Few modern awards are as easy to get wrong as this one. A single roster can mix afternoon and night shift loadings, weekend penalties that don’t match, an aged care stream paid wrong, and pay point progressions that are incorrect.
If you employ nurses in the private health or aged care sector, the minimum rates under the Nurses Award changed on 1 July 2026. The Fair Work Commission’s 2026 Annual Wage Review lifted modern award wages by 4.75%, and the new Nurses Award rates apply from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026.
This guide sets out the full classification rates, shift allowances, penalties, overtime, and allowances updated with the 1 July 2026 changes.
What is the Nurses Award (MA000034)?
The Nurses Award 2020 [MA000034] is the occupational modern award covering nurses and the staff who directly assist them across the health industry. It sets minimum pay rates, shift and weekend penalties, overtime, and allowances for registered nurses, enrolled nurses, nursing assistants, nurse practitioners, and occupational health nurses.
Because it’s an occupational award, it follows the nurse rather than the setting and it can apply in hospitals, aged care facilities, community health services, medical practices, and private clinics. It operates alongside the National Employment Standards (NES), which set the baseline leave and hours entitlements the award builds on.
Who does the Nurses Award cover?
The award covers employers in the health industry and their nursing staff in the classifications defined in the award:
- Nursing assistants
- Student enrolled nurses
- Enrolled nurses (EN),
- Registered nurses (Levels 1–5)
- Nurse practitioners, and
- Occupational health nurses.
Who does it not cover?
- Nurses employed in primary or secondary schools are excluded.
- From 1 January 2025 the award does not cover employees working as nursing assistants who provide care services to aged persons in the aged care industry or home care sector (Covered by the Aged Care Award).
- Allied health professionals (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and similar) are covered by the Health Professionals and Support Services Award (MA000027), not this award.
Where an employer is covered by more than one award, each employee is covered by the classification most appropriate to the work they actually perform.
When do the 2026 pay rates apply?
The 2026 Annual Wage Review decision (2 June 2026) delivered a 4.75% increase to modern award wages, effective from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026. If your pay cycle starts mid-week, the old rates apply until your next full pay period begins.
One timing point specific to this award: aged care nurse rates are also subject to separate, scheduled increases from the Fair Work Commission’s gender-based undervaluation review.
A further aged care tranche applies from the first full pay period on or after 1 August 2026, so the aged care figures in this guide (current at 1 July 2026) will change again shortly afterward. Check the updated pay guide before your first August pay run.
How are nurses classified under the Nurses Award (MA000034)?
Two things set the rate: classification and whether the nurse is an aged care employee.
Classifications run from nursing assistant (four progression points) through enrolled nurse (five pay points) to registered nurse Levels 1–5 (with pay points and grades), plus nurse practitioner and occupational health nurse streams.
Progression through pay points is by annual movement for full-time staff, or by 1,786 hours of experience for part-time and casual staff.
The aged care distinction is the trap. An “aged care employee” broadly, a nurse providing services for aged persons in residential aged care or a private residence is paid from a separate, higher rate table that reflects recent work-value increases. Getting the stream wrong (paying an aged care nurse the general rate, or vice versa) is one of the most common underpayment errors in this award.
Nurses Award pay rates from 1 July 2026 (non-aged care)
All rates below are effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Weekly rates are based on a 38-hour week. Afternoon shift is 112.5% of the base, night shift 115%, Saturday 150%, Sunday 175%, and public holiday 200%.
