Methodology and provenance
How AwardGuard uses Fair Work award-rate data
AwardGuard compares supported employer-entered rates with adult base minimums sourced from the Fair Work Commission Modern Awards Pay Database. This page explains the source, selection rules, effective-date handling, comparison scope, verification process, and limitations so an employer can understand what a result does and does not mean.
Who operates the checker?
AwardGuard is operated by Mixma AI in Australia. It is an independent software product, not an FWC or FWO service, and its output is general information rather than workplace-relations or legal advice.
What data source is used?
Supported adult base minimums are sourced from the FWC Modern Awards Pay Database. AwardGuard links users to the database, the API documentation where relevant, the applicable award instrument, and FWO pay guides for verification. It does not present a private or invented rate as an official figure.
How are supported rates selected?
The public product allowlists five award codes: MA000004, MA000009, MA000003, MA000022, and MA000100. Classification pages use curated adult-base classification labels and only resolve a page when the live source can match the classification. Penalty-labelled, shift-labelled, and other thin near-duplicate rows are not used as standalone SEO pages.
How are effective dates handled?
A fixed rate is shown as current only when the source row includes an operative date. If a row lacks that date, AwardGuard does not label it a current minimum. Rate pages show the operative date returned by the source; hub pages explain that dates vary by classification.
What does the checker compare?
It compares the hourly amount entered by an employer with the selected supported adult base minimum, in AUD, and can show source context and a possible difference for review. The comparison is not a complete pay calculation.
What does the checker not determine?
It does not determine which award applies, whether an employee is correctly classified, whether an enterprise agreement applies, or whether a payroll is legally compliant. It does not authoritatively calculate every penalty, loading, allowance, overtime, junior, or apprentice entitlement.
Why does the applicable award always prevail?
The award instrument and official Fair Work guidance are the controlling sources. A tool can be stale, a role can be fact-specific, and a result can be outside the product’s coverage. If AwardGuard differs from the applicable award, follow the official instrument and seek qualified advice.
How can a result be verified?
- Open the linked FWC source and applicable award instrument.
- Confirm coverage and classification using duties and official guidance.
- Check the relevant FWO pay guide for conditions beyond the adult base rate.
- Keep the source URL, operative date, and review decision with the payroll record.
How are issues reported and updates recorded?
Report a public data or content issue to hello@mixma.ai. Updates are reviewed against the registered official sources, source/schema changes, FWC operative-date changes, and classification-label changes. Material content changes receive a dated review stamp and a deterministic sitemap last-modified value; source failures do not create invented rates.
Official verification starts with the FWC Modern Awards Pay Database, the relevant award instrument, and the FWO pay guide.