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South Australia Registered Nurse Pay 2026

South Australian registered nurses are paid on a single Level 1 scale of nine increments, then step up to the clinical (Level 2+) and management grades. SA pays notable rural and remote incentives on top.

In South Australia public health, a registered nurse earns from $1,491.50 per week ($77,824 a year) to $2,035.07 ($106,187) 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 pay levers that move the most money

Stepping into the senior clinical grades (Clinical Nurse/Midwife Level 2 from $1,742.34/wk, above the top of the base RN scale) is the largest pay jump beyond your annual increments, and it needs only 3 years' post-registration experience plus demonstrated coordination, quality, leadership and clinical-teaching capability. A postgraduate qualification is not necessarily required. On top of that, SA's qualification allowance pays $3,573.70–$5,615.70/yr for relevant postgraduate study. Most who are eligible 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 1 January 2026 (incl. 4% interim increase) — before penalties, allowances and overtime. Entry/each step shown (1 January 2026 (incl. 4% interim increase)).

Step	Weekly	Hourly	Annualised
Registered Nurse/Midwife (Level 1), 1st increment	$1,491.50	$39.25	$77,824
Registered Nurse/Midwife (Level 1), 2nd increment	$1,538.22	$40.48	$80,262
Registered Nurse/Midwife (Level 1), 3rd increment	$1,603.99	$42.21	$83,694
Registered Nurse/Midwife (Level 1), 4th increment	$1,672.62	$44.02	$87,275
Registered Nurse/Midwife (Level 1), 5th increment	$1,742.34	$45.85	$90,913
Registered Nurse/Midwife (Level 1), 6th increment	$1,812.40	$47.69	$94,568
Registered Nurse/Midwife (Level 1), 7th increment	$1,882.56	$49.54	$98,229
Registered Nurse/Midwife (Level 1), 8th increment	$1,952.63	$51.39	$101,885
Registered Nurse/Midwife (Level 1), 9th increment	$2,035.07	$53.55	$106,187

Ways to earn more

Climb your nine annual increments: Level 1 runs $1,491.50 to $2,035.07/wk, about $543/wk between bottom and top before penalties.
Step up to Clinical Nurse/Midwife (Level 2) from $1,742.34/wk. It is the biggest jump beyond your increments, and it needs at least 3 years' post-registration experience.
Hold a relevant postgraduate qualification: the qualification allowance pays $3,573.70/yr (grad cert), $4,594.60/yr (grad diploma) or $5,615.70/yr (second degree, Masters or PhD). Only the highest applicable is paid.
Work nights and weekends: ordinary night-shift hours attract a 20.5% loading, Saturdays 50%, Sundays 75% and public holidays 250%.
Take a rural/remote (Zone 2–4) post for the Service Incentive Payment of up to $6,696.80/yr, plus a one-off relocation payment of $502–$837.
Salary-package about $11,660/yr tax-free. It doesn't reduce any penalty or allowance.

Allowances you can claim

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

Qualification allowance (Registered Nurses/Midwives)$3,573.70 / $4,594.60 / $5,615.70 per yr (from Jan 2025).

Annual allowance for a relevant additional qualification held beyond your base registration: 3.5% (hospital certificate or graduate certificate) = $3,573.70; 4.5% (graduate diploma) = $4,594.60; 5.5% (second degree, Masters or PhD) = $5,615.70 (from Jan 2025). Only the highest applicable allowance is paid.

Professional Development Allowance$2,547.70/yr (from 1 July 2025)

Paid into salary fortnightly (including during paid leave) to fund CPD for AHPRA registration. Increased each July 2023–2025 by $400 plus salary increases: it reached $2,547.70/yr from 1 July 2025.

Responsibility AllowanceUp to $8,586/yr ($4.33/hr) (from Jan 2025)

Annual/hourly allowance for nominated coordination/responsibility roles. From Jan 2025: DON-M classifications 6.1–6.3 = $4,294/yr ($2.17/hr); DON-M 6.4–6.5 = $7,162/yr ($3.61/hr); and up to $8,586/yr ($4.33/hr) for the highest band.

Rural & Remote Service Incentive PaymentUp to $6,696.80/yr (Zone 4, Yr 5, from Jan 2025).

Annual incentive paid fortnightly to nursing/midwifery staff at sites in Zones 2, 3 or 4, escalating by year of service (Years 1–5; nothing after the 5th year in a specific Zone).

Rural & Remote one-off incidental (relocation) paymentZone 2 $502 / Zone 3 $668 / Zone 4 $837 (from Jan 2025).

A one-off incidental payment paid when you take up an appointment at a Zone 2, 3 or 4 site, on top of the annual Zone incentive. From first full pay period on/after 1 January 2025. Paid only once, at the time of taking up the appointment, and applies separately to each Zone.

On-call allowance$38.70 weekday / $67.60 weekend-PH-RDO (from Jan 2025).

Paid per on-call period (between rostered shifts, max 24h). Mon–Fri $38.70; Weekends/Public Holidays/RDOs $67.60 from Jan 2025. If a period spans two days at different rates, a single payment of the higher rate is made.

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 none of it reduces 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 South Australia?

In South Australia public health, a registered nurse earns from $1,491.50 per week ($77,824 a year) to $2,035.07 ($106,187) across the scale — before shift penalties, allowances and overtime.

What is the starting registered nurse salary in South Australia?

A first-step registered nurse in South Australia starts at $1,491.50 per week — about $77,824 a year ($39.25 an hour) before penalties and allowances.

Do South Australia nurses get paid more for nights and weekends?

Yes — on top of base pay, South Australia 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 South Australia nurse pay & conditions guide.

Work out your pay

Take-home calculator → SA penalty & on-call rates Compare states

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Pay figures are drawn from the Nursing/Midwifery (SA Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022. Confirm your exact classification, step and allowances against the current instrument and your payslip.