Casual employment contract template
The contract that has to say the one thing a casual contract is for: there is no firm advance commitment to ongoing work. Everything else follows from that, including why the rate is higher and why most paid leave is not in it.
This example wording was checked against the official sources on 21 October 2026. It is a starting point, not legal advice, and it has not been through a workplace relations professional.
| Clause | What it says |
|---|---|
| Parties | Between Harbourside Coffee (the employer) and the person named below (you). |
| Position | Barista. Your duties are set out in the barista job description given to you with this contract, and may change by agreement as the cafe changes. |
| Type of employment | Casual. |
| Start date | Your employment starts on the first shift you accept and work. |
| No firm advance commitment | There is no firm advance commitment to ongoing work. We offer shifts when we need them and you decide whether to accept them. Accepting shifts regularly does not turn this into ongoing employment, and a regular pattern of work on its own does not change your employment type. |
| How shifts are offered | Shifts are offered when the roster is published, and at shorter notice when somebody is away. You can accept or decline any shift. Tell us as early as you can either way, so the shift can go to somebody else. |
| Minimum engagement | Each shift you work is at least the minimum engagement set by the award or agreement that covers this business. We do not roster a shorter shift than that. |
| Award or agreement | Your employment is covered by the award or agreement named in your letter of offer. Which award covers this business is read from the award’s own coverage clause, and the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Find my award tool will confirm it. |
| Classification and pay | You are classified under that award at the level named in your letter of offer, and paid at least the minimum rate for that classification. Penalty rates, allowances and overtime come from the award as well. |
| Casual loading | You are paid a casual loading on top of the minimum rate for your classification. The loading is in place of most paid leave and of notice of termination. The percentage is the one the award or agreement sets. |
| Superannuation | Superannuation is paid on your ordinary time earnings at the rate the superannuation guarantee requires, into the fund you nominate. |
| Leave | As a casual you do not accrue paid annual leave or paid sick and carer’s leave. You do have unpaid carer’s leave and unpaid compassionate leave of 2 days per occasion, paid family and domestic violence leave, and unpaid community service leave. Long service leave for long serving casuals depends on the law of the state or territory you work in. |
| Public holidays | You are not paid for a public holiday you do not work. If you are asked to work one, the request has to be reasonable and you can refuse on reasonable grounds. A public holiday you do work is paid at the rate the award sets. |
| Becoming a permanent employee | You can change to full-time or part-time employment if we both agree, and the National Employment Standards also give casual employees a pathway to become permanent in some circumstances. The Casual Employment Information Statement explains how it works. |
| Information statements | We give you the Fair Work Information Statement and the Casual Employment Information Statement before you start, or as soon as possible after. As a small business employer we also give you the Casual Employment Information Statement again after 12 months of employment. |
| Where the work happens | The cafe at the address on your letter of offer, and any other site we both agree to. |
| Workplace policies | Our workplace policies apply to you. They are not part of this contract and we may change them. We will tell you when one changes. |
| Ending the employment | Either of us can end this employment at any time, subject to the award or agreement and to workplace laws. Casual employees do not usually receive notice of termination or redundancy pay. |
| Changing this agreement | Any change to this contract is agreed between us in writing. A change cannot give you less than the award, agreement or National Employment Standards provide. |
| Signatures | Signed by the employer and by you, each keeping a copy, with the date. |
What is in the file
- Template, blank, with each section down the side and room for the answer.
- Example, the same sheet filled in for Harbourside Coffee.
- How to use, with the steps and the mistakes below.
How to fill it in
- Fill in the award, the classification and the rate from the award itself, not from another business’s contract.
- Give it to the person before their first shift, with the job description and both information statements.
- Have a workplace relations professional read it before you use it for a whole team.
- Keep a signed copy with the employee’s other records, and give them one.
Common mistakes
- A casual contract that promises set hours every week, which is the opposite of what makes the employment casual
- A loading figure typed in from memory instead of read from the award
- The Casual Employment Information Statement given once at the start and never again
This is example wording for a small business to adapt, not legal advice. Coverage, classification, pay rates, loadings, minimum engagements and notice periods are decided by the award or agreement that applies and by the Fair Work Act 2009, not by a template.
Sources
The official pages this wording was read against, on 21 October 2026.
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Casual employees
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Casual Employment Information Statement
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Information Statement
- Fair Work Ombudsman, National Employment Standards
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Employment contracts
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Find my award
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
In Roster Flow a casual sees the shifts offered to them on their own phone and says yes or no, and the ones nobody takes stay visible as open shifts rather than as a gap somebody notices on the day.
Questions
What is on the casual employment contract template?
20 sections down the side, running from parties to signatures. The example beside them is filled in for Harbourside Coffee: shifts offered and accepted, the loading instead of paid leave, and the pathway to permanent.
Does the casual employment contract template work anything out for you?
No. It is a document with 20 sections to answer in your own words, not a calculator. Nothing on it is a formula.
Can I use the casual employment contract template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Open casual-employment-contract.xlsx from Google Drive, or use File, then Import, then Upload with casual-employment-contract.csv. The document and its example come across either way.
Is the wording in the casual employment contract template ready to use as it is?
The casual employment contract template is a starting point for Harbourside Coffee or any business like it, to adapt rather than sign. The wording was checked against the official sources on 21 October 2026, it is not legal advice, and it has not been through a workplace relations professional.