Tasmania uses one numbered grade ladder for the whole profession — assistant in nursing is Grade 1, enrolled nurse Grade 2, and a registered nurse is Grade 3 — before the senior clinical and management grades above.
Stepping into the senior clinical grades (from $1,963/wk — above the top of the base RN scale) is the largest pay jump beyond your annual increments, and Tasmania pays a qualification allowance that rewards postgraduate study. Far more accessible than people assume — and most who are eligible never apply.
Pay scale
Base rates, in force from 1 December 2025 — before penalties, allowances and overtime. Entry/each step shown (1 December 2025).
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
Ways to earn more
Climb your annual increments — the registered-nurse scale runs from $1,543.24 to $1,960.48 a week before penalties.
Step into the senior clinical grades (from $1,963.24/wk for Grade 4 (RN/RM, Clinical Coach), Year 1) — the biggest pay jump beyond your increments.
Work nights and weekends, and salary-package about $11,660 a year tax-free.
Allowances you can claim
On top of base pay — the allowances most relevant to this role.
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…
Remote & Rural Professional Development Allowance — REMOTE sites$3,797/yr PLUS +10% of salaried incremental…
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…
District (isolation) allowance — Category R remote$4,942.00/yr (with dependants) / $2,470.00/yr…
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…
Kilometreage — district / special vehicle add-onsCat R: $30.49/mo + $12.21 per 1600 km; Cat B:…
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 B$2,470.00/yr (with dependants) / $1,235.00/yr…
Category B covers locations under the Commonwealth Taxation Zone B description (an 'isolated area', which the award says includes King Island, Flinders Island, Cape…
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…
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.
Leave, study & the full conditions
Leave and study support (annual, parental, long-service, study leave, the career-break scheme), the overtime, minimum-break and on-call rules, and the complete allowance list apply across all Tasmania nurse classifications — see the full Tasmania nurse pay & conditions guide.