NSW Health RN Pay Rates 2026
NSW Health RN pay rates for a registered nurse in the first year are $1,566.70 a week from 1 July 2026, under the Public Health System Nurses’ and Midwives’ (State) Award 2025. Other states are on nursing salaries Australia.
Last updated October 2026.
Key takeaways
- From 1 July 2026, Registered Nurse year 1 is $1,566.70 a week. Year 8 is $2,199.60.
- Enrolled Nurse year 1 is $1,437.60 a week. Year 5 is $1,562.10.
- The award publishes a weekly minimum. A chart that says graduate $78,400 and year 8 $104,500 is not this column.
- Nurse Practitioner year 1 is $3,032.60 a week, not an annual salary of $148,500.
- Accumulation super is 12% SG. The next award column is 1 July 2027.
1. Weekly rates from 1 July 2026
Weekly minimums from NSW Health IB2026_018, Table 1, column 01/07/2026. Hourly is the weekly rate divided by 38. The annual column is 52 times the weekly rate, for comparison only. Tax is Stage 3 PAYG plus 2% Medicare on that annual figure, with no HECS and no shift penalties. Other states are on the nursing salary hub.
| Classification | Weekly minimum | Hourly (÷ 38) | 52 × weekly | Super 12% on that annual | Estimated tax | Net on 52 × weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrolled Nurse, 1st year Medication-qualified EN. Year 5 is $1,562.10. | $1,437.60 | $37.83 | $74,755 | $8,971 | $14,710 | $60,045 |
| Enrolled Nurse, 5th year and thereafter Top of the EN scale in Table 1. | $1,562.10 | $41.11 | $81,229 | $9,747 | $16,781 | $64,448 |
| Registered Nurse, 1st year Same weekly rate as a registered midwife, 1st year. | $1,566.70 | $41.23 | $81,468 | $9,776 | $16,858 | $64,610 |
| Registered Nurse, 2nd year | $1,651.70 | $43.47 | $85,888 | $10,307 | $18,272 | $67,616 |
| Registered Nurse, 3rd year | $1,737.00 | $45.71 | $90,324 | $10,839 | $19,692 | $70,632 |
| Registered Nurse, 4th year | $1,828.50 | $48.12 | $95,082 | $11,410 | $21,214 | $73,868 |
| Registered Nurse, 5th year | $1,919.20 | $50.51 | $99,798 | $11,976 | $22,723 | $77,075 |
| Registered Nurse, 6th year | $2,009.50 | $52.88 | $104,494 | $12,539 | $24,226 | $80,268 |
| Registered Nurse, 7th year | $2,112.80 | $55.60 | $109,866 | $13,184 | $25,945 | $83,921 |
| Registered Nurse, 8th year and thereafter Top of the RN year scale. Not a Clinical Nurse Specialist rate. | $2,199.60 | $57.88 | $114,379 | $13,725 | $27,389 | $86,990 |
| Clinical Nurse Specialist, Grade 1 1st year and thereafter. Grade 2, 2nd year is $2,539.80. | $2,289.00 | $60.24 | $119,028 | $14,283 | $28,877 | $90,151 |
| Nursing Unit Manager, Level 1 Level 2 is $2,890.40. Level 3 is $2,968.20. | $2,759.70 | $72.62 | $143,504 | $17,220 | $37,305 | $106,199 |
| Nurse Practitioner, 1st year 4th year is $3,247.10 a week. | $3,032.60 | $79.81 | $157,695 | $18,923 | $42,839 | $114,856 |
2. Enrolled nurse pay versus registered nurse pay
An enrolled nurse and a registered nurse are different classifications in Table 1. From 1 July 2026:
- Enrolled Nurse, 1st year — $1,437.60 a week. The 5th year and thereafter rate is $1,562.10.
- Registered Nurse, 1st year — $1,566.70 a week. The 8th year and thereafter rate is $2,199.60.
The gap at year 1 is $129.10 a week before tax. A national chart that starts enrolled nurses at $64,500 a year and registered nurses at $78,400 is not this award. NSW government clerks are a different instrument — the Crown Employees salary scale. NSW teachers are on the Teachers Award.
