Australian Call Centre Salaries for 2026
From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, modern award rates rose by 4.75% following the Fair Work Commission's 2026 Annual Wage Review. That sets a new legal floor for Australian call centre salaries — but the floor is not the market.
Most contact centres pay well above the award to attract and keep people, and the gap between the minimum and the going rate is where the real story sits.
This guide covers both: the award minimums, penalty rates, overtime, superannuation and allowances that apply by law, and the market salary data showing what employers are actually paying in 2026.
The award is the floor
The Contract Call Centres Award sets the legal minimum pay, penalties and entitlements — the lowest a centre can lawfully pay.
The market sits higher
Persistent talent shortages and high attrition mean competitive rates run well above award, especially in metro markets.
What this guide covers
Award rates, penalty and overtime loadings, super, allowances, classifications, plus 2026 market salary data from SMAART Recruitment.
Read the award as a floor, not a guide to competitive pay
The single most common mistake when budgeting for contact centre roles is treating the award minimum as a market rate. It is not.
The award is the legally enforceable minimum — the point below which an employer cannot go. In a sector with persistent recruitment difficulty and high turnover, paying at or near the floor is close to a guarantee of attrition.
Use the award to understand your obligations and your cost structure; use the market data further down this page to understand what you actually need to pay.
Minimum Australian Call Centre Salaries 2026
Minimum pay for Australian call centre roles is set by the Fair Work Commission through the Contract Call Centres Award 2020 (MA000023). The award groups roles into classifications and sets a minimum weekly and hourly rate for each. The rates below are the consolidated award rates that apply from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, reflecting the 4.75% increase from the 2026 Annual Wage Review.
The award contains two parallel streams — a Customer Contact stream and a Clerical & Administration stream — which share the same pay points. The table below shows the rate for each pay point and the roles that sit on it.
| Classification | Minimum weekly rate (full-time) | Minimum hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Contact Trainee / Clerical & Admin Level 1 | $1,029.10 | $27.08 |
| Customer Contact Officer Level 1 / Clerical & Admin Level 2 | $1,062.90 | $27.97 |
| Customer Contact Officer Level 2 / Clerical & Admin Level 3 | $1,119.10 | $29.45 |
| Principal Customer Contact Specialist | $1,190.40 | $31.33 |
| Customer Contact Team Leader / Clerical & Admin Level 4 | $1,221.10 | $32.13 |
| Principal Customer Contact Leader / Clerical & Admin Level 5 | $1,309.50 | $34.46 |
| Contract Call Centre Industry Technical Associate | $1,415.10 | $37.24 |
Source: Contract Call Centres Award 2020 (MA000023), clause 15.1, effective 1 July 2026. Hourly rate = weekly rate ÷ 38.
Junior rates
Employees under 18 are paid a percentage of the adult rate for their classification: 50% at 15, 60% at 16, 70% at 17, and 100% from 18 onwards.
Award minimums are reviewed annually by the Fair Work Commission and almost always rise. Over the last four reviews the increase has been 5.75% (2023), 3.75% (2024), 3.5% (2025) and 4.75% (2026) — so a 3–5% annual lift is now the working assumption for cost planning, not the 1–3% that held in calmer years.
Penalty Rates
On top of the base rate, call centre staff working outside standard hours are entitled to penalty rates — a loading expressed as a percentage of their minimum hourly rate.
The award treats two groups differently: non-designated employees (the default), and designated shiftworkers who are rostered onto a recognised shift pattern. The two sets of penalties are not cumulative — an employee gets one or the other, not both.
Non-designated employees
| Ordinary / penalty time | Rate |
|---|---|
| Ordinary hours, Mon–Fri 7am–7pm | 100% |
| Mon–Fri before 7am / after 7pm | 125% |
| Saturday | 125% |
| Sunday 7am–7pm | 150% |
| Sunday 12am–7am & 7pm–12am | 175% |
| Public holiday | 250% |
Designated shiftworkers
| Ordinary / penalty time | Rate |
|---|---|
| Ordinary hours | 100% |
| Afternoon & night shift | 115% |
| Permanent night shift | 130% |
| Public holiday | 200% |
There are many permutations depending on roster design, shift recognition and how ordinary hours are spread. For a definitive answer on a specific roster, read the award directly or contact Fair Work.
