Home › Nursing pay › Tasmania
Tasmania Nurse Pay & Conditions 2025–26
What Tasmanian public-sector nurses and midwives are entitled to in 2025–26, and how to earn more.
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
- Salary figures are CURRENT and accurate: I re-OCR'd the Agreement's scanned salary schedule and every Dec 2025 figure matched. A Grade 3 Registered Nurse rises from $80,524 (Year 1) to $102,295 (Year 9) just by accruing satisfactory service — the single biggest automatic progression runway in the structure.
- The most repeatable money lever is the postgraduate qualification allowance: an RN/midwife who holds a relevant qualification AND works in a relevant area gets a PERMANENT percentage on their incremental point — Graduate Certificate 4.0%, PG Diploma/Degree 6.5%, Masters 7.5%, PhD 10.0%. A Masters adds 7.5% to base pay for as long as you stay in the area.
- Rural and remote postings pay big and are often under-claimed: defined REMOTE sites (Cape Barren Is., Flinders Is., King Is., Queenstown, Rosebery, Strahan, Zeehan) pay a $3,797/yr Professional Development Allowance PLUS 10% on your incremental point; defined RURAL sites pay 4%. You must apply in advance.
- A permanent (non-rotating) night shift DOUBLES the night penalty to 55% (2 x 27.5%) — Award Pt V Sec C cl (f)(x). Most nurses don't realise a fixed night roster pays so much more than a rotating one.
- On-call recall stacks generously: you keep the on-call allowance ($5.26/hr weekday, $6.78/hr weekend, 8hr minimum) AND get a 4-hour-minimum overtime payment on the first call-back (3hr on each subsequent one), with travel time counted as time worked
- Heavy on-call earns paid days off: exceed 250 on-call hours in a financial year and you accrue Excess On-Call Leave (7.6hrs at the 250hr mark, then 0.0304hr per further on-call hour), capped at 38hrs/yr — an entitlement many nurses never claim.
Registered nurse pay scale
Base rates, in force from 1 December 2025 — before penalties, allowances and overtime.
| Step | Weekly | Hourly | Annualised |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 Year 1 | $1,543.24 | $40.61 | $80,524 |
| Grade 3 Year 2 | $1,597.32 | $42.03 | $83,346 |
| Grade 3 Year 3 | $1,661.89 | $43.73 | $86,715 |
| Grade 3 Year 4 | $1,726.40 | $45.43 | $90,081 |
| Grade 3 Year 5 | $1,791.02 | $47.13 | $93,453 |
| Grade 3 Year 6 | $1,855.55 | $48.83 | $96,820 |
| Grade 3 Year 7 | $1,920.25 | $50.53 | $100,196 |
| Grade 3 Year 8 | $1,941.75 | $51.10 | $101,318 |
| Grade 3 Year 9 | $1,960.48 | $51.59 | $102,295 |
Progression beyond the base scale
Senior and specialty grades — the pay step up, and what each takes.
| Grade | Pay | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Salary schedule | 3.5% then 3% then 3% | All employees covered by the agreement. |
| Grade 2 | $73,109 - $80,524/yr | Registered (Division 2) Enrolled Nurses with a current practising certificate. |
| Grade 2S | $83,346 - $86,715/yr | Enrolled Nurses appointed as specialist EN (Grade 2S) - see 'Grade 2S Specialist Enrolled Nurse'… |
| Grade 3 | $80,524 - $102,295/yr | Registered Nurses (Division 1) / Registered Midwives working within the Grade 3 scope. |
| Grade 4 | $102,439 - $109,175/yr | RN/RM appointed as Grade 4 (incl. Clinical Coach role). |
| Grade 5 | $109,767 - $115,813/yr | RN appointed as Clinical Coordinator, Clinical Nurse Specialist, or ANUM. |
| Grade 6 | $118,297 - $125,543/yr | RN appointed as CNE, CNC, NP Candidate, or Project/Research Nurse. |
| Grade 7 | 7a $126,036 - $132,932; 7b $134,109 - $140,384/yr | RN/RM in charge of a ward/unit. 7b for units scoring >=15 on the FTE/beds/budget/hours criteria, and all… |
| Grade 8 | $141,509 - $164,681/yr | ADON/DON/Nursing Director appointments; and Nurse Practitioners (Registered Nurses endorsed by the NMBA to… |
Allowances you can claim & rural/remote
Uniform allowance$500/yr
If you provide direct care but are required NOT to wear a uniform (the award names mental health and child & family health nurses as examples), you get a flat uniform…
Laundering of heavily soiled uniforms
You normally launder your own issued uniform, BUT if an employer-supplied uniform is heavily soiled or contaminated (vomit, blood, faeces etc.) the employer must either…
Meal allowance — overtimeBreakfast $16.05 / Lunch $18.05 / Dinner $30.75
If you start duty at least 1.5 hours before, or stay at least 1.5 hours after, your normal hours and that means buying a meal away from home, you get a meal allowance.…
