Skip to main content

NSW Firefighter Salary 2026 — Fire and Rescue NSW Pay Scale

Under the Crown Employees (Fire and Rescue NSW Permanent Firefighting Staff) Award 2024, from 26 February 2026, the Recruit Firefighter rate is $81,118 a year and the Senior Firefighter rate is $110,237.

Official ATO ratesUpdated FY2026-27Free foreverNo signup required
A firefighter in tan gear rolls up a hose beside a red fire truck as smoke drifts over bushland

The award was made on 19 December 2025, after the 26 February 2024 and 26 February 2025 increases had already fallen due, and published in the Industrial Gazette on 11 March 2026. It sets increases of 4% (26 February 2024), 4% (26 February 2025) and 6% (26 February 2026).

The award stays in force until 25 February 2027. No increase after 26 February 2026 is written into it; the award says Fire and Rescue NSW and the FBEU will start negotiating a new award nine months before it expires.

NSW firefighter pay 2026 at a glance

Pay instrument
Crown Employees (Fire and Rescue NSW Permanent Firefighting Staff) Award 2024
Employer
Fire and Rescue NSW
Rates in force from
26 February 2026
Classifications shown
Recruit Firefighter to Chief Superintendent (11 rows in 2 tables)
Checked against the source
24 September 2026
Fire and Rescue NSW pay ranges by table
Pay tableRowsFromTo
Firefighters (Schedule 1, Table 1 — station based)4$81,118$110,237
Leading Firefighter and officers (Schedule 1, Table 1 — station based)7$116,476$209,798

Fire and Rescue NSW pay scale — every classification

Firefighters (Schedule 1, Table 1 — station based)

Permanent firefighters from recruit through to Senior Firefighter. Progression to Qualified Firefighter needs 24 months' service from starting as a recruit, and to Senior Firefighter at least 72 months, plus the required training at each step.

Fire and Rescue NSW: Firefighters (Schedule 1, Table 1 — station based)
ClassificationAnnual salaryNotes
Recruit Firefighter$81,118$1,555.69 per week
Firefighter$93,597$1,795.01 per week
Qualified Firefighter$103,997$1,994.45 per week
Senior Firefighter$110,237$2,114.13 per week

Leading Firefighter and officers (Schedule 1, Table 1 — station based)

Leading Firefighter (reached by completing the Leading Firefighter Program) and the station-based officer ranks. Station Officer Team Member and Team Leader share one station-based rate.

Fire and Rescue NSW: Leading Firefighter and officers (Schedule 1, Table 1 — station based)
ClassificationAnnual salaryNotes
Leading Firefighter$116,476$2,233.78 per week
Station Officer (Team Member)$132,076$2,532.95 per week
Station Officer (Team Leader)$132,076$2,532.95 per week
Leading Station Officer$135,196$2,592.79 per week
Inspector$155,996$2,991.69 per week
Superintendent$194,176Published as $194,176 per annum
Chief Superintendent$209,798Published as $209,798 per annum

Recruit firefighter pay

Recruit Firefighters are paid $1,555.69 per week from 26 February 2026 (about $81,118 a year).

Unlike every other rank, the Recruit Firefighter rate does not include the roster allowance (clause 13.2.2).

A recruit moves to Firefighter ($1,795.01 per week) after satisfactorily completing the required training (clause 47.2), and stays on probation until six weeks after that progression (clause 47.1).

Fire and Rescue NSW penalties, loadings and allowances

  • The weekly rates are composite: they already include shift allowance, weekend and public holiday loading, industry allowance and (except for recruits) a roster allowance for working a 42-hour week (clauses 13.2–13.3).
  • Station-based firefighters work the Standard 10/14 roster — four platoons over an 8-week cycle, day shifts 0800–1800 and night shifts 1800–0800 (clause 21.3).
  • Non-station-based team members are paid a 15% weekly allowance on top of their substantive rate, and team leaders 20% (clause 49.4.3).

Left off this page

  • Retained (on-call) firefighters are covered by a separate award and are not shown here.
  • Allowances such as Hazmat, aerial, rescue and service allowances are paid on top of the rates shown and are not included.

NSW firefighter pay questions

Under the Fire and Rescue NSW permanent firefighting award, a Qualified Firefighter earns $1,994.45 a week (about $103,997 a year) and a Senior Firefighter $2,114.13 a week (about $110,237) from 26 February 2026. These are composite rates that already include shift and weekend loadings.

A Recruit Firefighter with Fire and Rescue NSW is paid $1,555.69 a week from 26 February 2026, about $81,118 a year. After completing recruit training they move to Firefighter at $1,795.01 a week.

A station-based Station Officer (Team Member or Team Leader) earns $2,532.95 a week, about $132,076 a year, and a Leading Station Officer $2,592.79 a week, about $135,196 a year, from 26 February 2026.

The current award's last increase was 6% on 26 February 2026. The award expires on 25 February 2027 and no further increase is written into it, so the next rise depends on a new award.

How tax, super and penalties apply to these salaries: Firefighter Pay Australia.

Calculate your take-home pay

Firefighter pay in other states

Fire Rescue VictoriaQueensland Fire Department (QFD)SA Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS)Tasmania Fire ServiceACT Fire & RescueNT Fire and Rescue Service
How this page is sourced▼

Read from the Crown Employees (Fire and Rescue NSW Permanent Firefighting Staff) Award 2024 on 24 September 2026. A weekly or fortnightly rate in the notes column is the rate as published; where the instrument prints no annual figure, the annual salary is that rate multiplied out.

Sources & References

  1. 1
    Crown Employees (Fire and Rescue NSW Permanent Firefighting Staff) Award 2024 (Serial C10121)— Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales — NSW Industrial Gazette

Last verified: 24 September 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.

What to check next

People reading this page usually work these out too.