Part-time employment contract template
A part-time contract lives or dies on one clause: the agreed pattern of work. Get that written down and the rest of the arguments, about extra hours, overtime and what can be changed, mostly do not happen.
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. |
| Type of employment | Part-time, which is ongoing employment for a set number of hours each week that are agreed in advance. |
| Start date | Monday 2 March 2027. |
| Probation | Your first three months are a probation period, during which we will meet at six weeks and again at the end. Your entitlements are the same during probation as they are afterwards, including leave accruing from your first day. |
| Agreed pattern of work | You work 20 ordinary hours a week: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6:30am to 1:00pm, and Friday from 6:30am to 8:00am. These are your guaranteed hours and we roster you for them. |
| Changing the agreed hours | Your agreed pattern of work can be changed by agreement between us, recorded in writing before the change takes effect. The award or agreement that covers this business may also set out how and when a pattern can be varied, and what notice is required. |
| Extra hours | If you work hours beyond your agreed pattern, those hours are paid at the rate the award sets. Where the award allows a variation to be agreed in writing before the hours are worked, we will agree it with you first rather than afterwards. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Superannuation | Superannuation is paid on your ordinary time earnings at the rate the superannuation guarantee requires, into the fund you nominate. |
| Annual leave | You accrue paid annual leave on your ordinary hours, pro rata to a full-time employee, under the National Employment Standards. It accrues from your first day, including during probation, and unused leave rolls over. |
| Sick and carer’s leave | You accrue paid sick and carer’s leave on your ordinary hours, pro rata to a full-time employee. It covers your own illness or injury and caring for somebody in your immediate family or household. |
| Public holidays | You are paid for a public holiday that falls on a day you would ordinarily have worked, at your base rate for those ordinary hours. If you are asked to work one, the request has to be reasonable and you can refuse on reasonable grounds. |
| 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. |
| Confidentiality | Customer details, supplier terms and our recipes and prices are confidential. Do not share them outside the business, during or after your employment. |
| Notice of termination | Either of us can end this employment by giving the notice required by the National Employment Standards and by the award or agreement, or by payment in lieu of notice where that applies. Nothing here affects your protections against unfair dismissal. |
| Information statement | We give you the Fair Work Information Statement before you start, or as soon as possible after. |
| 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
- Write the agreed pattern out in full: days, start times and finish times, not a weekly total.
- Read the award’s part-time clause before you fill in the hours, because several awards set a minimum daily engagement and a way of varying the pattern.
- Record every agreed variation in writing before the hours are worked, and keep it with the contract.
- Have a workplace relations professional read it before you use it for a whole team.
Common mistakes
- A weekly hours figure with no days or times, which makes an overtime question unanswerable later
- Extra hours agreed in a conversation and never written down
- A pattern changed week to week, which several awards do not allow
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, Part-time employees
- Fair Work Ombudsman, National Employment Standards
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Information Statement
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Employment contracts
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Find my award
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
Roster Flow holds each person’s availability by the hour and shows the published week beside it, so a part-time employee’s agreed pattern and what they were actually rostered are in the same place.
Questions
What is on the part-time employment contract template?
20 sections down the side, running from parties to signatures. The example beside them is filled in for Harbourside Coffee: the agreed pattern of work in writing, how it changes, and when extra hours become overtime.
Does the part-time 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 part-time employment contract template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Open part-time-employment-contract.xlsx from Google Drive, or use File, then Import, then Upload with part-time-employment-contract.csv. The document and its example come across either way.
Is the wording in the part-time employment contract template ready to use as it is?
The part-time 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.