Summary
The Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 (MA000009) covers cafés, restaurants, pubs, hotels, catering companies, and most food-service businesses in Australia. If you run a hospitality venue, this award likely applies to your staff — and it has specific requirements around hours, breaks, and record-keeping that your time and attendance system must support.
Maximum hours
- Full-time: 38 ordinary hours per week (or an average of 38 over a roster cycle of up to 4 weeks).
- Part-time: Agreed hours per week (minimum 8 hours). Must be regular and predictable.
- Casual: No guaranteed hours, but maximum 12 hours per shift (unless mutually agreed).
- Overtime: Triggered after 38 hours/week (full-time) or agreed hours (part-time). First 2 hours at 1.5×, then 2.0×.
Break entitlements
- Meal break: Unpaid 30–60 minute break after 5 hours of work (or 6 hours by agreement).
- Rest break: Paid 10-minute break per 4 hours worked.
- If no break is given: The employee must be paid at overtime rates for the entire period from when the break should have been taken until it is given or the shift ends.
NestedClock's break tracking records exactly when breaks start and end. The pre-payroll checker flags shifts where a break wasn't taken after 5+ hours, so you can address it before payroll closes.
Penalty rates under this award
- Saturday: 1.25× (full-time/part-time) or base + 25% casual loading (casuals)
- Sunday: 1.5× (full-time/part-time) or base + 25% casual loading + 50% (casuals)
- Public holidays: 2.25× (full-time/part-time) or 2.5× (casuals)
- Evening (after 7pm): +$2.59/hour (Level 1) — varies by classification
Record-keeping requirements
Under the Fair Work Act and this award, you must keep accurate records of:
- Hours worked each day (start time, finish time)
- Overtime hours
- Break times taken
- Leave taken
- Pay rates and amounts paid
Records must be kept for 7 years, be in English, and be readily accessible. NestedClock stores all this data with timestamps, accessible in your dashboard at any time.
Roster notice requirements
- Rosters must be displayed 7 days in advance (or as soon as reasonably practicable).
- Changes to the roster require 7 days' notice (unless mutually agreed or in genuine emergency).
NestedClock's roster email feature lets you publish and send rosters to staff as soon as they're ready — and the system records when they were published for compliance evidence.
Setting up NestedClock for hospitality
- Enable break tracking per shop (Manage → Shops).
- Set overtime at 38 hours/week and the daily threshold if applicable (Payments → Pay Rules).
- Set penalty rates for Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays matching your award classification.
- Enable late-start alerts to catch staff arriving late for their rostered shift.
- Use the pre-payroll checker weekly to catch anomalies before you export to Xero/MYOB.
Need help setting up your award-compliant configuration? Contact our team — we're happy to help Australian hospitality businesses get it right.