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Australian Capital Territory Registered Nurse Pay 2025–26

ACT registered nurses are paid on a Level 1 pay-point scale, then step up to Levels 2–5 for the senior clinical and management roles. Canberra Health Services also offers public-hospital salary packaging.

In Australian Capital Territory public health, a registered nurse earns from $1,590.56 per week ($82,993 a year) to $2,084.76 ($108,780) across the scale — before shift penalties, allowances and overtime.

Assistant in Nursing Enrolled Nurse Clinical Nurse (senior clinical grades)Nurse Management (NUM / Director of Nursing)

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★ The biggest levers most nurses underuse

The single largest lever beyond your annual increments is stepping onto the Registered Nurse Level 2 scale, which starts at $2,162.59/wk — above the $2,084.76 top of the base RN Level 1 scale. In the ACT this happens by merit-based advancement: you apply for an established Level 2 vacancy or for 'personal classification', supported by two referee reports against the selection criteria (clause 23 and Schedule 5). The agreement also requires at least 25% of each clinical unit's nursing workforce to be classified at Level 2 (clause 25.2), so the positions exist — yet many eligible nurses never apply.

Becoming a registered nurse

A Registered Nurse (RN, Division 1) practises to the full scope of nursing — assessing, planning, delivering and evaluating care, autonomously and in teams. RNs delegate to and supervise Enrolled Nurses and AINs, and stay accountable for the decision to delegate.

Full pathway: how to become a registered nurse in Australia →

Pay scale

Base rates, in force from 4 December 2025 — before penalties, allowances and overtime. Entry/each step shown (4 December 2025).

Step	Weekly	Hourly	Annualised
Undergraduate Student Nurse	$1,327.02	$34.92	$69,242
Registered Nurse Level 1 Pay Point 1	$1,590.56	$41.86	$82,993
Registered Nurse Level 1 Pay Point 2	$1,647.73	$43.36	$85,976
Registered Nurse Level 1 Pay Point 3	$1,710.66	$45.02	$89,260
Registered Nurse Level 1 Pay Point 4	$1,785.45	$46.99	$93,162
Registered Nurse Level 1 Pay Point 5	$1,860.30	$48.96	$97,068
Registered Nurse Level 1 Pay Point 6	$1,935.09	$50.92	$100,970
Registered Nurse Level 1 Pay Point 7	$2,009.89	$52.89	$104,873
Registered Nurse Level 1 Pay Point 8	$2,084.76	$54.86	$108,780

Ways to earn more

Climb the eight RN Level 1 increments from $1,590.56 to $2,084.76/wk — that is a $494/wk swing within the base grade before any penalties or allowances.
Step up to the senior clinical grades: Registered Nurse Level 2 starts at $2,162.59/wk, the single biggest jump beyond your annual increments.
Add a postgraduate qualification and claim the qualification allowance — 3.5% of the RN minimum for a Postgraduate Certificate, rising to 4.5% for a Postgraduate Diploma and 5.5% for a Masters (up to about $175/fortnight).
Work the unsocial roster: ACT pays 12.5% weekday evenings, 25% weekday nights, 50% all Saturday and 75% all Sunday on top of base.
Salary-package about $11,660/yr of expenses tax-free through Canberra Health Services without eroding your penalties or allowances.

Allowances you can claim

On top of base pay — the allowances most relevant to this role.

Postgraduate / further-education qualification allowance$101.78–$175.00/fortnight (from 04/12/25); the rate depends on your qualification level.

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 Postgraduate Certificate also 3.5%, with higher rates for a Postgraduate Diploma or above.

Professional Development Allowance$750/yr (>=0.5 FTE, AHPRA-registered) or $375/yr if below 0.5 FTE.

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 above 0.5 FTE and are AHPRA-registered, otherwise $375.

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 04/12/25).

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 involving direct client contact.

Salary packaging~$11,660/yr tax-free

As a public-hospital employee you can package about $9,010 of everyday expenses plus ~$2,650 of meal entertainment FBT-free, plus a novated car lease — and it doesn't reduce any penalty or allowance.

Where it leads next

Step up from here: Senior clinical roles — CNS, CNC, Nurse Educator, Nurse Practitioner · Nurse management — NUM, Nurse Manager, Director of Nursing — see exactly what each step takes →

Frequently asked questions

How much does a registered nurse earn in Australian Capital Territory?

What is the starting registered nurse salary in Australian Capital Territory?

A first-step registered nurse in Australian Capital Territory starts at $1,590.56 per week — about $82,993 a year ($41.86 an hour) before penalties and allowances.

Do Australian Capital Territory nurses get paid more for nights and weekends?

Yes — on top of base pay, Australian Capital Territory public-health nurses receive shift loadings for afternoon, night and weekend work, plus overtime and a range of allowances.

Annual, parental, long-service and study leave, plus overtime, on-call and the full allowance list, are set out in the Australian Capital Territory nurse pay & conditions guide.

Pay 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.