Leave Loading
Some employees are also entitled to annual leave loading — an extra payment of 17.5% of base pay made while taking annual leave, designed to offset the penalties and overtime they'd otherwise have earned.
Where the penalties they would have earned exceed 17.5%, the award requires the higher amount instead. Leave loading is most common in the public sector and legacy enterprise agreements, and is not always included by default in private-sector contracts.
Standard Hours of Work
The award applies to full-time, part-time and casual employees, each with different rules.
Full-time
Engaged to work an average of 38 ordinary hours per week.
Part-time
Less than 38 ordinary hours per week, with reasonably predictable hours and pro-rata award pay and conditions based on the 38-hour standard. Must be rostered a minimum of 3 consecutive hours per shift.
Casual
Paid a 25% loading on top of the minimum rate; minimum 3 hours' pay per shift; employment can end on 1 hour's notice (or pay in lieu); not entitled to annual leave.
Why casuals matter
With defined peaks and troughs, many centres lean on casuals for flexibility — the trade-off is the 25% loading against the cost and disruption of carrying surplus permanent hours.
Working Overtime
When an employee works beyond their permitted ordinary hours, overtime loadings apply (as a percentage of the minimum hourly rate):
| Overtime worked on | Full-time & part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Saturday — first 3 hours | 150% | 187.5% |
| Monday to Saturday — after 3 hours | 200% | 250% |
| Sunday — all day | 200% | 250% |
Source: Contract Call Centres Award 2020, clause 20.1. Casual rates include the 25% casual loading.
The award also sets minimum payments for weekend overtime, call-backs and remote service/support, plus rest-break entitlements during and after overtime. If overtime is a regular feature of your operation, those provisions materially affect your cost-to-serve and are worth modelling properly.
Superannuation
On top of wages, employers must pay the Superannuation Guarantee — a compulsory contribution to the employee's retirement fund. As of 1 July 2025 the rate is 12% of ordinary time earnings, the final step of the legislated increases.
There are no further rises scheduled under current law, so for the first time in years super is a fixed input rather than a moving target.
New for 2026: Payday Super
From 1 July 2026, the way super is paid changes. Under Payday Super, employers must pay Superannuation Guarantee contributions on each payday — with contributions reaching the fund within 7 business days — rather than quarterly.
The 12% rate is unchanged; the cadence and compliance obligations are what's new. If you run weekly or fortnightly pays, this affects payroll and cashflow timing, so it's worth confirming your systems are ready.
Super is paid on ordinary time earnings, which excludes overtime. Employees can also make additional voluntary contributions, often with tax advantages — though that's a personal decision rather than an employer obligation.
Allowances
The award also provides for several allowances that are easy to overlook in salary planning. These apply where the relevant conditions are met and are adjusted periodically. The rates below apply from 1 July 2026:
| Allowance | Rate | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| First aid allowance | $21.71 / week | Qualified first aider appointed to perform first aid duties |
| Motor vehicle allowance | $1.00 / km | Required to use own vehicle on a casual basis for the employer's business |
| Meal allowance (overtime) | $18.67 / occasion | Where the employee is entitled to a rest break on qualifying overtime |
| Meal allowance (travelling) | $18.67 / meal | Reasonable expenses while travelling on the employer's business |
Source: Contract Call Centres Award 2020, clause 18 and Schedule C, effective 1 July 2026.
Australian Contact Centre Classifications
Because the Australian contact centre industry has no formal accreditation standard, the award's classifications are used to determine the appropriate pay level based on duties and qualifications. They don't change often. The Customer Contact stream classifications are set out below — expand each to see the role definition, indicative tasks and qualification benchmark.
