What a registered nurse earns in Tasmania
On the Registered Nurse Grade 3 scale, the bottom step (Year 1) pays $80,524 a year and the top step (Year 9) pays $102,295. Department of Health Tasmania publishes those annual figures directly. Base pay is only part of the picture: nursing is a rostered, round-the-clock job, and shift and weekend loadings routinely add a double-digit percentage on top.
Those buttons go to the nearest published take-home page, which is rounded to the closest $5,000. For your exact figure — including HECS-HELP, salary packaging and extra super — use the take-home pay calculator.
What makes TAS different
- The registered nurse scale starts at Grade 3, not Grade 1 — Grades 1 and 2 are undergraduate and enrolled nurse.
- Registered Nurse Grade 3 Year 1 is $80,524 a year, and the grade runs to $102,295 at Year 9.
- Enrolled Nurse Grade 2 Year 4 lands on exactly the Registered Nurse Grade 3 Year 1 salary.
- Progression into Grade 4 requires an application and Year 3 requires a formal capability review, so the ladder is not automatic.
- The Department's page names the 2019 agreement while the Tasmanian Industrial Commission lists a 2023 agreement as current — check which one your payslip cites.
Department of Health Tasmania nursing and midwifery pay scales
Each table below uses the classification names the instrument itself prints. Classifications are not the same between states and this page does not translate them: a Queensland Nurse Grade 5 and a Tasmanian Registered Nurse Grade 3 are both entry registered nurse roles, but they are not the same classification and they are not on the same money.
Registered nurses and midwives
Registered Nurse Grade 3(RN Grade 3)
Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Award and Agreement — salary rates published by the Department of Health — rates effective 1 December 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | $80,524 — see take-home pay on $80,000 |
| Year 2 | $83,346 — see take-home pay on $85,000 |
| Year 3 | $86,715 — see take-home pay on $85,000 |
| Year 4 | $90,081 — see take-home pay on $90,000 |
| Year 5 | $93,453 — see take-home pay on $95,000 |
| Year 6 | $96,820 — see take-home pay on $95,000 |
| Year 7 | $100,196 — see take-home pay on $100,000 |
| Year 8 | $101,318 — see take-home pay on $100,000 |
| Year 9 | $102,295 — see take-home pay on $100,000 |
Grade 3 is the entry registered nurse grade in Tasmania. Grades 1 and 2 are undergraduate and enrolled nurse classifications, which is why the RN ladder starts at 3.
Enrolled nurses
Enrolled Nurse(EN Grade 1–2)
Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Award and Agreement — salary rates published by the Department of Health — rates effective 1 December 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Grade 1 Year G | $73,109 — see take-home pay on $75,000 |
| Grade 2 Year 1 | $75,205 — see take-home pay on $75,000 |
| Grade 2 Year 2 | $77,204 — see take-home pay on $75,000 |
| Grade 2 Year 3 | $79,304 — see take-home pay on $80,000 |
| Grade 2 Year 4 | $80,524 — see take-home pay on $80,000 |
Enrolled Nurse Grade 2 Year 4 tops out at exactly the Registered Nurse Grade 3 Year 1 rate.
Specialist Enrolled Nurse
Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Award and Agreement — salary rates published by the Department of Health — rates effective 1 December 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | $83,346 — see take-home pay on $85,000 |
| Year 2 | $84,469 — see take-home pay on $85,000 |
| Year 3 | $85,592 — see take-home pay on $85,000 |
| Year 4 | $86,715 — see take-home pay on $85,000 |
Clinical nurse, specialist and consultant grades
Registered Nurse Grade 4(RN Grade 4)
Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Award and Agreement — salary rates published by the Department of Health — rates effective 1 December 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Year 1 (application for progression) | $102,439 — see take-home pay on $100,000 |
| Year 2 | $104,685 — see take-home pay on $105,000 |
| Year 3 (formal capability review) | $106,935 — see take-home pay on $105,000 |
| Year 4 | $108,131 — see take-home pay on $110,000 |
| Year 5 | $109,175 — see take-home pay on $110,000 |
Progression into Grade 4 is by application, and Year 3 carries a formal capability review — Tasmania gates its steps rather than paying them automatically.
