If you budget only the rostered hourly wage, you are likely undercounting true labour cost. In Australian hospitality, superannuation, penalty rates, casual loading, and allowances can shift your real cost per hour far more than teams expect.
This guide gives a practical calculator flow you can use in weekly operations, not just in annual budgeting.
Quick Summary
- Use
loaded hourly cost, not base roster wage, for pricing decisions. - Keep weekday and weekend/public-holiday cost models separate.
- Convert labour to cost per dish using prep-and-service minutes.
- Recalculate monthly and after any wage-order or award change.
Why this matters in 2026 Australia
Two policy anchors already affect labour math in current operations:
- Fair Work Commission decisions set the National Minimum Wage framework, with the 2024-25 review applying from
1 July 2025. - ATO settings moved the Super Guarantee rate to
12% from 1 July 2025.
If your labour model still uses old super settings or one blended hourly number, menu contribution can look healthier than it is.
Calculator Inputs
Use these four inputs per role and shift type:
baseHourlyWagesuperRate(for example,0.12)penaltyMultiplier(weekday, Saturday, Sunday, public holiday)allowancesPerHour(uniform/laundry/split-shift-style costs converted to hourly)
Core Formula
loadedHourlyCost = baseHourlyWage x (1 + superRate) x penaltyMultiplier + allowancesPerHour
labourCostPerDish = loadedHourlyCost / 60 x labourMinutesPerDishIf any denominator is zero, return 0 and fix the inputs first.
Worked Example (AUD)
Assumptions for a cafe role:
- Base wage:
A$30.00/hour - Super rate:
12% - Weekday penalty multiplier:
1.00 - Saturday penalty multiplier:
1.25 - Allowances:
A$0.80/hour
Weekday loaded labour cost:
30.00 x 1.12 x 1.00 + 0.80 = A$34.40/hourSaturday loaded labour cost:
30.00 x 1.12 x 1.25 + 0.80 = A$42.80/hourNow convert to dish-level labour cost with 11 labour minutes per dish:
weekday labour cost per dish = 34.40 / 60 x 11 = A$6.31
saturday labour cost per dish = 42.80 / 60 x 11 = A$7.85The same menu price has very different contribution by shift.
Local Operating Example: Melbourne CBD vs Regional Queensland
| Context | Typical pressure | Practical move |
|---|---|---|
| Melbourne CBD lunch-heavy cafe | Tight peak windows and short service bursts | Use tighter prep windows and separate weekday lunch pricing checks |
| Regional Queensland pub-style venue | Broader trading hours and weekend dependence | Build Saturday/Sunday labour assumptions directly into menu review cadence |
One labour target for all dayparts usually hides where profit actually leaks.
20-Minute Monthly Labour Control Loop
- Pull actual hours by role and daypart from the past 30 days.
- Refresh wage, penalty, and super assumptions from official pay guides.
- Recalculate loaded hourly cost for each role and shift block.
- Re-price or re-bundle items where contribution misses your floor.
Related Guides
- Australia Menu Pricing Guide
- Australia Menu Pricing Calculator
- Australia Food Cost Calculator
- Australia Restaurant Surcharge Guide
- Restaurant Labor Cost Percentage Guide
- Prime Cost Guide
KitchenCost helps teams keep labour assumptions, recipe cost, and menu targets in one monthly workflow.