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Australian Capital Territory Nurse Pay & Conditions 2025–26
What ACT public-sector nurses and midwives are entitled to in 2025–26.
Pay pages by role:
Assistant in Nursing · Enrolled Nurse · Registered Nurse · Clinical Nurse (senior clinical grades) · Nurse Management (NUM / Director of Nursing)
Ways to maximise your income
- Shift/weekend/public-holiday rosters are the single biggest hidden value: they lift annual leave from 4 weeks (152hr) to 5 (190hr), 6 (228hr) or 7 weeks (266hr) per year - a roster with shift work and/or weekends AND public holidays gets the full 7 weeks
- The laundry allowance ($15.65/fortnight, ~$407/yr from 04/12/25) is payable even if you are NOT required to wear a uniform, as long as you perform clinical duties involving direct client contact - widely under-claimed by clinical nurses
- A role-relevant postgraduate qualification beyond your registration qualification pays a permanent fortnightly loading: 3.5% ($111.36/ft), 4.5% ($143.18/ft, incl. Postgrad Diploma/Second Degree) or 5.5% ($175.00/ft, Masters/Doctorate) - roughly $2,900-$4,550/yr, and the employer's Study Assistance, nursing scholarships and sabbatical leave can help you earn it on their time
- You can advance from RN/RM Level 1 to Level 2 ($112,841-$119,223) WITHOUT waiting for a vacancy, via the quarterly 'Personal Classification' merit process - and a minimum 25% of each clinical unit must be Level 2, so demand is structural
- RN1 alone has 8 automatic annual increment steps from $82,993 to $108,780 (~$26k) on your anniversary with no underperformance/discipline action - and 12 months of higher duties within any 24-month window permanently banks an increment under the 'one year in two' rule
- The minimum break between shifts is 9 hours (not 8 or 10); if you are required back without it in exceptional circumstances you are paid DOUBLE TIME until released, then can be absent until you've had 9 consecutive hours off without loss of pay
Registered nurse pay scale
Base rates, in force from 4 December 2025 — before penalties, allowances and overtime.
| Step | Weekly | Hourly | Annualised |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 Pay Point 1 | $1,590.56 | $41.86 | $82,993 |
| Level 1 Pay Point 2 | $1,647.73 | $43.36 | $85,976 |
| Level 1 Pay Point 3 | $1,710.66 | $45.02 | $89,260 |
| Level 1 Pay Point 4 | $1,785.45 | $46.99 | $93,162 |
| Level 1 Pay Point 5 | $1,860.30 | $48.96 | $97,068 |
| Level 1 Pay Point 6 | $1,935.09 | $50.92 | $100,970 |
| Level 1 Pay Point 7 | $2,009.89 | $52.89 | $104,873 |
| Level 1 Pay Point 8 | $2,084.76 | $54.86 | $108,780 |
Progression beyond the base scale
Senior and specialty grades — the pay step up, and what each takes.
| Grade | Pay | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Pay increase schedule over agreement life | Final step: 1% + $1,000 (04/12/2025) | All employees in classifications |
| Enrolled Nurse Level 1 salary | $75,849 - $80,611/yr | Enrolled Nurse Level 1 |
| Enrolled Nurse Level 2 salary | $81,806/yr | Enrolled Nurse Level 2 |
| Registered Nurse Level 2 salary | $112,841 - $119,223/yr | Registered Nurse Level 2 |
| Registered Nurse Level 3 Grade 1 salary | $128,458 - $133,489/yr | RN Level 3 Grade 1 (incl. Clinical Nurse Consultant) |
| Registered Nurse Level 3 Grade 2 salary | $144,410/yr | RN Level 3 Grade 2 (incl. composite roles across streams) |
| Registered Nurse Level 4 salary | G1 $144,410 / G2 $154,206 / G3 $163,994/yr | RN Level 4 Grades 1-3 |
| Registered Nurse Level 5 salary | G1 $144,410 up to G6 $214,371/yr | RN Level 5 Grades 1-6 |
| Nurse Practitioner salary | $154,206/yr | Nurse Practitioner (authorised) |
Allowances you can claim & rural/remote
Postgraduate / further-education qualification allowance$101.78–$175.00/fortnight (from 04/12/25); paid as 3.5%/4.5%/5.5% of base
Fortnightly allowance for holding a qualification ADDITIONAL to the one needed to register. EN with further quals 3.5%; RN/RM Honours/Conversion degree or Postgrad…