Registered Nurse Grade 5(RN Grade 5)
Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Award and Agreement — salary rates published by the Department of Health — rates effective 1 December 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | $109,767 — see take-home pay on $110,000 |
| Year 2 | $111,425 — see take-home pay on $110,000 |
| Year 3 | $113,669 — see take-home pay on $115,000 |
| Year 4 | $114,700 — see take-home pay on $115,000 |
| Year 5 | $115,813 — see take-home pay on $115,000 |
Community Health and Family Child Health Nurse(RN CH/FCH G3–G4)
Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Award and Agreement — salary rates published by the Department of Health — rates effective 1 December 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Grade 3 Year 4 | $90,081 — see take-home pay on $90,000 |
| Grade 3 Year 5 (capability assessment / advanced progression point) | $93,453 — see take-home pay on $95,000 |
| Grade 3 Year 6 | $96,820 — see take-home pay on $95,000 |
| Grade 3 Year 7 | $100,196 — see take-home pay on $100,000 |
| Grade 3 Year 8 | $101,318 — see take-home pay on $100,000 |
| Grade 3 Year 9 | $102,295 — see take-home pay on $100,000 |
| Grade 4 Year 1 (application for progression) | $102,439 — see take-home pay on $100,000 |
| Grade 4 Year 2 | $104,685 — see take-home pay on $105,000 |
| Grade 4 Year 3 (formal capability review) | $106,935 — see take-home pay on $105,000 |
| Grade 4 Year 4 | $108,131 — see take-home pay on $110,000 |
| Grade 4 Year 5 | $109,175 — see take-home pay on $110,000 |
This scale starts at Grade 3 Year 4 — community and family child health nurses enter above the general RN entry point.
Unit managers and nursing management
Registered Nurse Grade 6(RN Grade 6)
Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Award and Agreement — salary rates published by the Department of Health — rates effective 1 December 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | $118,297 — see take-home pay on $120,000 |
| Year 2 | $120,928 — see take-home pay on $120,000 |
| Year 3 | $123,562 — see take-home pay on $125,000 |
| Year 4 | $124,333 — see take-home pay on $125,000 |
| Year 5 | $125,543 — see take-home pay on $125,000 |
Registered Nurse Grade 7(RN Grade 7a and 7b)
Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Award and Agreement — salary rates published by the Department of Health — rates effective 1 December 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Grade 7a Year 0 | $126,036 — see take-home pay on $125,000 |
| Grade 7a Year 1 | $128,844 — see take-home pay on $130,000 |
| Grade 7a Year 2 | $131,650 — see take-home pay on $130,000 |
| Grade 7a Year 3 | $132,932 — see take-home pay on $135,000 |
| Grade 7b Year 1 | $134,109 — see take-home pay on $135,000 |
| Grade 7b Year 2 | $136,570 — see take-home pay on $135,000 |
| Grade 7b Year 3 | $139,028 — see take-home pay on $140,000 |
| Grade 7b Year 4 | $140,384 — see take-home pay on $140,000 |
Registered Nurse Grade 8(RN Grade 8)
Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Award and Agreement — salary rates published by the Department of Health — rates effective 1 December 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | $141,509 — see take-home pay on $140,000 |
| Level 2 | $142,632 — see take-home pay on $145,000 |
| Level 3 | $148,470 — see take-home pay on $150,000 |
| Level 4 | $154,301 — see take-home pay on $155,000 |
| Level 5 | $164,681 — see take-home pay on $165,000 |
Registered Nurse Grade 9(RN Grade 9)
Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Award and Agreement — salary rates published by the Department of Health — rates effective 1 December 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | $182,734 — see take-home pay on $185,000 |
| Level 2 | $192,563 — see take-home pay on $195,000 |
| Level 3 | $204,381 — see take-home pay on $200,000 |
Assistants in nursing and undergraduate students
Registered Undergraduate Nurse(Grade 1)
Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Award and Agreement — salary rates published by the Department of Health — rates effective 1 December 2025
| Step | A year (tap for after tax) |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | $66,935 — see take-home pay on $65,000 |
| Year 2 | $68,999 — see take-home pay on $70,000 |
| Year 3 | $71,068 — see take-home pay on $70,000 |
| Year 4 | $73,138 — see take-home pay on $75,000 |
Which agreement covers you
Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Award and Agreement — salary rates published by the Department of Health
- Rates effective
- 1 December 2025
- Made or approved by
- Tasmanian Industrial Commission
The Department's page names the 2019 agreement. The Tasmanian Industrial Commission lists the Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Agreement 2023 (T15086) as the current registered agreement. Both are linked below.
Nurses and Midwives salary rates (effective 1 December 2025)Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Agreement 2023
- Rates effective
- registered by the Tasmanian Industrial Commission (matter T15086)
- Made or approved by
- Tasmanian Industrial Commission
- Reference
- T15086 of 2023
Listed by the Commission under current public sector agreements. No rates are reproduced from it on this page.
Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Agreement 2023Nurses Award 2020 vs the TAS agreement
The Nurses Award 2020 (MA000034) is a federal minimum wage instrument, not a pay scale for public hospital staff. It sets the floor below which no nurse in Australia may lawfully be paid. Almost nobody in Tasmania's public health system is actually paid on it, because the instrument above pays well over the floor. The award is what governs pay in private hospitals, GP and specialist clinics, aged care and agency work where no enterprise agreement applies.
