Effective date
Current, date-aware checks
AwardGuard uses the supported minimum that applies to the calculation date, rather than showing a rate without its time context.
Nurses Award rates changed from 1 August 2026
Review the nine supported aged-care ratesAustralian award-rate review software
Check the rate. Record the review. Keep the evidence.
Compare supported pay rates with current Fair Work minimums, identify possible shortfalls, then create a dated Payroll Evidence Pack with the source, warnings, approvals and correction history.
- Official source shown
- Effective date recorded
- No card for free checks
- Human review stays in control
Six supported scopes. Nurses coverage is limited to nine adult full-time or part-time aged-care ordinary rates. General information only.
Animated product tour of AwardGuard Pro: overview KPIs, workplaces search, reports with PDF and CSV export, and the Wage Hike Simulator, then returning to the overview. Use the pause control to stop the animation.
Current update · source checked
What changed under the Nurses Award from 1 August 2026?
New minimum rates apply from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 August 2026 for eligible enrolled and registered nurses working in aged care. AwardGuard supports nine verified adult full-time or part-time ordinary-rate classifications.
This is deliberately narrow coverage. Casual and junior rates, penalties, overtime, allowances, retained rates, nursing assistants and award coverage decisions are not included.
Why AwardGuard?
A pay rate is only part of the answer
AwardGuard helps payroll teams check supported minimum rates, understand what was reviewed, and keep a dated record backed by official Fair Work sources.
Official source
Fair Work sources shown
Each supported result identifies the award, classification, published year and effective date used for the check.
Review record
Evidence kept with the review
Pro users can retain inputs, results, warnings, notes, approvals, corrections and PDF export history in a Payroll Evidence Pack.
Limits recorded
Uncertainty stays visible
Scope limits and warnings remain part of the review instead of every result being presented as complete or definitive.
What makes AwardGuard different?
AwardGuard combines supported minimum-rate checks with dated review records, official Fair Work sources, warnings, approval history and correction tracking.
General payroll information only, not legal or financial advice. Employers remain responsible for confirming award coverage, classifications and payroll decisions.
- National Minimum Wage from 1 July
- $26.44/hr
- National Minimum Wage from 1 July
- Casual NMW floor incl. 25% loading
- $33.05/hr
- Casual NMW floor incl. 25% loading
- New minimums apply from the first full pay period on or after this date
- 1 July
- New minimums apply from the first full pay period on or after this date
Source: Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review 2026.
The FWO calculator looks up one rate. AwardGuard checks each supported role against current minimums — and lets you re-check saved roles when Fair Work updates.
FWO Pay Calculator
Looks up a single rate. Free and excellent. Use it.
AwardGuard
Checks each supported role against the current minimum, with the clause and recent history. Re-check your saved roles against current minimums in one click. Automated rate-change alerts - Coming soon.
The risk is rarely the one rate you look up. It is the junior classification that moved up a level, or the casual whose new floor is higher than what your payroll template still says.
AwardGuard checks each supported role against the current minimum from the official Fair Work Commission Pay Database. When Fair Work updates minimums, re-check your saved roles against current minimums. Automated rate-change alerts - Coming soon.
How it works
- 1
Pick your award and classification.
Choose from six supported award scopes, then select a covered adult classification. Nurses coverage is limited to nine verified aged-care ordinary rates.
- 2
Enter the hourly rate you pay.
One rate per role on Free (one role at a time). Sign in free, then run up to five checks per month.
- 3
See instantly if it clears the minimum.
Green if you are at or above, amber with the exact shortfall and clause if you are below, plus the last few years of the minimum.
Pro · Payroll Evidence Pack
Check the rate. Record the review. Keep the evidence.
A result can lose its context. Turn each supported rate check into a traceable record your team can review, approve, correct and export without silently replacing history.
Complete review records
Keep the inputs, selected minimum, result, warnings and exact award source used for each supported payroll review.
Approval history
Move a record from draft to review and approval with an attributable event trail.
Corrections without erasing
Create a new version when something changes while preserving the earlier approved evidence.
PDF export history
Record what version was exported, when it was exported and the evidence record it belongs to.
General information only. AwardGuard records a supported review; it does not determine the correct award or classification or certify legal compliance.
See Pro in action
Pro highlights roles that need review, surfaces your latest verdicts, and exports full check history for your bookkeeper.
What a pay-rate check shows
A pay-rate check compares the hourly rate you pay with the current Fair Work award minimum for that classification. You see whether you clear the floor, any dollar-per-hour shortfall, the award clause behind the figure, and recent history — so you can verify before payroll.