Professional Development Allowance$750/yr (>=0.5 FTE, AHPRA-registered) or $375/yr (<0.5 FTE, or non-AHPRA position)
Annual cash allowance to support professional development, paid automatically in the first full pay period in July each year (from July 2024). $750 if you work at or…
Transition (one-off) payment — programmed professional development time$2,000 one-off (two x $1,000 instalments)
A one-off $2,000 payment to transition away from programmed professional development time under previous agreements, paid as two $1,000 instalments: first within 2…
Uniform allowance$517.27/yr (from 04/12/25)
Paid where the head of service requires you to wear a uniform. NOT paid if the ACTPS provides the uniform. Most recent in-force rate is $517.27 per annum (column dated…
Laundry allowance$15.65/fortnight (from 04/12/25)
Paid where you are required to wear AND launder a uniform. Importantly, it is ALSO payable if you are NOT required to wear a uniform but perform clinical duties…
Motor vehicle allowance$0.78–$0.91/km depending on engine size; ATO rate for EV/hybrid/LPG/motorcycle
Paid per kilometre when the head of service authorises use of your own (or hired) car for official purposes/specified journeys/travel to a temporary work station. Small…
Reimbursement of relocation expensesUp to $12,000 (single, no dependants) + $2,000 per dependant (up to 6) + $1,750 per dependant beyond 6
New employees recruited from interstate or overseas can have reasonable relocation costs reimbursed up to a ceiling: $12,000 single/no dependants, plus $2,000 for each…
Close-call allowance20% (Mon–Fri), 30% (Sat/Sun & RDOs), 40% (public holidays & ADOs) of hourly rate, per hour restricted
Higher rate than on-call, for being available for IMMEDIATE recall: you must stay within 30 minutes' vehicle travel of the work site and start the return journey within…
Health and wellbeing reimbursement paymentUp to $100/yr (tax-free)
Reimbursement of up to $100 per annum for health-promotion activities you undertake in your own time (preventative activity/therapy generally accepted as improving…
Custodial environment allowance$1.84/hour (from 04/12/25)
Hourly allowance for shifts performing duties in a custodial environment (e.g. correctional/detention settings). Most recent in-force rate $1.84/hour (column dated…
Community Language allowance$1,474.56/yr (NAATI Level 1) or $2,946.88/yr (NAATI Level 2) (from 04/12/25)
Annual allowance for employees whose duties regularly involve communicating in a language other than English (including Auslan/deaf sign, deaf oral and Aboriginal…
Onerous duty allowance — Continuity of Care Midwifery Model$104.69/hr (first 3 hrs) and $139.59/hr (beyond 3 hrs) (full-time rates, from 04/12/25)
Hourly onerous-duty allowance for midwives in the Continuity of Care Midwifery Model. For full-time employees: $104.69/hour for the first three hours and…
Corporate Citizens allowance$3.28/day (from 04/12/25)
Per-day allowance if you are designated and available to perform the role of Fire Warden (trained) or elected & trained Health and Safety Representative (HSR). $3.28/day…
Higher Duties AllowanceDifference up to the higher position's pay (no fixed figure)
Payable when you perform the duties of a higher position. Counts for incremental progression and continues during paid leave you would otherwise have worked. Where the…
Salary sacrifice / salary packaging~$11,660/yr tax-free
As a public-hospital employee you can salary-package roughly $9,010 of everyday living expenses (mortgage, rent, bills, credit card) plus a separate ~$2,650 of meal entertainment each FBT year free of income tax — about $11,660 tax-free in total — plus a novated car lease on top. It doesn't reduce any award allowance, penalty or overtime.
Leave & study
Annual (recreation) leave4 weeks/yr (152 hrs)
Full-time nurses/midwives who are NOT shift/weekend/public-holiday workers get the standard 4 weeks (152 hours) annual leave per year. Accrues daily. Casuals get none.