Nursing assistants — full-time and part-time
| Classification | Weekly | Hourly | Afternoon (112.5%) | Night (115%) | Saturday (150%) | Sunday (175%) | Public holiday (200%) |
| 1st year | $1,050.70 | $27.65 | $31.11 | $31.80 | $41.48 | $48.39 | $55.30 |
| 2nd year | $1,067.30 | $28.09 | $31.60 | $32.30 | $42.14 | $49.16 | $56.18 |
| 3rd year and thereafter | $1,084.40 | $28.54 | $32.11 | $32.82 | $42.81 | $49.95 | $57.08 |
| Experienced (Cert III holder) | $1,119.10 | $29.45 | $33.13 | $33.87 | $44.18 | $51.54 | $58.90 |
Enrolled nurses — full-time and part-time
| Classification | Weekly | Hourly | Afternoon | Night | Saturday | Sunday | Public holiday |
| Student EN (under 21) | $976.20 | $25.69 | $28.90 | $29.54 | $38.54 | $44.96 | $51.38 |
| Student EN (21 and over) | $1,024.70 | $26.97 | $30.34 | $31.02 | $40.46 | $47.20 | $53.94 |
| EN pay point 1 | $1,139.90 | $30.00 | $33.75 | $34.50 | $45.00 | $52.50 | $60.00 |
| EN pay point 2 | $1,155.00 | $30.39 | $34.19 | $34.95 | $45.59 | $53.18 | $60.78 |
| EN pay point 3 | $1,170.40 | $30.80 | $34.65 | $35.42 | $46.20 | $53.90 | $61.60 |
| EN pay point 4 | $1,187.20 | $31.24 | $35.15 | $35.93 | $46.86 | $54.67 | $62.48 |
| EN pay point 5 | $1,199.20 | $31.56 | $35.51 | $36.29 | $47.34 | $55.23 | $63.12 |
Registered nurses Level 1 — full-time and part-time
| Pay point | Weekly | Hourly | Afternoon | Night | Saturday | Sunday | Public holiday |
| Pay point 1 | $1,219.50 | $32.09 | $36.10 | $36.90 | $48.14 | $56.16 | $64.18 |
| Pay point 2 | $1,244.50 | $32.75 | $36.84 | $37.66 | $49.13 | $57.31 | $65.50 |
| Pay point 3 | $1,275.00 | $33.55 | $37.74 | $38.58 | $50.33 | $58.71 | $67.10 |
| Pay point 4 | $1,309.00 | $34.45 | $38.76 | $39.62 | $51.68 | $60.29 | $68.90 |
| Pay point 5 | $1,349.20 | $35.51 | $39.95 | $40.84 | $53.27 | $62.14 | $71.02 |
| Pay point 6 | $1,388.10 | $36.53 | $41.10 | $42.01 | $54.80 | $63.93 | $73.06 |
| Pay point 7 | $1,428.30 | $37.59 | $42.29 | $43.23 | $56.39 | $65.78 | $75.18 |
| Pay point 8 and thereafter | $1,465.50 | $38.57 | $43.39 | $44.36 | $57.86 | $67.50 | $77.14 |
Registered nurses Levels 2 and 3 — full-time and part-time
| Classification | Weekly | Hourly | Afternoon | Night | Saturday | Sunday | Public holiday |
| RN L2 pay point 1 | $1,504.40 | $39.59 | $44.54 | $45.53 | $59.39 | $69.28 | $79.18 |
| RN L2 pay point 2 | $1,528.30 | $40.22 | $45.25 | $46.25 | $60.33 | $70.39 | $80.44 |
| RN L2 pay point 3 | $1,554.80 | $40.92 | $46.04 | $47.06 | $61.38 | $71.61 | $81.84 |
| RN L2 pay point 4 and thereafter | $1,580.30 | $41.59 | $46.79 | $47.83 | $62.39 | $72.78 | $83.18 |
| RN L3 pay point 1 | $1,631.20 | $42.93 | $48.30 | $49.37 | $64.40 | $75.13 | $85.86 |
| RN L3 pay point 2 | $1,661.10 | $43.71 | $49.17 | $50.27 | $65.57 | $76.49 | $87.42 |
| RN L3 pay point 3 | $1,689.80 | $44.47 | $50.03 | $51.14 | $66.71 | $77.82 | $88.94 |
| RN L3 pay point 4 and thereafter | $1,720.10 | $45.27 | $50.93 | $52.06 | $67.91 | $79.22 | $90.54 |
Senior and specialist classifications — base rates
Shiftwork loadings, overtime, and allowances do not apply to Registered Nurse Levels 4 and 5 (clauses 17, 19, and 20), so these are paid at the ordinary rate.
