not. NB: An employee assigned this tag should not also be assigned the “Permanent Night Shift” tag.
TIL of OT Assign this tag to convert all overtime work hours into a Time in Lieu accrual.

System Limitations

Please note that rules will not be able to interpret or calculate the below clauses due to system limitations and will require manual intervention.

System Limitations
Clause Name Clause No. Details

Non-successive morning, afternoon, or night shift & Call Back

  • Dry cleaning - does not continue for a period of 3 successive mornings, afternoons or nights
  • Laundry - does not continue for at least 5 successive mornings, afternoons or nights in a 5-day workshop, or for at least 6 consecutive mornings, afternoons, or nights in a 6-day workshop
 25.5 and 25.6 Currently, the system can only recognise the number of shifts, but not the number of days. If an employee works non-consecutive shifts, and the employer requests a Call Back falling within morning, afternoon, or night shift hours, the Call Back shift will be treated as an additional shift, affecting the count of shifts and the non-consecutive shifts rules.
Time off instead of payment for overtime 23.3

(d) If the employee requests at any time to be paid for overtime covered by an agreement under clause 23.3, but not taken as time off, the employer must pay the employee for the overtime in the next pay period following the request, at the overtime rate applicable to the overtime when worked.

(e) If time off for overtime that has been worked is not taken with the period of 6 months, mentioned in clause 23.3(c), then the employer must pay the employee for the overtime in the next pay period following those 6 months, at the overtime rate applicable to the overtime when worked.

Related articles