Firefighter salary by state
Base salary, full time, before tax, shift penalties and super. “Recruit” is the first qualified or entry row of each state’s table and “Top firefighter rank” the top of its core scale; supervisory and specialist rows are on the state pages.
| State | Employer | Recruit | Top firefighter rank | Rates from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Fire and Rescue NSW | $81,118 | $110,237 | 26 February 2026 |
| VIC | Fire Rescue Victoria | $58,066 | $90,669 | 15 July 2026 (the date FRV published them; FRV does not say when they took effect) |
| QLD | Queensland Fire Department (QFD) | $59,730 | $84,494 | 1 August 2026 (award-floor rows from 1 September 2026) |
| SA | SA Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) | $86,411 | $134,638 | 1 July 2026 |
| TAS | Tasmania Fire Service | $74,169 | $105,801 | 1 December 2025 |
| ACT | ACT Fire & RescueComposite salary that already includes shift loading and several allowances. | $90,054 | $114,872 | 4 December 2025 |
| NT | NT Fire and Rescue Service | $80,285 | $108,074 | 21 November 2024 |
Every salary links to its take-home figure. Take-home pages exist for every $1,000 up to $150,000 and in wider steps above that, so a salary without a page of its own links to the nearest one.
Not yet verified — see the official source
We could not read a current table for these from a primary source, so we show no figure rather than an estimate.
WA — Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) WA
Current WA career firefighter pay rates are not shown. DFES's careers page still prints rates effective from June 2024, but an administrative pay increase was granted in December 2025, so those figures are out of date. No official DFES or WAIRC table of the rates after that increase could be found.
Western Australian Fire Service Enterprise Bargaining Agreement 2023How firefighter pay is set
Career firefighters are paid under state and territory industrial instruments, not a national modern award. Volunteer firefighters in the rural and country fire services are unpaid and are not covered by these tables.
A career firefighter starts on a recruit rate during training, moves through firefighter classes or levels as they qualify, and reaches senior or qualified firefighter after several years. Station officers and other officer ranks sit on separate, higher rates.
Most career firefighters work a rotating roster of day and night shifts. Several states build a shift or roster allowance into pay on top of base salary — each state page lists what its instrument sets.
Firefighter pay after tax
Each salary in the table links to its take-home page. Shift penalties, overtime and allowances are taxed as ordinary income on top of base salary, so for your real pay enter your expected total in the take-home pay calculator. Overtime is covered by the overtime pay calculator.
Firefighter pay questions
How these pages are sourced▼
Each state page is transcribed from that state’s enterprise agreement, award, determination or the employer’s own published pay table, on the date shown on the page. Nothing is estimated, averaged or interpolated, and states we could not verify carry no figures.
Sources & References
- 1Crown Employees (Fire and Rescue NSW Permanent Firefighting Staff) Award 2024 (Serial C10121)— Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales — NSW Industrial Gazette
- 2What you will get in return (firefighter recruitment — remuneration and entitlements)— Fire Rescue Victoria
- 3Queensland Fire Department Certified Agreement 2025 (CB/2026/32)— Queensland Industrial Relations Commission
- 4South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service Enterprise Agreement 2025 (SAET approval, case ET-26-00004)— Attorney-General's Department (SA) / South Australian Employment Tribunal
- 5Firefighting Industrial Agreement of 2025 (T15342 of 2026)— Tasmanian Industrial Commission
- 6ACT Public Sector ACT Fire & Rescue Enterprise Agreement 2024-2026 (approved)— ACT Government — ACTPS Employment Portal (Fair Work Commission approved)
- 7Northern Territory Public Sector Fire and Rescue Service 2021-2025 Enterprise Agreement (Schedule 3)— Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment (NT)
Last verified: 24 September 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
Anita Bell
AuthorFounder & Senior Bookkeeper
Accountancy degree (2015); certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One
Anita Bell earned her accountancy degree in 2015 and has worked as a senior bookkeeper with Prime Bookkeeping for over 5 years. This built her skills in Australian and New Zealand tax legislation and industry regulations. She is certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One, and works with payroll and rostering software including Gusto, Deputy, Tsheets and KeyPay. She has strong experience in hospitality, building and construction, financial services, real estate, ecommerce, and medical and health services.
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