That said, some of the qualification benchmarks are admittedly loose — an "Advanced Diploma in Telecommunications Computer Systems" is hardly a prerequisite for a successful contact centre career. In practice, good contact centre capability is global and built through real-world training, not award paperwork. You can explore frontline, Team Leader, Manager and Specialist courses at CX Skills, Australia's dedicated training platform for the contact centre and CX industry.
Customer Contact Officer Level 1
Role definition: Performs a prescribed range of functions involving known routines and procedures with some accountability for the quality of outcomes — receiving calls, using common call centre telephony and computer technology, entering and retrieving data, working in a team and managing their own work under guidance. Provides at least one specialised service such as product sales and advice, complaints or fault enquiries, or survey data collection.
Indicative tasks: Follow WHS procedures; communicate and work within a customer contact centre; respond to inbound and conduct outbound contact; use basic computer technology and an enterprise information system; provide quality customer service. May also fulfil customer needs, process sales, action fault reports, resolve complaints, process low-risk credit applications, handle basic account enquiries and conduct data collection.
Qualification benchmark: Certificate II in Telecommunications (Customer Contact) or equivalent.
Customer Contact Officer Level 2
Role definition: Performs a defined range of skilled operations within broader related activities, where some discretion and judgment is required in selecting equipment, services or contingency measures within known time constraints. Provides multiple specialised services (complex sales and service advice, difficult complaint and fault enquiries, deployment of service staff), uses multiple technologies, and gives limited leadership to less experienced staff.
Indicative tasks: As for Level 1, plus managing customer relationships, conducting telemarketing campaigns, providing sales solutions, negotiating on major faults, resolving complex complaints, and processing high-risk credit applications and complex accounts.
Qualification benchmark: Certificate III in Telecommunications (Customer Contact) or equivalent.
Principal Customer Contact Specialist
Role definition: Performs a broad range of skilled applications and provides leadership and guidance to others. Works with a high degree of autonomy and authority to make decisions on specific customer contact matters, acting as a coach, mentor or senior staff member. Handles services requiring a high level of product or service knowledge and takes responsibility for rectifying complex situations — emergencies, substantial complaints, service disruptions or customer dissatisfaction.
Note: May provide on-the-job training instead of handling contacts, and assist with developing training programs when not taking calls.
Customer Contact Team Leader
Role definition: Performs a broad range of skilled applications including evaluating and analysing current practices, developing new criteria and procedures, and providing leadership in a team leader role. Works autonomously with authority to make decisions on customer contact matters and takes responsibility for rectifying complex situations.
Indicative tasks: As for the officer levels, plus leading operations, monitoring safety, implementing continuous improvement, leading innovation and change, administering contact centre technology, implementing customer service strategies, leading teams, developing individuals and leading on-the-job training.
Qualification benchmark: Certificate IV in Telecommunications (Customer Contact) or equivalent.
Principal Customer Contact Leader
Role definition: Applies a significant range of fundamental principles and complex techniques across a wide and often unpredictable variety of functions. Contributes to a broad plan, budget or strategy and is accountable for self and others in achieving outcomes. Typically coordinates the work of a number of teams and has several specialists or supervisors reporting in.
Indicative tasks: Manage personal work priorities and development; provide workplace leadership; establish effective relationships; facilitate work teams; manage the operational plan and workplace information systems; manage quality customer service; ensure a safe workplace; promote continuous improvement; facilitate change and innovation; develop a workplace learning environment.
Qualification benchmark: Diploma — Front Line Management or equivalent.
Contract Call Centre Industry Technical Associate
Role definition: Applies a significant range of fundamental principles and complex techniques across a wide and often unpredictable variety of contexts. Involved in the design, installation and management of telecommunications computer equipment, systems and data communications equipment — assessing installation requirements, designing systems, planning and performing installations, testing equipment and fault finding. High autonomy, may supervise others.
Indicative tasks: Qualification testing of new or enhanced equipment; system administration; network traffic management; network performance analysis; creating code; preparing detailed designs for a communication network.
Qualification benchmark: Advanced Diploma in Telecommunications Computer Systems or equivalent.
