Under the Horticulture Award, a piece rate on its own is not enough. Each day, every pieceworker has to be paid at least their award hourly rate multiplied by the hours they worked that day, and you have to keep records of the hours worked and the piece rate that applied. Since 1 July 2026, Payday Super adds a second clock: super for each pay run has to reach workers' funds within 7 business days of payday, so weekly-paid seasonal crews mean weekly super. For growers, the work sits between three places: the picking or labour app that counts bins and hours, the payroll system, and Xero or MYOB. This article explains what the rules ask for and how to connect those systems so the numbers agree. It is general information, not legal advice, so check your obligations with the Fair Work Ombudsman, your accountant or your adviser.
How Horticulture Award piece rates work
The Fair Work Ombudsman's horticulture pages set out the rules that have applied since 28 April 2022. In short:
- Full-time, part-time and casual employees can be paid piece rates. They are called pieceworkers.
- The piece rate has to be set high enough. According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, a pieceworker working at the average productivity of a pieceworker competent at the task must be able to earn at least 15% more per hour than the minimum hourly rate for their classification. For casuals, that calculation sits on top of the casual loading.
- There is a daily minimum. For each day worked, a pieceworker must be paid at least their award hourly rate (including the casual loading for casuals) multiplied by the hours worked that day. If their piece earnings for the day are higher, they get the higher amount.
- Days can't be averaged. Fair Work says earnings above the daily minimum on one day can't be offset against a shortfall on another day, so the check has to be done day by day.
- Other work is paid hourly. If a pieceworker does tasks not covered by their piece rate, that time is paid at the award hourly rate.
- New pieceworkers get the same rate. A pieceworker with less than 76 hours' experience on the task is paid the same piece rate as a competent one, with no lower "training" rate.
Labour hire workers on farms can be covered by the award too, so these rules matter whether you employ the crew directly or through a provider.
The records you have to keep
Fair Work says that, as well as the usual employee records, employers of pieceworkers must keep:
- A copy of each piecework record given to a pieceworker. A piecework record is a written, signed document given before the piecework starts, setting out the start date and time, the task, the piece rate, the worker's hourly rate and a set statement about the daily minimum.
- A record of all hours worked by each pieceworker and the piece rate that applied when those hours were worked.
If you change a piece rate, you have to give the pieceworker a new piecework record first. Fair Work also suggests reviewing piece rates when work, weather or crop conditions change, and after each annual wage review.
The systems point: the daily check needs hours and output for each worker for each day, plus the rate that applied that day. If the picking app has bins but not hours, or hours are written on a clipboard, the daily check can't be done properly.
What Payday Super adds for growers
Payday Super started on 1 July 2026. Super has to reach each eligible worker's fund within 7 business days after each payday. Casual and seasonal workers are generally eligible, but check the ATO's eligibility rules for your crew.
For a grower paying a seasonal crew weekly, that means:
- A super payment every week, not every quarter.
- Fund details from day one. Seasonal workers arrive and leave quickly. A worker without fund details in payroll before their first pay is an easy missed deadline.
- Corrections carry super. If the daily check finds a shortfall and you top up a worker's pay, that top-up is also earnings for super.
The ATO's first year of Payday Super (to 30 June 2027) focuses on helping employers who are trying to pay each payday and fix problems quickly. Our Payday Super checklist covers the payroll set-up in Xero and MYOB.
Connecting the picking app, payroll and the accounts
Most growers already have the pieces. The work is getting them to talk:
- The picking or labour app records each worker's bins, buckets or kilograms, and their start and finish times, by day, block and task.
- The daily check compares piece earnings with the award hourly rate times hours for every worker, every day, and works out any top-up.
- Payroll receives the result: piece earnings, top-ups, hourly work for non-piece tasks, and casual loading where it applies. Super is calculated from the same pay run.
- The accounts get labour cost by block, crop or task, so you can see what each crop actually cost to pick.
Where it usually breaks
- Hours aren't captured. The app counts output but not time, so the daily minimum can't be checked.
- The check happens in a spreadsheet. Someone exports the week's data, works out top-ups by hand and keys them into payroll, often late in the week.
- Rates live in two places. The piece rate is updated in the app but not on the piecework record, or the award rate changes on 1 July and the spreadsheet doesn't.
- Labour cost is a lump sum. Xero or MYOB gets total wages, not cost by block or crop, so you can't compare crops or seasons.
If you run a small crew on one crop and your payroll system handles all of this, keep it simple. If you run several crops, blocks or labour sources, connecting them pays off in fewer corrections and clearer costs. See grower payments and farm systems and our agriculture page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum a pieceworker must be paid under the Horticulture Award?
For each day worked, at least their award hourly rate (including the casual loading for casuals) multiplied by the hours worked that day. If their piece earnings are higher, they get the higher amount. Check current rates with the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay Calculator.
How do I know if my piece rate is high enough?
Fair Work describes working out the average output per hour of pieceworkers competent at the task (at least 76 hours' experience), then checking that the piece rate lets someone at that output earn at least the required margin above the minimum hourly rate. Fair Work has templates and a checklist to help.
Do I have to pay super weekly for seasonal workers?
If you pay them weekly, yes. Under Payday Super, super for each payday has to reach the fund within 7 business days. Confirm each worker's eligibility with the ATO's rules or your accountant.
Can a picking app send pay straight to payroll?
Some can send hours or earnings to payroll. Check whether it also does the daily minimum check and top-ups, and whether labour cost reaches your accounts by block or crop. Those are the usual gaps.
Is this legal advice?
No. It's a guide to the systems side. For your obligations, use the Fair Work Ombudsman's horticulture resources and speak to your adviser.
If your piece rates, hours and pay are checked in a spreadsheet each week, book a free initial chat. We'll tell you honestly whether your current apps can do the job or what needs connecting.