| Classification | Weekly | Hourly |
| RN Level 4 – Grade 1 | $1,861.70 | $48.99 |
| RN Level 4 – Grade 2 | $1,995.10 | $52.50 |
| RN Level 4 – Grade 3 | $2,111.60 | $55.57 |
| RN Level 5 – Grade 1 | $1,878.60 | $49.44 |
| RN Level 5 – Grade 2 | $1,978.40 | $52.06 |
| RN Level 5 – Grade 3 | $2,111.60 | $55.57 |
| RN Level 5 – Grade 4 | $2,243.10 | $59.03 |
| RN Level 5 – Grade 5 | $2,474.10 | $65.11 |
| RN Level 5 – Grade 6 | $2,706.90 | $71.23 |
| Minimum entry – 4 year degree | $1,273.40 | $33.51 |
| Minimum entry – Masters degree | $1,317.20 | $34.66 |
| Nurse practitioner – 1st year | $1,877.00 | $49.39 |
| Nurse practitioner – 2nd year | $1,932.70 | $50.86 |
Occupational health nurses run across Levels 1–3 with pay points, from $34.45 per hour (Level 1 pay point 1) to $45.27 per hour (Level 3 pay point 4), on the same penalty structure as registered nurses.
Aged care nurse rates from 1 July 2026
Aged care employees are paid from this separate, higher table. The same penalty structure applies (afternoon 112.5%, night 115%, Saturday 150%, Sunday 175%, public holiday 200%), except for RN Levels 4 and 5.
| Classification | Weekly | Hourly | Afternoon | Night | Saturday | Sunday | Public holiday |
| Student EN (under 21) | $1,122.60 | $29.54 | $33.23 | $33.97 | $44.31 | $51.70 | $59.08 |
| Student EN (21 and over) | $1,178.30 | $31.01 | $34.89 | $35.66 | $46.52 | $54.27 | $62.02 |
| EN supervising other direct care employees | $1,476.60 | $38.86 | $43.72 | $44.69 | $58.29 | $68.01 | $77.72 |
| RN L1 – first year at this level | $1,515.20 | $39.87 | $44.85 | $45.85 | $59.81 | $69.77 | $79.74 |
| RN L1 – 1 to 4 years at this level | $1,592.10 | $41.90 | $47.14 | $48.19 | $62.85 | $73.33 | $83.80 |
| RN L1 – over 4 years at this level | $1,740.30 | $45.80 | $51.53 | $52.67 | $68.70 | $80.15 | $91.60 |
| RN L2 – first 3 years at this level | $1,884.60 | $49.59 | $55.79 | $57.03 | $74.39 | $86.78 | $99.18 |
| RN L2 – over 3 years at this level | $1,969.70 | $51.83 | $58.31 | $59.60 | $77.75 | $90.70 | $103.66 |
| RN L3 | $2,038.40 | $53.64 | $60.35 | $61.69 | $80.46 | $93.87 | $107.28 |
| RN L4 (base only) | $2,356.20 | $62.01 | — | — | — | — | — |
| RN L5 (base only) | $2,663.20 | $70.08 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nurse practitioner – 1st year | $2,158.60 | $56.81 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nurse practitioner – 2nd year | $2,222.70 | $58.49 | — | — | — | — | — |
Referenced from Nurses Award Pay Guide
How do shift allowances work?
Shift allowances are what set this award apart from most. They apply to full-time and part-time employees rostered outside day-worker hours (6.00 am to 6.00 pm, Monday to Friday):
- Afternoon shift: any shift commencing at or after 12.00 noon and finishing after 6.00 pm attracts a 12.5% loading on the base rate.
- Night shift: any shift commencing at or after 6.00 pm and finishing before 7.30 am the next day attracts a 15% loading.
Two rules matter. First, shift loadings are not cumulative with weekend or public holiday penalties. If a shift falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or public holiday, the weekend or public holiday rate applies instead of the shift loading, not on top of it. Second, shift loadings do not apply where a nurse simply starts after noon and finishes at or before 6.00 pm, and they don’t apply to RN Levels 4 and 5.
How do weekend and public holiday penalties work?
For full-time and part-time employees:
- Saturday ordinary hours are paid at 150%
- Sunday ordinary hours at 175%.
- Public holiday work is paid at 200% of the base rate. These replace, rather than add on top of the shift loadings.
For casuals, the weekend and public holiday penalties are applied to the casual hourly rate (which already includes the 25% loading), so the multipliers compound:
- casual Saturday works out to 187.5% of the base rate,
- casual Sunday to 218.75%,
- casual public holiday to 250%.
- Casual afternoon and night shifts are added on, 137.5% and 140% respectively.
How is overtime calculated?