For the authoritative, current version, always refer to the Contract Call Centres Award on the Fair Work Commission site ›
Average Australian Contact Centre Salaries for 2026
While the award sets the minimum, most Australian contact centres pay well above it to attract and retain quality people. The figures below come from the 2026 Best Practice Report produced by SMAART Recruitment, a specialist contact centre recruitment agency, drawn from their market research and large-scale industry surveying. We've published a curated selection of the data here; the full report covers considerably more detail.
Frontline customer service agents
Frontline agent salary by state — 2025 snapshot
Source: SMAART Recruitment 2026 Best Practice Report (2025 state figures, republished). Figures exclude super.
The state spread is the headline: frontline pay is remarkably flat across the country, clustering within about $3,500 of itself from Victoria to Western Australia. The bigger movement is over time — every state has climbed steadily since 2023, as the trend table shows.
| State | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | $62,800 | $63,500 | $64,530 |
| Western Australia | $64,500 | $65,000 | $65,500 |
| Queensland | $55,600 | $57,500 | $62,288 |
| South Australia | $55,000 | $58,000 | $62,109 |
| Victoria | $57,600 | $60,000 | $61,996 |
Source: SMAART Recruitment 2026 Best Practice Report. Figures exclude super.
Team leaders
Team leader pay clusters around the mid-$90,000s, with the differentiator being the bonus — outbound sales team leaders earn the most variable pay, with 86% receiving a bonus averaging $17,800.
| Role | Avg base (national) | Avg bonus received |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Service Team Leader | $97,000 + super | $10,100 + super |
| Helpdesk / Technical Team Leader | $96,700 + super | $6,200 + super |
| Inbound Sales Team Leader | $90,100 + super | $14,000 + super |
| Outbound Sales Team Leader | $90,000 + super | $17,800 + super |
Source: SMAART Recruitment 2026 Best Practice Report.
Learn more about the Call Centre Team Leader role — KPIs, duties and more ›
Workforce planning & specialist roles
Workforce management remains one of the better-paid specialist tracks in the contact centre, reflecting how hard these skills are to find. Knowledge management roles sit alongside them, with both showing a very wide salary range depending on seniority and scope.
| Role | Avg base (national) |
|---|---|
| Workforce Planning Manager | $146,900 + super |
| Workforce Lead | $137,500 + super |
| Forecaster (incl. Forecast Analyst / Planner) | $108,800 + super |
| Workforce Planner (or similar) | $104,800 + super |
| Scheduler | $96,200 + super |
| Knowledge Manager (or similar) | $130,000 + super |
| Knowledge Management Consultant / Specialist | $95,000 + super |
Source: SMAART Recruitment 2026 Best Practice Report.
If you're building or stretching a workforce planning function, the Workforce Optimisation courses at CX Skills cover the practical capability behind these roles.
Leadership & management
Leadership titles vary wildly across the industry — one centre's "Head of Contact Centre" is another's "Operations Manager", and pay doesn't always follow the title. SMAART's own caution is worth repeating: consider several titles, not just one. The curated snapshot below shows the broad shape of the ladder.
| Role | Avg base salary | Avg bonus (recipients) |
|---|---|---|
| Operations Manager | $136,125 | $57,000 |
| Contact Centre Manager | $136,950 | $26,714 |
| Customer Service Manager | $138,000 | $13,500 |
| Senior Contact Centre Manager | $148,818 | $15,667 |
| Senior Operations Manager | $158,600 | $27,750 |
| Head of Customer Service | $183,545 | $27,800 |
| Head of Contact Centre/s | $190,182 | $43,231 |
| General Manager | $267,000 | $43,750 |
Source: SMAART Recruitment 2026 Best Practice Report. Salaries exclude super; bonus shown for recipients only.
Read averages with caution
A single "average" salary hides enormous spread — SMAART reports a Head of Contact Centre range of $100,000 to $350,000. The average is a starting point for a conversation, not a number to anchor on. Where you land depends on scope, headcount, channel mix, sector and location far more than the title on the org chart.