Extra annual leave for shift / weekend / public-holiday workers5, 6 or 7 weeks/yr
This is the big lever for shift nurses. A roster with shift work and/or weekends but NOT public holidays = 5 weeks (190 hrs). A roster including public holidays but not…
Annual leave loading17.5%
Leave loading is 17.5% of ordinary annual pay (excluding shift penalties) on the hours of annual leave accrued in the previous calendar year - OR the shift penalties…
Purchased leaveup to 12 weeks/yr
On top of normal annual leave, you can buy up to 12 weeks extra leave in any 12-month period (salary spread/reduced to fund it), subject to approval. Not available if…
Personal (sick/carer's) leave3.6 weeks/yr (~18 days FT)
Personal leave covers your own illness/injury, caring for/supporting an ill or emergency-affected family/household member, and medical appointments. Credited 3.6 weeks…
Birth leave24 weeks paid (up to 52 weeks total)
The pregnant/birth parent gets up to 52 weeks birth leave per pregnancy, with the FIRST 24 weeks PAID - and this is IN ADDITION to the Federal paid parental leave…
Primary care giver leave18 weeks paid
A non-birthing employee who is the primary care giver of a newborn gets 18 weeks PAID primary care giver leave per birth, in addition to the Federal paid parental leave…
Bonding leave5 weeks (25 days) paid + 1 week personal leave
An employee who is NOT the primary care giver (e.g. partner) gets up to 5 weeks (25 working days) PAID bonding leave at or near the birth/adoption/permanent-care start,…
Adoption / permanent or long-term care leave18 weeks paid
18 weeks of PAID leave per occasion of adoption or commencement of a permanent/long-term caring responsibility for a child under 18, less any related leave taken for the…
Unpaid parental leaveup to 2 years (+ up to 52 wks more)
On top of paid birth/primary-carer leave, the primary care giver can take up to 2 years' unpaid parental leave following the child's birth/adoption/care order, and may…
Grandparental leaveup to 52 weeks (unpaid)
Eligible employees may take up to 52 weeks unpaid grandparental leave to care for a grandchild, available up to the grandchild's 5th birthday. Counts as service for all…
Long service leave3 months per 10 yrs; accessible at 7 yrs
Accrues at 3 months for every 10 years of completed eligible employment. Can be accessed (or cashed out) once you reach an aggregated 7 years of eligible service - at…
More leave types
Compassionate / bereavement leave5 days (death); 2 days (life-threatening illness)
Up to 5 paid days per occasion on the death of an immediate family/household member (including stillbirth), and up to 2 paid days per occasion where such a person has a…
Hours, overtime, breaks & on-call
Ordinary hours per week38 hours/week (avg)
Full-time ordinary hours, excluding meal breaks, average 38 hours per week, worked on a roster in shifts. Part-timers work less than this. Hours…
Full-time fortnightly hours / overtime threshold76 hours/fortnight
Full-time hours are 76 per fortnight. Overtime arises when an employee works in excess of rostered hours on a shift/day, OR in excess of 76 hours in…
How penalties and overtime rates are calculatedpenalties 1/38th weekly; OT = fortnightly/76
Penalty rates are based on 1/38th of the full-time weekly rate. The overtime hourly rate is the full-time fortnightly rate divided by 76. Both…
Standard shift definitions8h morning / 8h evening / 10h night
Standard core shift patterns are 8-hour morning, 8-hour evening and 10-hour night shifts. Day shift commences 0700-1000; evening commences at/after…
Weekday evening-shift penalty12.5%
Evening shift (commences at/after 1200 and ceases at/after 1800), Mon-Fri (between midnight Sunday and midnight Friday), attracts a 12.5% penalty.…
Weekday night-shift penalty25%
Night shift (commences at/after 1800 and continues after midnight), Mon-Fri, attracts a 25% penalty.
Saturday penalty50%
All rostered hours worked from after midnight Friday until midnight Saturday are paid at a 50% penalty.
Sunday penalty75%
All rostered hours worked from after midnight Saturday until midnight Sunday are paid at a 75% penalty.
12-hour shift penalty25%
In lieu of other shift penalties, 12-hour-shift workers get a 25% penalty for hours worked from midnight Sunday to midnight Friday that fall OUTSIDE…
Public holiday penalty150% or 50%
Public holiday penalty depends on annual-leave entitlement: employees on 4 or 5 weeks annual leave get 150% in lieu of other shift…
Casual public holiday penalty150%
Casuals working any hours on a public holiday are paid a 150% public-holiday penalty in addition to their ordinary rate of pay (which includes the…
Part-time extra shift on public holiday25% + public holiday rate
A regular part-time employee performing a rostered extra shift on a public holiday gets a 25% shift loading IN ADDITION to the public-holiday rate.
All figures are drawn from the ACT Public Sector Nursing and Midwifery Enterprise Agreement 2023-2026. Confirm your exact classification, step and allowances against the current instrument and your payslip.