The Public Health System Nurses’ and Midwives’ (State) Award 2025 says an enrolled nurse does not move from 1st year to 2nd year until 12 months at the 1st year rate, or the full-time equivalent of 1,982 hours for a part-time employee. An enrolled nurse without a medication qualification is a lower scale: $1,406.70 in the 1st year from 1 July 2026.
3. Registered nurse year steps
IB2026_018 lists three weekly columns: 1 July 2025, 1 July 2026, and 1 July 2027. On 5 October 2026 the payable column is 1 July 2026. The NSWNMA wage calculator dated 1 July 2026 prints the same Registered Nurse 1st year figure, $1,566.70.
- 1st year — $1,566.70 (1 July 2027 column: $1,613.70)
- 2nd year — $1,651.70
- 3rd year — $1,737.00
- 4th year — $1,828.50
- 5th year — $1,919.20
- 6th year — $2,009.50
- 7th year — $2,112.80
- 8th year and thereafter — $2,199.60
A registered midwife uses the same eight weekly amounts. South Australian public hospitals use an annual scale: RN/M Level 1 starts at $77,824 from 1 January 2026 on the SA Health nurse salary page. Other jurisdictions stay on the nursing salary hub. Clinical Nurse Specialist Grade 1 is $2,289.00, which sits above RN year 8. Nursing Unit Manager Level 1 is $2,759.70. Nurse Practitioner 1st year is $3,032.60, and the 4th year is $3,247.10. Those are not “RN year 8 plus a loading.”
Shift penalties, overtime, and allowances sit on top of the weekly minimum. They are not folded into $1,566.70. The bulletin also raises climatic, isolation, uniform, and laundry allowances with CPI, and it adds a lactation-break clause. This page does not turn a roster into an annual penalty total.
4. Superannuation is 12% SG
The ATO Superannuation Guarantee is 12% from 1 July 2025. NSW Health accumulation contributions follow that rate. The federal APS 15.4% contribution is a Commonwealth condition, not a line in Table 1. Model cash after the weekly rate is fixed on the take-home pay calculator. HELP withholding is separate — HECS-HELP guide.
5. How to read an NSW Health nurse payslip
- Confirm the instrument is the Public Health System Nurses’ and Midwives’ (State) Award 2025, not the Nurses Award 2020 and not a state clerks scale.
- Read the classification and the year (RN 1st year is not RN 8th year, and not Clinical Nurse Specialist).
- Match the weekly dollars to the 1 July 2026 column in IB2026_018.
- Treat 52 × weekly as a comparison. The award figure is the weekly minimum.
- Compare net pay on the job-offer comparator only after penalties are listed separately from the base week.
Sources
- NSW Health — IB2026_018, Increased Rates of Pay and Allowances for Nursing and Midwifery Staff (26 May 2026)
- NSWNMA — Public Health System wage calculator, 3% from 1 July 2026
- Public Health System Nurses’ and Midwives’ (State) Award 2025
- Australian Taxation Office — Superannuation Guarantee rate
NSW public school teacher salaries
A different award. Step 1 is $90,177 until 9 October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Official Australian tax, superannuation, and take-home pay guidance grounded in current ATO rulings.
What is the NSW Health registered nurse salary from 1 July 2026?
NSW Health Information Bulletin IB2026_018 sets the Registered Nurse 1st year rate at $1,566.70 a week from 1 July 2026. The 8th year and thereafter rate is $2,199.60 a week. The award states weekly minimums, not a single annual salary of $78,400 or $104,500.
What is the enrolled nurse rate in NSW public hospitals?
From 1 July 2026 an Enrolled Nurse 1st year is $1,437.60 a week. The 5th year and thereafter rate is $1,562.10. An enrolled nurse without a medication qualification is a separate, lower scale, starting at $1,406.70.
How much superannuation do NSW Health nurses receive?
Accumulation super follows the Superannuation Guarantee, 12% from 1 July 2025. That is not the federal APS 15.4% rate. Super is calculated on ordinary time earnings, on top of the weekly award rate.
Does the award publish an annual salary?
Table 1 in IB2026_018 is a weekly rate. Multiplying by 52 is a comparison only. Shift penalties, overtime, and allowances are extra and are not inside the weekly minimum.
When is the next increase?
The same bulletin lists a further 3% from 1 July 2027. A Registered Nurse 1st year moves from $1,566.70 to $1,613.70 on that column. Until that date, use the 1 July 2026 column.