Northern Territory Clinical Nurse (senior clinical grades) Pay 2025–26
The NT's senior clinical grades (N3 and above) sit above the N2 registered nurse, rewarding qualifications and experience — and remote loadings stack on top.
In Northern Territory public health, a clinical nurse earns from $2,130.64 per week ($111,174 a year) to $2,748.08 ($143,391) across the scale — before shift penalties, allowances and overtime.
Becoming a clinical nurse
The senior clinical track for RNs who go deep in one specialty rather than into management — Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) and Nurse Educator, and at the top the Nurse Practitioner (NP), who can autonomously assess, diagnose, prescribe and refer within scope.
Full pathway: how to become a clinical nurse in Australia →
Pay scale
Base rates, in force from 19 August 2025 — before penalties, allowances and overtime. Entry/each step shown (19 August 2025).
| Grade | Weekly | Hourly | Annualised |
|---|---|---|---|
| N3 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 1 | $2,130.64 | $56.07 | $111,174 |
| N3 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 2 | $2,215.95 | $58.31 | $115,625 |
| N3 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 3 | $2,276.49 | $59.91 | $118,784 |
| N3 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 4 | $2,299.49 | $60.51 | $119,984 |
| N4 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 1 | $2,371.03 | $62.40 | $123,717 |
| N4 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 2 | $2,454.03 | $64.58 | $128,048 |
| N4 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 3 | $2,547.31 | $67.03 | $132,915 |
| N4 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 4 | $2,573.03 | $67.71 | $134,257 |
| N5 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 1 | $2,610.94 | $68.71 | $136,235 |
| N5 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 2 | $2,720.60 | $71.59 | $141,957 |
| N5 (Registered Nurse / Registered Midwife) increment 3 | $2,748.08 | $72.32 | $143,391 |
Ways to earn more
- The senior clinical grades run $2,130.64/wk (N3.1) to $2,748.08/wk (N5.3) — a large step above the top of the base RN scale.
- N3 is the Clinical Nurse grade: it rewards an advanced level of nursing knowledge and skill in your practice area and acting as a resource to other staff within a designated portfolio (e.g. shift management, education, safety, quality).
- A relevant post-graduate qualification still pays on top here: the Post Graduate Allowance adds 4-5.5% of the maximum N2 rate, about $82.64-$113.63/wk (cl 31).
- Penalties stack on these higher base rates — afternoon 17%, night 25%, Saturday 50%, Sunday 100% (double time), and public holidays an extra 150% on top of ordinary pay.
- In a remote posting the Attraction & Retention Incentive (up to $9,000 over 24 months) and 100% rental concession apply at every grade, and you can still salary-package ~$11,660/yr tax-free.
CNS, CNC and Nurse Educator are pay classifications set by each state's nursing award — eligibility (years of experience, whether a postgraduate qualification is mandatory) varies by state and employer, and holding a Master's alone doesn't confer the grade. Only Nurse Practitioner is a fixed national NMBA endorsement.
Allowances you can claim
On top of base pay — the allowances most relevant to this role.
Where it leads next
Step up from here: Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) · Nurse Practitioner (NP) · Nurse management — see exactly what each step takes →
Frequently asked questions
How much does a clinical nurse earn in Northern Territory?
What is the starting clinical nurse salary in Northern Territory?
Do Northern Territory nurses get paid more for nights and weekends?
Annual, parental, long-service and study leave, plus overtime, on-call and the full allowance list, are set out in the Northern Territory nurse pay & conditions guide.
Pay figures are drawn from the Northern Territory Public Sector Nurses and Midwives' 2022-2026 Enterprise Agreement. Confirm your exact classification, step and allowances against the current instrument and your payslip.