Common salary-setting pitfalls
Treating the award as a competitive rate
The award is a legal floor. Paying at or near it in a tight labour market is a churn strategy, not a pay strategy — and churn is expensive.
Anchoring on a single average
Averages mask huge ranges. A leadership role can span $100k to $350k. Use ranges and context, not one headline number.
Leaving penalties out of cost models
Sunday, public holiday and shift loadings materially change cost-to-serve for any centre running extended hours. Model them properly.
Assuming AI removes the wage pressure
Automation results are mixed. Talent cost isn't disappearing — and poorly designed deflection can push cost and churn up, not down.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage for a call centre worker in Australia in 2026?
From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, the minimum for an entry-level Customer Contact Trainee is $1,029.10 per week ($27.08 per hour). A Customer Contact Officer Level 1 starts at $1,062.90 per week ($27.97 per hour). These are award minimums — most centres pay above them.
Which award covers Australian call centre workers?
The Contract Call Centres Award 2020 (MA000023), set by the Fair Work Commission, covers most contract call centre roles. Some in-house contact centres may instead fall under an occupational award or an enterprise agreement, so it's worth confirming which instrument applies to your specific business.
Do call centre staff get penalty rates?
Yes. Work outside standard hours attracts penalty rates — for example 125% on Saturday, 150% on Sunday daytime, and 250% on public holidays for non-designated employees. Designated shiftworkers are paid a different (generally lower) shift-penalty structure. The two are not cumulative.
What's the average call centre salary in Australia?
For a frontline customer service agent, SMAART Recruitment's 2026 national average is $64,393 + super ($69,459 for a senior agent). Team leaders sit around the mid-$90,000s, workforce and specialist roles run from roughly $95,000 to $147,000, and leadership roles range from about $136,000 up to $267,000 for a General Manager.
How much do call centre managers earn?
SMAART's 2026 data puts a Contact Centre Manager at about $136,950 base, a Senior Contact Centre Manager at $148,818, and a Head of Contact Centre at $190,182 — but ranges are very wide ($100k–$350k at the Head level), so title alone is a poor predictor of pay.
Are casual call centre workers paid more?
Per hour, yes — casuals receive a 25% loading on top of the minimum rate to compensate for the lack of paid leave and job security. They're also guaranteed a minimum 3 hours' pay per shift. Whether casual work pays more overall depends on hours worked and the value placed on leave and security.
Does the award rate change every year?
Almost always. The Fair Work Commission reviews award minimums annually, with increases typically taking effect from 1 July. Recent rises have been 5.75% (2023), 3.75% (2024), 3.5% (2025) and 4.75% (2026), so budgeting for a 3–5% annual lift is sensible.
Is superannuation paid on top of these salaries?
Yes. The Superannuation Guarantee is 12% of ordinary time earnings, paid on top of wages. From 1 July 2026, Payday Super requires it to be paid each payday (within 7 business days) rather than quarterly. Super is not paid on overtime.
Where to next
Summary
The award tells you the floor; the market tells you the rate. From 1 July 2026 the Contract Call Centres Award sets minimums 4.75% higher than last year, with super locked at 12% and Payday Super changing how it's paid. But the gap between those minimums and what SMAART's data shows employers actually paying — a frontline national average near $64,000, leadership well into six figures — is the number that matters for recruitment and retention.
The real pressure now isn't post-pandemic reshoring; it's the AI-versus-cost equation playing out in boardrooms. Automation is being pitched as the lever to cut cost-to-serve, but results on the ground are mixed — some centres see gains, others face customer backlash and expensive rework. Whether AI delivers enough value to protect local jobs, or whether margin pressure drives a fresh wave of offshoring, remains one of the open questions for the industry.
Awards are complex, and the consequences of getting pay and classification wrong are real. Use this guide to understand the framework, lean on the market data for context, and get specialist HR or legal advice for decisions that carry weight. ACXPA members can also use the private support groups to compare notes with peers, and the Fair Work Commission can be reached directly via the FWC contact page.
