The 2025 agreement came into force on 19 February 2026. Its first increases (4% plus the public holiday adjustment) were back-dated to the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2026 (clause 8.4).
The agreement's nominal expiry date is 1 January 2028; negotiations for a new agreement must start at least six months before that.
SA firefighter pay 2026 at a glance
Full-time base salaries from 1 July 2026. Tap a table name for every row, or a salary to see it after tax.
| Pay table | Rows | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firefighters (Appendix A — total weekly wage) | 11 | $86,411 | $134,638 |
| Officers (Appendix A — total weekly wage) | 6 | $142,497 | $184,698 |
Which agreement sets SA firefighter pay
Firefighters employed by SA Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) are paid under the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service Enterprise Agreement 2025. The rates below apply from 1 July 2026 and were read from the source on 24 September 2026.
Next scheduled increase: 1 January 2027. A 3.5% increase from the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2027, already printed in Appendix A: Recruit Firefighter $1,715.19, First Class Firefighter Level 3 $2,413.58, Senior Firefighter Level 2B $2,672.47 and Station Officer Level 1 $2,828.46 per week. A further 3% follows from 1 January 2028.
SA Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) pay scale — every classification
Annual full-time base salary before tax and before superannuation. Part-time staff are paid pro rata.
Firefighters (Appendix A — total weekly wage)
Permanent full-time MFS firefighters from recruit through the Fourth, Third, Second and First Class ranks to Senior Firefighter.
| Rank | Annual salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Recruit Firefighter | $86,411 | $1,657.19 per week |
| Fourth Class Firefighter | $100,912 | $1,935.30 per week |
| Third Class Firefighter | $102,973 | $1,974.82 per week |
| Second Class Firefighter | $107,104 | $2,054.04 per week |
| First Class Firefighter Level 1 | $111,263 | $2,133.81 per week |
| First Class Firefighter Level 2 | $116,394 | $2,232.20 per week |
| First Class Firefighter Level 3 | $121,595 | $2,331.96 per week |
| Senior Firefighter Level 1 | $126,779 | $2,431.38 per week |
| Senior Firefighter Level 2 | $129,400 | $2,481.63 per week |
| Senior Firefighter Level 2A | $132,019 | $2,531.87 per week |
| Senior Firefighter Level 2B | $134,638 | $2,582.10 per week |
Officers (Appendix A — total weekly wage)
MFS Station Officers and Commanders.
| Rank | Annual salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Station Officer Level 1 | $142,497 | $2,732.81 per week |
| Station Officer Level 2 | $153,231 | $2,938.67 per week |
| Station Officer Level 3 | $161,076 | $3,089.12 per week |
| Commander Level 1 | $168,921 | $3,239.57 per week |
| Commander Level 2 | $177,943 | $3,412.59 per week |
| Commander Level 3 | $184,698 | $3,542.15 per week |
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.
Recruit firefighter pay
Recruit Firefighters are paid $1,657.19 per week from 1 July 2026 (about $86,411 a year).
Clause 15C lifted the Recruit Firefighter rate to 85% of the Fourth Class Firefighter rank from the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2026 — the recruit rate went from $1,187.12 per week (1 January 2025) to $1,575.97 per week (1 January 2026).
Shift penalties, loadings and allowances
Base salary is not the whole of it: firefighters on rotating rosters are paid extra for shift work. In summary, from the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service Enterprise Agreement 2025:
- Rates are total weekly wages. The 1 January 2026 column also includes a 1.8925% public holiday adjustment, and from 1 July 2026 a $3,000-a-year base uplift reflecting rescue qualification and advanced skills (clause 15B).
- The normal hourly rate is the Appendix A total wage divided by 40 (clause 6 definitions).
- Senior Firefighter Level 2A employees who are eligible and willing to act up to Station Officer are paid an extra amount (set at $50.23 per week and increased in line with the agreement's wage increases) on top of their total wage (clause 31.4).
Check the instrument for the exact conditions that apply to your roster. Overtime is worked out separately — the overtime pay calculator handles time and a half and double time.
What a SA firefighter salary is worth after tax
Every salary in the tables links to its take-home figure. Start with take-home pay on $86,000 for the entry rate or take-home pay on $135,000 for the top of the scale. Those figures cover base salary only; shift penalties and allowances are taxed as ordinary income on top.
Employer superannuation is paid on top of these salaries. For your own pay including penalties, a study loan or salary packaging, use the take-home pay calculator or the SA pay calculator.
What this page does not show
We publish only what we could read from a primary source. These are left off rather than estimated:
- Assistant Chief Fire Officer, marine and communications classifications are printed in Appendix A but are not shown here.
- Retained (part-time, on-call) firefighters are paid differently (an annual retainer plus hourly rates) and are not shown.
SA firefighter pay questions
Firefighter pay in other states
How this page is sourced▼
Every salary on this page was read from the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service Enterprise Agreement 2025 or SA Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS)’s own published pay table on 24 September 2026, and applies from 1 July 2026. Nothing is estimated, averaged or interpolated. Where the instrument publishes a weekly or fortnightly rate, the annual figure is that rate multiplied out and the published rate is shown in the notes column.
Take-home figures come from the site’s own calculator using ATO rates for the current income year.
Sources & References
- 1South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service Enterprise Agreement 2025 (SAET approval, case ET-26-00004)— Attorney-General's Department (SA) / South Australian Employment Tribunal
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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