For workers
How EIR Pays Workers
Pay cycle, timesheet cut-off, casual loading, penalty rates, super and what to do when something looks wrong. No surprises.
Direct answer
EIR Labour Hire pays workers weekly, into bank on Thursday for the previous Sunday-to-Saturday week. Timesheets are due by Sunday 5pm AEST. Casual workers are paid the Modern Award base rate plus 25% casual loading; weekend and public holiday penalty rates are paid in addition. Superannuation is paid at 12% (ATO rate from 1 July 2025) to your nominated fund quarterly. If your pay looks wrong, you have a single point of contact — your account manager — and most disputes are resolved within one business day.
Why this page exists
EIR has been around since 2003. Most weeks, pay runs smoothly for hundreds of workers across SA, NSW and QLD. But occasionally a worker checks their bank account on Thursday afternoon, sees a number they weren't expecting, and rightly wants an answer.
Almost every time, the answer is in how penalty rates were interpreted on a particular shift — Saturday vs Sunday rates, public holiday application, overtime crossing the daily cap, casual loading interaction with night shift loading. The numbers are usually correct under the Award; what's often missing is the explanation.
This page is the explanation, written up front.
The pay cycle
| Day | What happens |
|---|---|
| Sunday 5pm | Timesheet submission deadline (web app or paper) |
| Monday | EIR payroll processes timesheets, checks against site sign-offs |
| Tuesday | Account managers reach out if there's a timesheet query |
| Wednesday | Final reconciliation and approval for the pay run |
| Thursday | Pay deposits into worker bank accounts (usually by midday) |
| Friday | Pay slips emailed to workers |
Pay slips are STP-compliant and itemise: base wage, casual loading, penalty rate hours, allowances, super contribution, tax withheld. Every line should reconcile to the hours you worked.
How casual workers are paid
Most EIR workers are engaged as casuals. Under most Modern Awards, casual pay = Award base rate + 25% casual loading.
The 25% casual loading is paid in lieu of:
- Annual leave (4 weeks/year for permanents)
- Personal/sick leave (10 days/year for permanents)
- Paid public holidays
- Notice on termination
The casual loading is paid on every hour worked, including penalty rate hours. So a Saturday hour for a casual worker is paid at 1.5x or 2x the base + casual-loaded rate, depending on the Award.
Penalty rates — how they're applied
Penalty rates are set federally by Modern Awards. The most common rates applying to EIR workers:
| Time | Rate (typical) |
|---|---|
| Weekday standard hours (within daily cap) | 1.0x base + casual loading |
| Weekday overtime (first 2 hours over daily cap) | 1.5x base + casual loading |
| Weekday overtime (3rd hour onwards) | 2.0x base + casual loading |
| Saturday | 1.5x base + casual loading (often 2.0x after 12pm under some Awards) |
| Sunday | 2.0x base + casual loading |
| Public holiday | 2.5x base + casual loading |
| Afternoon shift loading | +15% on the standard rate |
| Night shift loading | +25% on the standard rate |
The most common pay query is this: “My Saturday hours look short.”
Almost always, this is one of three things:
- The first 4 hours of Saturday are at 1.5x and the next 4 at 2.0x under your Award (rather than 2.0x flat all day).
- The casual loading is already in your “base” rate on your offer letter, so the 1.5x multiplier is being applied to a number that already includes the loading.
- Some allowances (site allowance, tool allowance) don't attract penalty rate multipliers — only the wage component does.
If you want to back-test your pay, ask your account manager for the line-by-line calculation. We'll send it.
If your pay looks wrong
- Check your pay slip — base wage hours, penalty rate hours, allowances, super.
- Compare to your timesheet — same hours, same days?
- Call your account manager — they can pull the calculation in 5 minutes. Phone is faster than email.
- If unresolved within 24 hours, escalate to payroll@eirgroup.com.au with your pay slip and a one-line summary of the query.
Most pay queries are resolved by end of business on the day they're raised. None should take longer than 48 hours.
If you ever feel a query is being slow-walked, the escalation path is: account manager → payroll@eirgroup.com.au → admin@eirgroup.com.au.
What we're doing to improve
We've seen the feedback on Indeed, Sourcr and Facebook. The most common themes:
- “Weekend pay looks lower than I expected.” Usually a penalty rate interpretation question — see the section above. We're rolling out a clearer pay slip format in Q3 2026 that shows the multiplier applied to each hour, so the math is visible without having to ask.
- “It took too long to get an answer.” Response time is a fair criticism. Every worker query now has a 24-hour first-response SLA, with escalation built in if it's missed.
- “I wasn't sure who to call.” Every worker is assigned a named account manager at engagement. The phone number is in your offer email and on your first pay slip.
We're not done improving this, and we'd rather hear from workers directly than read about it in a review three weeks later.
Frequently asked questions
When does EIR Labour Hire pay workers?
EIR pays workers weekly. Pay deposits into worker bank accounts on Thursday for the previous Sunday-to-Saturday work week. Timesheets are due by Sunday 5pm AEST.
What's the casual loading on EIR pay rates?
EIR pays the Modern Award casual loading — typically 25% on top of the base hourly rate under most awards (Building & Construction MA000020, Manufacturing MA000010, Storage Services MA000084). The loading is paid in lieu of annual leave, personal leave, paid public holidays and notice on termination.
Does EIR pay superannuation?
Yes. EIR pays superannuation at the statutory Superannuation Guarantee rate of 12% (effective 1 July 2025, per the ATO). Super is calculated on ordinary time earnings and paid to your nominated fund — quarterly at minimum, monthly in practice. Visible on every pay slip.
How are weekend penalty rates calculated?
Saturday and Sunday rates are set by the relevant Modern Award. Typically: Saturday 1.5x base + casual loading (with some awards lifting to 2x after midday); Sunday 2.0x base + casual loading flat. Public holidays 2.5x. Penalty rates apply on the hours worked at those times, not on all hours in the day.
What if my pay looks wrong?
Call your account manager — phone is faster than email. They can pull the line-by-line calculation in 5 minutes. If it isn't resolved inside 24 hours, escalate to payroll@eirgroup.com.au. All pay queries should be resolved within 48 hours.
Does EIR pay leave to casual workers?
Casual workers receive the 25% casual loading in lieu of paid leave — this is the standard Modern Award treatment. If a casual worker is later converted to a permanent EIR employee (where applicable), leave accruals begin from the conversion date.
How do I update my tax file number or super fund details with EIR?
Email payroll@eirgroup.com.au with the updated details. Changes take effect from the next pay run. Tax changes go through the ATO myGov system via STP.
Worker resources
Payroll: payroll@eirgroup.com.au · Office: 1800 LABOUR · After hours: 0488 852 254
Australian family-owned since 2003 — Labour Hire That Works For You