How much do farm jobs pay in Australia?
Last checked
Short answer
Casual farm workers under the Horticulture Award must get at least the casual minimum rate, about $31 an hour for adults from 1 July 2025. Piece rates are legal but must let an average picker earn 15% more than that floor. Employers also pay 12% super, and working holiday makers pay 15% tax from the first dollar.
The numbers
| Casual adult, Horticulture Award Level 1 (includes 25% casual loading) | about $31 an hour |
| Piece rates | at least the hourly floor, and set so an average competent picker earns 15% more |
| Superannuation (paid on top by the employer) | 12% of ordinary earnings |
| Working holiday maker tax, first $45,000 | 15% |
Rates from 1 July 2025. They rise every 1 July; the Fair Work Pay Calculator has the exact figure for your role.
What a week looks like
A 38-hour week at about $31 an hour is roughly $1,178 before tax. At 15% backpacker tax that is about $1,000 in your account, plus around $141 paid into your super fund. Piece-rate weeks vary with the crop, the weather and your speed: fast pickers in a good block can beat the hourly rate, slow weeks cannot legally pay less than the hourly floor.
Rent, transport to the farm and equipment can only come out of your pay if you agreed in writing. If your payslip works out below the floor for the hours you worked, that is underpayment, and the red flags page explains how to report it. See live pay on real listings in jobs, or pick a town from farm work by town.
Common follow-up questions
What is the minimum hourly rate for casual farm work?
For an adult casual at Level 1 under the Horticulture Award, about $31 an hour from 1 July 2025, which includes the 25% casual loading. Rates rise every 1 July; use the Fair Work Pay Calculator for today's figure.
Are piece rates legal in Australia?
Yes, but since April 2022 every pieceworker covered by the Horticulture Award is guaranteed at least the minimum hourly rate for the hours worked, and the piece rate must let an average competent worker earn at least 15% more than that.
How much tax do backpackers pay on farm work?
Working holiday makers pay 15% on income up to $45,000, as long as the employer is registered as a working holiday maker employer. Otherwise the higher foreign-resident rate may be withheld.
Is superannuation paid on farm work?
Yes. Employers must pay 12% of ordinary time earnings into your super fund from 1 July 2025. You can claim it back after you leave Australia through the DASP, taxed at 65% for working holiday makers.
Sources
- Fair Work: Horticulture Award summary (MA000028)
- Fair Work Pay Calculator
- ATO: working holiday makers and tax
- Fair Work Ombudsman: visa holders and migrants
General information, not migration or legal advice. Rules and pay rates change, so confirm anything your visa depends on with the official source.
More quick answers
Count your days as you go
Matey's free 88-day tracker logs each day with the farm and postcode, and keeps your payslips in one place for the visa application.
Open the 88-day tracker