Your base wage isn’t the whole story. On top of your hourly rate, your award may add allowances — extra money for tools, travel, meals and messy or awkward work. Plenty of apprentices never claim what they’re owed simply because nobody explained it. Here’s the plain-English version.
Short version: Allowances are extra payments on top of your base rate, set by your award. Common ones cover tools, travel, meals and special conditions. Check the Fair Work PACT calculator and your payslip to make sure you’re getting them.
What allowances are
An allowance is money paid on top of your ordinary wage to cover a cost you carry or a condition you work in. They’re not a bonus or a favour — where your award says you get one, it’s a legal entitlement. Because they’re set by your specific award, the exact amounts and which ones apply vary by trade, which is why we point you to the official calculator rather than quoting figures that go out of date.
Common allowances for apprentices and tradies
Tool allowance
Many trades require you to supply and maintain your own tools. A tool allowance helps cover that cost, usually paid as a weekly amount. If your trade expects you to bring your own gear, check whether a tool allowance should be on your payslip.
Travel and vehicle allowances
If you travel between sites, start away from the workshop, or use your own car for work, your award may pay a travel allowance or a per-kilometre vehicle allowance. This is separate from your normal commute to a fixed workplace — it’s about work-related travel during the job.
Meal allowance
Work unexpected overtime or long hours without enough notice to bring food, and many awards pay a meal allowance so you’re not out of pocket for grabbing a feed.
Special rates and disability allowances
Awards often add extra pay for dirty, wet, hot, confined, high or otherwise unpleasant work — sometimes called “special rates” or “disability allowances” (meaning difficult conditions, not a personal disability). Working in the rain, in confined spaces, at heights, or with certain materials can each attract a small extra amount.
Leading hand and first aid allowances
If you’re given extra responsibility supervising others, a leading hand allowance may apply. If you hold a first aid qualification and are the nominated first aider, some awards pay a first aid allowance too.
Living away and accommodation allowances
If work sends you away from home overnight, your award may cover accommodation and living-away costs. This matters for apprentices doing block training or working on distant jobs.
How to make sure you’re getting them
Step 1: Read your award
Every allowance lives in your award. Search the Fair Work Ombudsman site for the award covering your trade and look at the allowances section — it lists every one and when it applies.
Step 2: Check the PACT calculator
The Fair Work PACT calculator at calculate.fairwork.gov.au includes allowances for many awards. It shows the current amounts alongside your base and overtime rates, so you’re working from live figures.
Step 3: Match it against your payslip
Allowances should be itemised separately on your payslip, not buried in your hourly rate. If you’re doing work that should attract an allowance and it’s not there, note the dates and raise it.
Step 4: Raise anything missing
Start with a calm conversation or an email to payroll. If it’s not sorted, the Fair Work Ombudsman can help — and you can’t be punished for asking.
Why allowances get missed
Allowances slip through the cracks more than almost any other entitlement, and usually for innocent reasons. A payroll system set up for the base rate never gets the allowance switched on. An apprentice does dirty or confined-space work occasionally and nobody flags it. Or the person doing the pay run simply doesn’t know your award includes them. Because each allowance is often a modest weekly or per-shift amount, it’s easy for both sides to overlook — but over a full apprenticeship, the total is far from small.
The habit that protects you is simple: once a fortnight, glance at your payslip and ask whether the work you actually did that period should have triggered any allowance. Worked in the rain? Up a ladder all week? Used your own car between jobs? Bought and maintained your own tools? Each of those may have a line in your award. You’re not being difficult by checking — you’re just making sure you get what the award already says is yours.
Allowances and tax
Some allowances are taxed and some aren’t, and a few relate to costs you might also be able to claim as a tax deduction — like tools you buy yourself. Keep your receipts. How allowances are taxed depends on the type, so the ATO is the place to confirm, and our tax deductions guide covers the basics for tradies.
The simple habit that pays off here is record-keeping. Hang on to receipts for tools, safety gear and anything work-related you buy yourself, and keep a note of work travel in your own car. That way, if a cost is deductible, you’ve got the paperwork ready at tax time — and if an allowance goes missing from your pay, you’ve got evidence of the work that should have triggered it. A shoebox or a folder on your phone is enough; you just need to be able to find it later.
FAQ
Are allowances part of my base pay?
No. Allowances are paid on top of your base wage and should be listed separately on your payslip.
Do apprentices get the same allowances as qualified tradies?
Often yes — allowances like tool, travel and special rates generally apply regardless of your apprenticeship stage, though some depend on the work you’re actually doing. Check your award.
My boss says allowances are “included” in my rate. Is that allowed?
Only in limited cases, and it must be clearly agreed and still leave you no worse off than the award. If it’s vague or you suspect you’re missing out, check PACT and ask questions.
Can I claim tools on tax and get a tool allowance?
Possibly. A tool allowance is income, while tools you buy for work may be deductible. They’re separate things — keep receipts and check the ATO.
Where do I find the exact amounts?
The PACT calculator and your award document. Amounts change over time, so always use the live official source.
Where to confirm everything
- fairwork.gov.au — allowances and your award
- calculate.fairwork.gov.au — the PACT calculator for current amounts
- ato.gov.au — how allowances are taxed and what you can deduct
- apprenticeships.gov.au — apprenticeship pay and support
General information only — not financial, legal or tax advice. Check the official source and your state authority before acting.
Related guides
- Apprentice Wages Explained
- Payslips and Getting Paid Right
- Apprentice Rights on Site
- Tax Deductions for Apprentices and Tradies
- Overtime and Penalty Rates Explained
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