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This free tool is designed to help you understand how award pay shoud be calculated based on supplied shifts.
By entering timesheet data, you can see a breakdown of how your pay is determined under the relevant award rules.
This can help you identify any discrepancies in pay and ensure that your pay is accurately compensated according to your award.
To check if you're being paid correctly, you need to compare your actual hours worked against the pay rules in your applicable award. This includes your base rate, penalties, overtime, allowances, and loadings. The most accurate way is to enter your timesheet data into an award calculator that applies the award rules automatically, rather than relying only on the rate shown on your payslip.
Underpayment occurs when your total pay is less than what your award entitles you to, even if your hourly rate looks reasonable. Common causes include missed penalty rates, unpaid overtime or incorrect classifications. Comparing your timesheet against your award calculations is the best way to identify potential underpayment.
Yes. If you have your timesheet details (dates, start and finish times, breaks, and role), you can calculate what your award should have paid for those hours. An award calculator processes this data through the award rules and produces a breakdown of expected pay, making it much easier than manual calculations.
Penalty rates depend on when you worked, not just how long you worked. To check them, you need to confirm whether your shifts fall on weekends, public holidays, late nights, early mornings, or other penalty periods defined by your award. An award calculator applies these rules automatically and shows which penalties should apply to each shift.
Many awards include higher pay rates for weekends and public holidays, but the exact entitlement depends on your award, classification, and employment type. Some salaried or annualised arrangements may absorb penalties, but only if they leave you better off overall. The only way to be sure is to calculate your pay under the award rules.
Casual employees typically receive a casual loading (often 25%) instead of paid leave entitlements. This loading is added to the base rate, but penalties and overtime may still apply on top of it, depending on the award. A common mistake is assuming the casual loading replaces all other entitlements — it usually does not.
Overtime rules vary by award and can depend on daily hours, weekly totals, rostering patterns, and breaks between shifts. To check overtime, you need to assess your worked hours against these thresholds. Award calculators automatically apply these conditions and show when overtime should have been triggered.
Split shifts occur when a workday is broken into two or more separate periods with unpaid gaps in between. Many awards include split shift allowances or minimum payments when this happens. Calculating these manually is difficult, but an award engine can detect split shifts from your timesheet and apply the correct rules.
Employers can test compliance by running employee timesheets through an award calculation engine and comparing the result to what was actually paid. This helps identify underpayments, incorrect classifications, or issues with flat rates or salaries. Regular checks are an effective way to reduce compliance risk.
There are many factors that can affect the accuracy of this calculator, modern awards are legal documents and are open to interpretation, so the accuracy can vary depending on the interpretation of the awards. There are also complex award rules that require detailed information about the employee's role, classification, and work patterns. This free tool applies the award rules as accurately as possible, but it may not cover every nuance or unique situation.
Award pay data is sourced from Fair Work - published modern awards, Microkeeper then converts this into our award interpretation engine, this engine is configured by our Payroll Compliance team.
Yes. Payroll software that includes built-in award interpretation can automatically apply correct rates, penalties, and overtime during each pay run. This reduces reliance on manual checks and significantly lowers the risk of ongoing underpayments.
Yes, Microkeeper uses a rules-based award engine that processes real timesheet data against current award conditions. This allows both employees and employers to clearly see what an award would have paid and ensure future payroll is compliant.
It turns complex award rules into transparent, auditable calculations. Microkeeper also includes Roster, Timesheet and HR modules to streamline workforce management.
Feel free to Contact Us if you wish to learn more.