Meal allowance — day travelBreakfast $16.05 / Lunch $18.05 / Dinner $30.75
Same meal rates apply when you're sent to work more than 60 km from your normal work location and have to buy breakfast or an evening meal, provided you start ≥1.5 hrs…
Spoiled/missed meal on duty
If your meal (normally taken on hospital premises) is spoiled or missed because of something beyond your control, the employer must provide a replacement meal or a cash…
Kilometreage allowance — private vehicle used for work99.09 c/km (≥2L, first 10,000 km); 85.22 c/km (<2L); 52.52 c/km / 45.58 c/km additional km
If the employer requires you in writing to keep a private vehicle available for official use and you agree in writing, you're a 'Required user' and get the higher rates.…
Kilometreage allowance — Occasional user66.06 c/km (≥2L, first 10,000 km); 56.81 c/km (<2L); 35.01 c/km / 30.39 c/km additional km
Occasional users of a private vehicle for work get the lower 'Rate 3/Rate 4' scale. Same engine-size split and 10,000 km step-down. Effective from first full pay period…
Kilometreage — minimum 4,000 km guarantee for required users
If you're required to provide a vehicle but travel LESS than 4,000 km on duty in a financial year, you're still paid as if you'd done 4,000 km (the rate x the…
Kilometreage — district / special vehicle add-onsCat R: $30.49/mo + $12.21 per 1600 km; Cat B: $20.18/mo + $12.21 per 1600 km; 4WD/utility $12.21/mo; trailer 3.65 c/km; heavy-equipment vehicle $12.21/mo; motorcycle 11.90 c/km
On top of the per-km rate, extra allowances if you're stationed in a district allowance area (Category R or B) or use a special vehicle. Includes utility/4WD/special…
District (isolation) allowance — Category R remote$4,942.00/yr (with dependants) / $2,470.00/yr (no dependants)
If permanently stationed in a Category R remote location — including the Bass Strait Islands, Maria Island and Bruny Island — you can be paid a district allowance to…
District (isolation) allowance — Category B$2,470.00/yr (with dependants) / $1,235.00/yr (no dependants)
Category B covers locations under the Commonwealth Taxation Zone B description (an 'isolated area', which the award says includes King Island, Flinders Island, Cape…
District (isolation) allowance — Category S special$1,235.00/yr (with dependants) / $619.00/yr (no dependants)
Category S covers special locations approved by the Commission. Lowest of the three district tiers.
Air fares from Bass Strait Islands3 x return economy airfare/yr (for employee + each dependant)
Explicitly a recruitment and retention strategy. If your place of employment is on the Bass Strait Islands, after 3 months continuous service you're entitled to the…
Remote & Rural Professional Development Allowance — REMOTE sites$3,797/yr PLUS +10% of salaried incremental point
BIG one for remote nurses. If you work at a defined Remote Site you get a Professional Development Allowance of $3,797/yr AND an additional 10% salary allowance on your…
Correctional & Mental Health allowance6.5% all-purpose (excl. shift penalties)
An all-purpose 6.5% loading on base salary for all hours worked if you're engaged in correctional health services, forensic mental health, or secure mental health…
Postgraduate qualification allowance — RN/MidwifeGraduate Cert 4.0% / PG Dip or Degree 6.5% / Masters 7.5% / PhD or Doctorate 10.0%
Probably the single most-overlooked money lever. If you hold a relevant postgraduate qualification AND work in an area relevant to it, you get an ongoing % allowance on…
Leave & study
Recreation (annual) leave entitlement152 hours/yr (4 weeks)
Full-time employees accrue 152 hours of recreation leave each year (= 4 weeks at a standard 38-hour week), accruing 5.85 hours per fortnight worked. Part-timers accrue…
Extra recreation leave for shift workers+38 hours (1 extra week; 5 weeks total)
Full-time shift workers get an ADDITIONAL 38 hours (1 extra week) of recreation leave per 12 months of continuous service, i.e. 5 weeks total. Pro rata if you only do…
Recreation leave loading17.5%
17.5% loading paid on recreation leave. Shift workers get the GREATER of 17.5% or their projected shift loadings/weekend penalties for the rostered period. Loading is…
Personal (sick/carer's) leave152 hours/yr (4 weeks)
Accrues progressively at 0.077 hours per ordinary hour worked, up to a full-time equivalent of 152 hours per annum (= 4 weeks). Covers personal illness/injury, caring…
Paid parental leave18 weeks paid (or 36 weeks at half pay)
