Minimum wage for a 20 year old Australia: weekly pay, tax and super

Minimum wage for a 20 year old Australia: what you need to know

If you are 20 years old and working in Australia, the minimum wage that applies depends on whether you are covered by a modern award, an enterprise agreement, or are award-free. For award-free employees, the Fair Work Commission sets a junior percentage of the adult national minimum wage. From 1 July 2026, the minimum wage for a 20 year old Australia is $25.84 per hour (97.7% of $26.44) or $981.92 per week for a 38-hour ordinary week. Casual employees receive a 25% loading, making the casual rate $32.30 per hour.

Legal minimum vs other pay benchmarks

It is important to separate the legal minimum from other figures. The national minimum wage is the floor set by the Fair Work Commission. For adults (21 and over) it is $26.44 per hour from 1 July 2026. The junior rate for a 20-year-old is a legislated percentage of that floor. In contrast, the ABS average weekly earnings for all employees (May 2026) is $1,579.20 per week – much higher than the junior minimum. A modern award may set a higher rate for your classification, and an enterprise agreement can also provide above-minimum pay. A negotiated salary is whatever you and your employer agree, but it cannot be less than the applicable minimum.

Superannuation is paid on top

Employers must pay the superannuation guarantee (currently 12%) on your ordinary time earnings. For a 20-year-old earning $981.92 per week, the super contribution is about $117.83 per week, paid into a super fund of your choice. This is in addition to your wage, not deducted from it.

How the junior rate works

The Fair Work Commission sets the adult national minimum wage each year. For award-free employees under 21, the following percentages apply: under 16 – 36.8%; 16 – 47.3%; 17 – 57.8%; 18 – 68.3%; 19 – 82.5%; 20 – 97.7%. At 20, you are very close to the adult rate. Once you turn 21, you must be paid the full adult minimum. Note that if you are covered by a modern award, the award may have its own junior rates, which may be higher or lower than the award-free percentages. Always check your award first.

Tax and Medicare

Your gross weekly pay of $981.92 is subject to Pay As You Go (PAYG) withholding. For the 2026-27 tax year, a resident with that weekly income (annualised to about $51,060) would pay an estimated $6,700 in tax and $1,021 in Medicare levy (2% once income exceeds $30,000). These are estimates and exclude offsets like the low income tax offset, HELP repayments, or the Medicare levy surcharge. Your actual take-home pay will be lower than the gross figure.

When an award or agreement can set a higher rate

If you work under a modern award, the minimum wage for your classification cannot be less than the national minimum. From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, modern award minimum wages rise by 4.75%. The lowest ongoing classification cannot sit under the national minimum of $26.44 per hour. An introductory rate limited to the first 6 months cannot sit under $25.74 per hour or $978.10 per week. For a 20-year-old under an award, check your award's pay rates – they may be above the junior percentage.

Compare with average earnings

The ABS May 2026 survey shows full-time adult ordinary-time earnings of $2,083.70 per week, and all employees average total earnings of $1,579.20 per week. The 20-year-old minimum of $981.92 is about 62% of that average. This gap reflects that juniors often start at lower pay and gain experience.

Internal resources

For more details on which pay floor applies to you, see Which minimum wage applies. To view the full rate tables for all ages and casual loadings, visit Rate tables.

Summary

The minimum wage for a 20 year old Australia is $25.84 per hour or $981.92 per week (award-free). Super is paid on top. Your actual pay may be higher if an award or agreement applies. Always check your classification and the applicable legal floor.

For the published floors, see the rate tables and how the figures work.