| Rate | Weekly | Hourly | A full year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurses Award 2020 — RN level 1 pay point 1 (the floor) | $1,219.50 | $32.09 | $63,414 |
| Nurses Award 2020 — RN level 1 pay point 8 | $1,465.50 | $38.57 | $76,206 |
| TAS public health — entry registered nurse (Year 1) | — | — | $80,524 |
Award rates above are the minimum rates operative from 1 July 2026 (PR799315) for employees other than aged care employees. The award now carries a second, higher set of minimum rates for aged care nurses, operative from 1 August 2026 (PR812118) — an aged care registered nurse level 1 in their first year is on $1,571.60 a week, well above the $1,219.50 general rate. If someone quotes “the Nurses Award rate” without saying which of the two streams they mean, the number is unusable.
| Nurses Award 2020 penalty | Rate |
|---|---|
| Afternoon shift, Monday to FridayShift starting at or after 12 noon and finishing after 6.00 pm (clause 20.1(a)). | +12.5% |
| Night shift, Monday to FridayShift starting at or after 6.00 pm and finishing before 7.30 am (clause 20.1(b)). | +15% |
| Saturday ordinary hoursMidnight Friday to midnight Saturday (clause 21.1). | 150% |
| Sunday ordinary hoursMidnight Saturday to midnight Sunday (clause 21.2). | 175% |
| Casual loadingShift loadings are worked out on the minimum hourly rate, then the casual loading is added to the penalty rate (clause 11.4). | +25% |
Full award pay-guide style tables for other awards are on the award pay rates page.
Shift penalties and weekend loadings in Tasmania
Nursing pay is penalty-driven. A nurse on a rotating roster with regular nights and weekends can be paid materially more than the base rate on this page, and the difference does not show up in any “average nurse salary” figure. Check these against your payslip line by line.
Department of Health Tasmania publishes base salaries but not the penalty schedule alongside them, and the agreement text has not been read for this page. Rather than quote percentages we cannot cite, this page publishes none for Tasmania. The overtime and penalty rates guide explains how shift loadings are normally structured, and the instrument is linked in the sources below.
To model a specific roster — a fortnight of nights, a weekend block, an overtime call-back — use the overtime pay calculator, and read the overtime and penalty rates guide for how loadings interact with ordinary hours.
Moving up a step, and what each step is worth
Two different things move nursing pay. Within one classification you move through increments — usually annually for full-time staff, and by accumulated hours for part-time and casual staff. Between classifications you move by being appointed to a position, not by time served: nobody becomes a clinical nurse consultant or a unit manager by waiting.
The increments are worth checking. On the TAS registered nurse scale, the gap between consecutive steps is a real pay rise every year that you should be able to see land on a specific pay period. If your increment date has passed and the rate has not moved, that is a payroll question worth asking. Use the pay rise calculator to see what a step is worth after tax, and the back pay calculator if the increment was applied late.
Salary packaging, and why it changes your take-home but not your grade
Public hospital employees can salary package living expenses out of pre-tax income under the public hospital fringe benefits tax exemption. On a nursing salary that is worth several thousand dollars a year in extra take-home pay, and it is one of the largest single differences between public and private sector nursing pay once you look past the base rate.
What it does not do is change your classification, your increment or your gross pay. It changes how much of your gross pay is taxed. That distinction matters when you are comparing a public hospital offer against a private one, and when you are checking whether your payslip has the packaging deduction applied correctly. The mechanics, caps and eligibility are in the salary packaging guide; the salary sacrifice calculator shows the effect on a specific salary.
What this page does not show
This is a money page, so it says what it left out rather than filling gaps with estimates.
Not published anywhere we could verify
Nothing below appears on this page in any form. No figure here has been estimated, interpolated or carried across from another state:
- Shift, weekend and public holiday penalty rates — the Department's salary page publishes base salaries only, and the agreement text has not been read for this page
- An hourly rate for any Tasmanian classification
- A separate nurse practitioner rate — the Department's salary page does not publish one, and we will not guess which grade it maps to
- A separate midwifery scale — Tasmania's published rates cover nurses and midwives together without distinguishing them
Nurse pay in the other states
Every state runs its own classification structure and its own agreement. Comparing the raw numbers across states is misleading unless you also compare the classifications and the penalty structures.
Not yet published: Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory. Their instruments have not been read, and we would rather publish nothing than a guess.
Frequently asked questions
How these figures were checked▼
Every rate on this page was read on 28 August 2026 from the instrument or employer wage schedule linked below, and nothing was estimated, averaged or interpolated. Where a source publishes a rate for a classification we publish it; where it does not, the row is omitted and listed under “what this page does not show”.
Department of Health Tasmania publishes annual salaries directly, so no conversion is applied. Hourly: not shown — the Department publishes a full-time-equivalent annual salary only, with no hourly rate and no prescribed divisor.
Take-home links round to the nearest published $5,000 salary page and do not account for HECS-HELP, salary packaging, extra super or the Medicare levy surcharge. Use the take-home pay calculator for a figure specific to your circumstances. Nothing here is financial or industrial advice — check your own payslip and your own agreement.
Sources & References
- 1
- 2
- 3Nurses Award 2020 [MA000034] — consolidated award text— Fair Work Ombudsman
Last verified: 28 August 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.