18 weeks paid Primary Caregiver leave at normal pay after 12 months' continuous service, taken at the start of the parental-leave period. Can be taken as 18 weeks at…
Paid parental leave4 weeks paid (+2 weeks from other leave)
4 weeks paid Secondary Caregiver leave at normal pay after 12 months' continuous service, taken at the time of birth. Plus a right to access a further 2 weeks from…
Additional paid parental leave+12 weeks paid
A secondary caregiver who takes over primary caregiving can access an ADDITIONAL 12 weeks paid leave within the first 78 weeks after birth, provided they are meeting the…
Paid adoption leave18 weeks (primary) / 4 weeks (secondary)
Primary caregiver: 18 weeks paid adoption leave (after 12 months' service), continuous from day of placement. Secondary caregiver: 4 weeks paid, with a further 12 weeks…
Paid grandparent leave18 weeks paid
18 weeks paid grandparent leave (part of an entitlement to 52 weeks unpaid grandparent leave) for a grandparent who assumes primary caregiving responsibility for the…
Unpaid parental leaveUp to 52 weeks (extendable to 104 weeks)
Up to 52 weeks unpaid parental leave after 12 months' continuous service (reduced by any paid caregiver/adoption leave taken). Can request an extension up to a maximum…
Long service leave
Long service leave is provided under the Long Service Leave (State Employees) Act 1994 (i.e. governed by State legislation, not the Award itself). The Award/Agreement…
Postgraduate qualification allowance4.0% / 6.5% / 7.5% / 10.0%
Permanent percentage allowance for holding a relevant postgraduate qualification and working in a relevant area. Registered Nurse/Midwife: Graduate Certificate 4.0%;…
More leave types
Compassionate & bereavement leaveUp to 10 days/yr per family member
Up to 10 days' paid leave per personal-leave year PER immediate-family/household member, for a life-threatening illness, injury and/or death of that member. Bereavement…
Hours, overtime, breaks & on-call
Ordinary hours per week38 hrs/week
Full-time ordinary hours average not more than 38 per week, set across a regular pattern or roster. This is the baseline against which overtime is…
Ordinary hours≤8 hrs/day; avg ≤38/wk
Part-time hours are fixed in the appointment and capped at 8 hours/day; may be extended by agreement up to a 38-hour average. Minimum 2 continuous…
Minimum engagement2 hours
A casual must be given a minimum of 2 hours' work or pay each time required to attend, unless mutually agreed otherwise.
Day-worker span of ordinary hours7:00am–5:30pm
Full-time day workers (Mon–Fri only) average 38 hrs/week worked between 7:00am and 5:30pm, max 9 hours any working day, 76 hrs/14 days or 152 hrs/28…
Shift-worker max hours / max shift length / max consecutive shifts8/day, 48/wk, 88/14d, 152/28d; ≤8 shifts in 9 days
Shift workers average 38 hrs/week, capped at: 8 hours any one day, 48 in any one week, 88 in any 14 consecutive days, 152 in any 28-day period.…
One shift per 24 hours1 shift/24h
Except at the regular change-over of shifts, a shift worker (including casual) cannot be required to work more than one shift in each 24 hours.
Roster requirements2 consecutive days off; 4 weeks' notice
Roster must give a minimum of two consecutive days off; roster not changed except on 4 weeks' notice (an individual's place not changed except on a…
Two days off after night shift2 consecutive days; overtime if denied
Employees get two consecutive days off after a night shift (the morning the night shift ends is a 'sleep day', not counted as a day off). If made to…
Afternoon shift penalty+15%
Afternoon shift (a shift terminating after 6:00pm and at or before midnight) is paid 15% above base rate for the period of the shift.
Night shift penalty+27.5%
Night shift (a shift commencing at or after 4:00pm and before 6:00am) is paid 27.50% above base rate for the period of the shift.
12-hour shift penaltiesday +16.75%; night +21.75%
On 12-hour rosters: day shift (worked between 7:00am and 7:00pm) is paid 16.75% above base; night shift is paid 21.75% above base.
Permanent (non-rotating) night shift+55% (2 × 27.5%)
A shift worker required to do a night shift that does NOT rotate to day/afternoon shift is paid double the night-shift penalty (i.e. 55%).
All figures are drawn from the Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Agreement 2023, with the Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Award for conditions. Confirm your exact classification, step and allowances against the current instrument and your payslip.