Working Hours for Students in Australia

How Many Hours Can a Student Work in Australia?

On a student visa you can work up to 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks.

This rule comes from work condition 8105 on the student visa, and you can read it word for word on the Home Affairs visa conditions page. It is the same for every student visa holder, so Nepali students get exactly the same hours as students from any other country. It also does not change from state to state, and it does not depend on your university or college.

“In session” means the whole semester or trimester, including exam weeks. It also covers a break in which you take a short course that counts toward your main course. If you are still choosing where to go, our guide to study in Australia from Nepal explains the full path, from course choice to visa.

That last row surprises many students. You cannot start a paid job after you land and before your course begins, unless the visa you held when you applied already let you work in Australia.

What Does 48 Hours a Fortnight Mean?

The meaning is simple: in any two weeks in a row, the hours from all your jobs must add up to 48 or less.

Home Affairs defines a fortnight as 14 days starting on a Monday.

This is where students most often go wrong, because they check only the two weeks on their payslip. Home Affairs checks any pair of back-to-back weeks. So you can work more in one week and less in the next. But any two weeks together can never pass 48 hours while your course is in session.

Home Affairs gives this example on the same conditions page. Weeks 1 and 2 are fine together, and so are weeks 3 and 4. But weeks 2 and 3 add up to 60 hours, which breaks the rule.

Keep in mind what counts as work. Your rostered or timesheet hours count, and so does any time you are clocked on, but unpaid meal breaks do not. Unpaid work experience or an internship also counts toward the 48 hours, unless it is a compulsory part of your course. If you have two jobs, for example a cafe shift and a cleaning job, you add the hours from both. Study Australia’s work rights page gives the same rule in short form.

When Can Students Work Unlimited Hours?

You can work as many hours as you like when your course is not in session, and research students can do so once their course starts.

Your course is not in session in these situations, so the 48-hour limit does not apply:

A break only counts when your provider has scheduled it. Days you take off yourself, a week you skip class, or a trip home for Dashain or Tihar during the semester do not turn the limit off. Your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) shows your course start and end dates, and your provider’s academic calendar shows the breaks in between. If you are planning your start date, our guide to Australia intakes shows when each study period usually begins.

Students on a research master‘s or a PhD can work unlimited hours as soon as their course starts. A compulsory work placement, such as a nursing or pharmacy placement, is also outside the limit, as long as it is a registered part of the course.

How Much Can Students Earn per Hour in Australia?

From 1 July 2026, the lowest adult rate most employers can pay is AUD 26.44 an hour, and casual jobs usually pay at least 25% more.

That is the National Minimum Wage set in the Annual Wage Review 2026, and it rises a little each July. Most student jobs are casual, which means you get no paid leave, so you are paid a casual loading on top. The Fair Work page on casual employees uses a loading of 25% as its example, which takes the minimum to about AUD 33 an hour. Many industry awards set higher rates, and weekend, late-night and public holiday shifts often pay more again.

These are amounts before tax, and rupee figures are rounded, so check today’s rate with our AUD to Rs forex converter. Apply for a Tax File Number (TFN) soon after you arrive, because an employer without it must take tax at the highest rate. Your employer also pays superannuation, a retirement saving, into a fund in your name, which you can claim back when you leave Australia for good.

What Jobs Can Students Do in Australia?

You can do any legal job, and most students start in casual work that fits around their classes.

These are the jobs students most often find in their first year:

Our list of the best part-time jobs in Australia for international students explains what each job pays and how to find one. Be careful with offers that call you a contractor instead of an employee, as some delivery and cleaning jobs do. Contractors do not get minimum wages or super. Avoid cash-in-hand jobs too, since they leave no payslip and no proof of your hours.

The Fair Work fact sheet for international students says you have the same workplace rights as Australian workers. You can contact the Fair Work Ombudsman about unpaid wages without your visa being cancelled for asking. Its free infoline is 13 13 94.

What Happens If You Work More Than 48 Hours?

Working over the limit breaks your visa conditions, and Home Affairs can cancel your student visa for it.

Hours are not hidden. Your employer reports your pay to the tax office against your TFN, and your payslips and rosters show your hours. That record can be checked later, for example when you apply for another visa. A breach can lead to cancellation now, and it can also count against you when you apply for a 485 visa or any later visa.

So say no when an employer asks for extra shifts during the semester, even if they promise to pay cash. A refusal or cancellation on your record also follows you home to Nepal and into future applications. Our page on the Australia visa success rate from Nepal explains what usually makes the difference in a decision.

Can Part-Time Work Pay for Your Study in Australia?

Part-time work can help with day-to-day living costs, but it cannot pay your tuition, and the visa expects you to have that money before you go.

For the visa, you must show first-year tuition, AUD 29,710 for a year of living costs and AUD 2,000 for travel. Our page on Australia student visa requirements explains this money. Home Affairs does not count future job income. Even at 48 hours a fortnight on the minimum wage, you would earn far less than a year of tuition at most universities.

It also takes time to find a first job, often a few weeks. Bring enough money for at least your first two or three months, and read how much money Nepali students should carry to Australia before you fly. To see what rent, food and transport really cost in each city, use our guide to the cost of living in Australia.

How Do You Stay Within the Work Rules?

Check your visa conditions, keep a record of every shift, and plan your hours by the fortnight, not by the week.

Start by checking your own conditions on VEVO, the free Home Affairs service that shows your visa details. Keep every roster and payslip, and write your hours in a simple notebook or phone note each week. Before each break, get your provider’s official break dates in writing, so you know exactly when unlimited hours start and stop.

If you work in a field linked to your course, such as IT support, keep those records too. They help later with jobs and visas. If anything is unclear, you can talk to a Goreto counselor from anywhere in Nepal. Visit our branches in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Chitwan, Itahari and Pokhara, or reach us through our contact page.