---
title: "Modern Awards | HR Employees"
slug: "modern-awards"
description: "Learn about modern award rates in Marlin HR payroll software for mechanical workshops, by Megabus,"
updated: 2026-04-13T02:03:55Z
published: 2026-04-13T02:03:55Z
canonical: "help.megabus.com.au/modern-awards"
---
> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.megabus.com.au/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Modern Awards
**{{variable.HR Bold}}** enables the selection of a Modern Award, Classification and associated penalty rates for employees.
A **Modern Award Classification** can be assigned to each employee in Employee Maintenance.
HR **does not enforce award rates** or overwrite the pay rate currently set up for the employee.
The **[Pay Run Initialisation](/hr/docs/modern-awards#pay-run-indicators)** screen includes indicators for each employee, showing whether their currently applied rate is above or below the award rate.
:::(Info) (Note)
The Modern Awards file must be **selected before** award details can be applied to employees.
:::
## Updating Modern Awards
**To view and edit Modern Awards:**
* Select **System > Options > Employee Defaults** from the menu bar
* Click on the **Employee Defaults** tab at the top
The **Modern Awards** section is located at the bottom, showing the selected award and the date it was last updated are shown.
**To change the Modern Awards file:**
* Click **Select**
In the **Select Modern Award** pop-up that opens:
* Select the **Modern Award**
* Click **Ok**
Once installed, the details will be updated in the **Modern Award** section.
>how is the award file added? do we add it to the system? Why not just auto-update it?
## Assigning Awards to Employees
**To assign a Modern Award to an employee:**
* Open their **[Employee Maintenance](/hr/docs/employee-maintenance)** file in **{{glossary.Edit}}** mode
(Main > Employee Maintenance)
* Click on the **General** tab at the top
In the **Modern Awards** section on the left:
* Use the **Award** picker to select the applicable award
* Click on the **Classification** picker:
In the **Select Classification** pop-up that opens:
* Select a **classification**
* **Penalty rate** details are shown in the section at the bottom
* Click **Select**
Once selected, the associated **penalty rates** will be shown in the Modern Awards section.
:::(Warning) (Warning)
These Award Rates are **not enforced** and will not overwrite any pay rates currently set up for the employee.
This is because you might already be **paying above award rates**, or **processing backdated pay runs** before the latest rates took effect.
The **[Pay Run Initialisation](/hr/docs/modern-awards#pay-run-indicators)** screen displays an indicator for each employee, showing whether their currently applied rate meets the Award rate.
:::
## Pay Run Indicators
The Pay Run Initialisation screen shows an **Award** indicator for each employee:
* **Green tick:** Applied pay rate is at or above the award rate
* **Red cross:** Applied pay rate is below the award rate
* **Blank:** No award assigned
:::(Info) (Note)
HR does not enforce award rates and will not overwrite any pay rates set up in the **Pay Details** tab of Employee Maintenance files.
:::
:::(Warning) (Tip)
Hover over the Award indicators to see the difference between an employee's pay rate and the assigned award.
:::