Included in every check
- Your rate next to the current award minimum for that role — so you know if it clears the floor
- The dollar-per-hour shortfall when you are below — so you can see how far off you are
- The award clause behind the minimum — so you can check the Fair Work source yourself
- Recent years of the same minimum — so you can see how the rate has moved
Also on Pro
- Penalty toggles for casual loading and basic weekend adjustments
- Smart roster import from Xero, Deputy, or Tanda exports
- Team re-check across saved roles
- Exportable pay-rate review reports (PDF and CSV)
Automated rate-change alerts — Coming soonNot available yet.
Who it's for
Australian employers, bookkeepers and payroll teams checking covered adult rates across six supported award scopes: General Retail, Hospitality, Fast Food, Cleaning Services, SCHADS, and nine verified Nurses Award aged-care ordinary rates. Nurses penalties, overtime, casual and junior rates are excluded. Browse supported award pages or get the free checklist.
What is not covered yet
Coverage
- Apprentice rates are not covered yet.
Estimates that need verification
- Junior age-band results are estimates only — check them against the Fair Work pay guide before you rely on them.
Other awards
- On a different award or an enterprise agreement? Email us first and we will tell you honestly if we can help.
General information only — not workplace relations or legal advice. The applicable modern award always prevails.
Sourced from Fair Work data
Every figure is sourced from the Fair Work Commission Modern Awards Pay Database, with its effective date shown when available.
Free account to start
Sign in with email or Google. Run up to 5 checks per month on one workplace and one role — no card required.
The clause, every time
Results cite the award clause behind each minimum, so you can verify it against the source yourself.
Your data stays minimal
We store only the classification and the rate a check needs. No sensitive personal information, nothing shared.
Simple pricing
Taste Free. Reduce manual rate checking on Pro — because one underpaid supported role costs more than a year of cover. Advisor Pass for multi-client bookkeepers — Coming soon.
Free
Sign in and try a few checks
- 5 rate checks per month
- 1 saved workplace and 1 role
- Live Fair Work minimum, shortfall and clause
Most popular
$29 AUD/mo
Or $290 AUD/yr (2 months free).
- Complete Payroll Evidence Pack records
- Approval history and correction versions
- Selectable-text PDF exports and export history
- Unlimited checks, workplaces and roles
- Visual pay-rate review status dashboard
- Smart roster import (Xero, Deputy, Tanda exports)
- Exportable pay-rate review reports
- Automated rate-change alerts - Coming soon.
- Casual loading and basic weekend penalty adjustments
- Cancel anytime
For advisers
$79 AUD/mo
Bookkeepers and payroll advisers with multiple client workplaces.
- Everything in Pro
- Client workplace search filter
- Unlimited client workplaces (name by client)
- Built for bookkeepers and payroll advisers
- Cancel anytime
Coming soon. Email hello@mixma.ai to join the adviser waitlist.
Questions
What makes AwardGuard different?
AwardGuard combines supported minimum-rate checks with dated review records, official Fair Work sources, warnings, approval history and correction tracking. It provides general payroll information only, not legal or financial advice.
Where does the data come from?
The Fair Work Commission's official Modern Award Pay Database, refreshed from source. Every result shows the effective date and published year of the figure it used.
Is this legal advice?
No. We identify pay rates to review. It is general information only, and the applicable modern award always prevails. For authoritative guidance contact the Fair Work Ombudsman or a qualified adviser.
Why not just use the free FWO calculator?
You should use it. It is free and excellent for looking up a single rate. AwardGuard checks each supported role in one place, shows the possible shortfall and award clause, and lets you re-check your saved roles against current minimums. Automated rate-change alerts - Coming soon.
What is free and what is Pro?
Free: 5 checks per month, one workplace, one role (sign-in required). Pro is $29 AUD/mo or $290 AUD/yr for unlimited checks, penalty toggles, team re-check across saved roles, CSV import, history, roster export, and Payroll Evidence Pack records with approval history, correction versions and PDF export history. Advisor Pass ($79 AUD/mo for bookkeepers managing multiple clients) — Coming soon. Automated rate-change alerts - Coming soon.
Which awards do you cover?
Six supported awards: General Retail, Hospitality, Fast Food, Cleaning Services, SCHADS, and a narrow verified Nurses Award aged-care ordinary-rate set. We check adult base rates. Pro adds casual loading, basic Saturday/Sunday penalty toggles, and broad junior age-band estimates. Junior percentages vary by award and must be checked against the Fair Work pay guide. Apprentice rates are not covered. Nurses Award penalties, overtime, casual and junior rates are excluded from the verified Nurses scope.
Is my data safe?
We store your account email, each check you run (award, classification, rate, result), and saved workplaces and roles. We hash your network address to limit abuse. We do not sell your data.
Check a rate in the next two minutes.
Pick your award, choose your classification, enter what you pay, and see instantly whether it clears the current minimum. Free account: 5 checks per month.
Prefer a checklist? Grab the free one.
A one-page rate-change checklist for your industry, covering what changed this year and what to check before your next pay run.