Pay & entitlements
Casual vs permanent: the real take-home difference
Casual loading vs permanent leave — which actually leaves you better off? How the 25% casual loading, paid leave, super and public holidays compare for your real take-home pay in 2026.
"Casual pays more per hour" is true — but it's only half the story. The 25% casual loading is real money in each pay, yet permanent roles bundle in paid leave, public holidays and predictable hours that have a dollar value too. This guide compares the two honestly so you can work out which leaves you better off.
The 25% casual loading
Most modern awards add a 25% casual loading on top of the equivalent permanent base rate. It exists precisely because casuals don't get paid leave. So a casual on $35/hr base + 25% loading earns about $43.75/hr — clearly more per hour than a permanent worker on the same $35 base.
But the loading is compensation for what's missing. The honest comparison weighs the loading against the value of the entitlements a permanent worker receives.
What each side actually includes
| Feature | Casual | Permanent (full/part-time) |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | Base + 25% loading | Base rate |
| Paid annual leave | No | Yes (usually 4 weeks/yr full-time) |
| Paid personal/sick leave | No | Yes (usually 10 days/yr full-time) |
| Paid public holidays (not worked) | No | Yes (if normally rostered) |
| Predictable, guaranteed hours | No | Yes |
| Super (12%) | Yes | Yes |
| Notice / redundancy | Limited | Yes |
The two things that swing the comparison most are paid leave and roster stability. Four weeks of annual leave plus ten days of personal leave is roughly six weeks of paid time off a year — about 11.5% of a full-time year. That's a big chunk of the 25% loading right there, before you count public holidays and job security.
A rough worked comparison
Take a $35/hr permanent base, 38 hours a week:
- Permanent: $35 × 38 × 52 = $69,160 a year in wages, plus paid leave (you're paid even in your six weeks off) and paid public holidays.
- Casual: $43.75/hr × 38 × 52 = $86,450 if you worked every one of those weeks — but casuals typically don't. Take six weeks off (unpaid) and 10 sick days, and you're working roughly 44 weeks: $43.75 × 38 × 44 ≈ $73,150, with no pay on the weeks you're not working.
So the casual edge narrows sharply once you account for the leave a permanent worker is paid for anyway — and disappears entirely if casual hours are irregular. The right answer depends on how much leave you'd actually take and how stable your hours are.
The hidden differences
- Public holidays. Permanents who'd normally work the day usually get it paid off; casuals are generally only paid if they work it (with penalty rates). See Public holiday pay & penalty rates explained (2026).
- Super. The 12% Super Guarantee applies to both, and it's paid on the casual loading too — see Super is 12% from 2025 + payday super 2026.
- Income stability. Permanent income is predictable, which matters for loans and budgeting. Casual income can swing week to week.
- Casual conversion. Long-term, regular casuals may have a pathway to permanent employment — check the Fair Work Ombudsman on casual employees.
Work out your own number
The cleanest way to compare is to take each option's expected annual hours, run the gross through the PayClock take-home calculator, and look at the net per fortnight alongside the entitlements. For salaried equivalents, How much is take-home pay on $60k–$120k? gives you the income-tax side.
General information only — not financial or legal advice. Casual loading, leave entitlements and conversion rights are set by your award, enterprise agreement or contract and can differ from the figures above. Confirm with the Fair Work Ombudsman and the ATO.