Overtime for full-time and part-time employees is:
- 150% for the first 2 hours and 200% after that from Monday to Saturday,
- 200% all day Sunday
- 250% on public holidays.
- Casual overtime follows the same multipliers, applied to the casual hourly rate. Overtime is paid instead of not on top of shift and weekend penalties.
If a nurse resumes work without a 10-hour break between shifts (or an agreed 8-hour minimum), they’re paid 200% until released from duty. Overtime does not apply to RN Levels 4 and 5.
What allowances apply under the Nurses Award?
The key monetary allowances from 1 July 2026:
| Allowance | Rate |
| On-call allowance (Monday to Friday) | $28.66 per 24-hour period |
| On-call allowance (Saturday) | $43.17 per 24-hour period |
| On-call allowance (Sunday, public holiday, non-rostered day) | $50.37 per 24-hour period |
| Uniform allowance | $1.26 per shift, up to $6.41 per week |
| Laundry allowance | $0.33 per shift, up to $1.53 per week |
| Meal allowance (overtime beyond one hour) | $17.30 |
| Additional meal allowance (overtime beyond four hours) | $15.60 |
| Vehicle allowance | $1.01 per km |
Note that allowances do not apply to nurses classified at Registered Nurse Levels 4 or 5. Recall to work while on-call is paid at the applicable overtime rate for a minimum of 3 hours (at the workplace) or 1 hour (by phone or electronic contact).
Why getting the Nurses Award right is important?
The Nurses Award is one of the more error-prone awards to run manually, because so many variables interact: classification and pay point, aged care versus non-aged care stream, afternoon versus night shift, weekend versus public holiday, and the non-cumulative rule that stops penalties stacking. A single misconfigured rule: an aged care nurse paid the general rate, a night shift loading missed, a Sunday paid at Saturday rates repeats every roster cycle and compounds quickly.
From 1 July 2026, Payday Super requires super to be paid at the same time as wages, so any error in gross pay now flows straight into a same-day super shortfall. And with the aged care stream increasing again from 1 August 2026, rates in this sector are moving twice in six weeks. Getting classification, stream, and shift interpretation right at the source is what keeps both wages and super compliant.
If you’re running nurse payroll on spreadsheets or a system that doesn’t handle the non-cumulative shift-and-penalty logic automatically, it’s worth checking your exposure before these changes compound.
FAQs About the Health Professionals Award
Q1: What is the Registered Nurse pay rate under the Nurses Award in 2026?
A1: From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, a Registered Nurse Level 1 (pay point 1) earns $32.09 per hour ($1,219.50 per week). Rates rise through the pay points and levels to $71.23 per hour at RN Level 5 Grade 6.
Q2: What is the Enrolled Nurse pay rate under the Nurses Award?
A2: An Enrolled Nurse at pay point 1 earns $30.00 per hour from 1 July 2026, rising to $31.56 per hour at pay point 5. A first-year nursing assistant earns $27.65 per hour.
Q3: What are the shift allowances under the Nurses Award?
A3: Afternoon shifts (finishing after 6.00 pm) attract a 12.5% loading, and night shifts (starting at or after 6.00 pm) attract a 15% loading, on the base rate. These apply to weekday shifts and are not paid on top of weekend or public holiday penalties.
Q4: What is the Sunday rate under the Nurses Award?
A4: Sunday ordinary hours are paid at 175% for full-time and part-time employees. Saturday is 150%, and public holidays are 200%. Casual rates are higher because of the 25% loading compounds.
Q5: Do aged care nurses get paid more under the Nurses Award?
A5: Yes. Aged care employees are paid from a separate, higher rate table reflecting recent work-value increases. A first-year aged care RN Level 1 earns $39.87 per hour, compared with $32.09 for a non-aged care RN Level 1 pay point 1. Aged care rates increase again from 1 August 2026.
Q6: What is the public holiday rate under the Nurses Award?
A6: Public holiday ordinary work is paid at 200% for full-time and part-time employees (250% for public holiday overtime). This is a common point of confusion — some sources incorrectly list 250% for all public holiday work.
Read more
Nurses Award Pay Rates & Updates
Other Related Awards
SCHADS Award 2026/27: Pay Rates & Allowances
Cleaning Services Award Rates 2026/27: Pay, Penalties, Allowances & Overtime
Health Professionals Award 2026/27 Pay Rates Guide (MA000027)
