FRV operational employees are still covered by the Fire Rescue Victoria Operational Employees Interim Enterprise Agreement 2020, which is past its nominal expiry. The agreement's own wage table ends with the 1 May 2019 increase.
A replacement operational agreement has not been made. The United Firefighters' Union applied to the Fair Work Commission for an intractable bargaining declaration in July 2023 (matter B2023/771) and the declaration was made on 4 October 2023; the Commission's case page, last updated 1 May 2026, shows no workplace determination has been published yet.
When a new agreement or determination is made, pay could rise and may be back-dated. The rates here are FRV's own published current rates, not a forecast.
VIC firefighter pay 2026 at a glance
Full-time base salaries from 15 July 2026 (the date FRV published them; FRV does not say when they took effect). Tap a table name for every row, or a salary to see it after tax.
| Pay table | Rows | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruit to Qualified Firefighter (FRV published rates) | 5 | $58,066 | $90,669 |
Which agreement sets VIC firefighter pay
Firefighters employed by Fire Rescue Victoria are paid under the Fire Rescue Victoria — current gross salary pay rates (What you will get in return); underlying instrument: Fire Rescue Victoria Operational Employees Interim Enterprise Agreement 2020. The rates below apply from 15 July 2026 (the date FRV published them; FRV does not say when they took effect) and were read from the source on 24 September 2026.
Fire Rescue Victoria pay scale — every classification
Annual full-time base salary before tax and before superannuation. Part-time staff are paid pro rata.
Recruit to Qualified Firefighter (FRV published rates)
FRV's current weekly rates for a career firefighter from the 20-week recruit course to Qualified Firefighter, which takes 36 months' service and a certificate of proficiency.
| Position level | Annual salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Recruit Firefighter | $58,066 | $1,113.60 per week — during the 20-week training course |
| Firefighter Level 1 | $80,959 | $1,552.63 per week — on completion of the recruit course |
| Firefighter Level 2 | $82,457 | $1,581.36 per week — on completion of 12 months' service and all required modules |
| Firefighter Level 3 | $84,139 | $1,613.62 per week — on completion of 24 months' service and all required modules |
| Qualified Firefighter | $90,669 | $1,738.86 per week — on completion of 36 months' service and a certificate of proficiency |
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 $1,113.60 per week during the 20-week FRV Recruit Course at the FRV Training Academy in Craigieburn (about $58,066 a year).
On finishing the recruit course, firefighters move to Firefighter Level 1 at $1,552.63 per week and keep training on station for three years to become a Qualified Firefighter.
A probationary period applies from the start of the recruit course.
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 Fire Rescue Victoria — current gross salary pay rates (What you will get in return); underlying instrument: Fire Rescue Victoria Operational Employees Interim Enterprise Agreement 2020:
- FRV firefighters work the 10/14 shift system: two day shifts (8am–6pm), then two night shifts (6pm–8am), then four days off, over an eight-day cycle.
- Firefighters receive nine weeks' rostered annual leave a year, taken in two blocks.
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 VIC firefighter salary is worth after tax
Every salary in the tables links to its take-home figure. Start with take-home pay on $58,000 for the entry rate or take-home pay on $91,000 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 VIC 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:
- The date the current FRV rates took effect is not stated on FRV's page or in the 2020 agreement, so no effective date is given.
- Senior Firefighter, Leading Firefighter, Station Officer and higher ranks are not published by FRV at current rates. The 2020 agreement shows them only at 1 May 2019 rates, which are out of date, so they are not shown.
- Allowances, overtime and the Emergency Services Superannuation Scheme contribution are not included.
VIC firefighter pay questions
Firefighter pay in other states
How this page is sourced▼
Every salary on this page was read from the Fire Rescue Victoria — current gross salary pay rates (What you will get in return); underlying instrument: Fire Rescue Victoria Operational Employees Interim Enterprise Agreement 2020 or Fire Rescue Victoria’s own published pay table on 24 September 2026, and applies from 15 July 2026 (the date FRV published them; FRV does not say when they took effect). 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
- 1What you will get in return (firefighter recruitment — remuneration and entitlements)— Fire Rescue Victoria
- 2
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.
Areas of Expertise