These are base salaries. Shift, weekend and public holiday penalties for correctional officers are set by Part 9 of the SA Public Sector Salaried Employees Interim Award, which we have not reproduced.
SA prison officer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Correctional Officer CO-1 to CO-3 | 15 | $59,406 | $84,000 |
| Correctional Officer CO-4 (team supervision) | 5 | $86,274 | $93,290 |
Which agreement sets SA prison officer pay
Prison officers employed by Department for Correctional Services (SA) are paid under the South Australian Public Sector Enterprise Agreement: Salaried 2026. The rates below apply from 1 July 2026 and were read from the source on 9 October 2026.
Next scheduled increase: 1 July 2027. The agreement already prints the next column, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2027: CO-1 1st year adult goes to $61,853.
Department for Correctional Services (SA) pay scale — every classification
Annual full-time base salary before tax and before superannuation. Part-time staff are paid pro rata.
Correctional Officer CO-1 to CO-3
Schedule 1.12, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. CO-1 is the training level, CO-2 follows the Certificate III in Correctional Practice, and CO-3 includes Advanced Correctional Officers with a Certificate IV.
| Level and increment | Annual salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CO-1 1st year adult | $59,406 | |
| CO-1 2nd year adult | $61,125 | |
| CO-1 3rd year adult | $62,156 | |
| CO-1 4th year adult | $63,273 | |
| CO-1 5th year adult | $64,218 | |
| CO-1 6th year adult | $65,247 | |
| CO-2 increment 1 | $67,993 | |
| CO-2 increment 2 | $69,807 | |
| CO-2 increment 3 | $71,057 | |
| CO-2 increment 4 | $73,658 | |
| CO-2 increment 5 | $75,134 | |
| CO-3 increment 1 | $76,500 | |
| CO-3 increment 2 | $78,151 | |
| CO-3 increment 3 | $80,349 | |
| CO-3 increment 4 | $84,000 |
Correctional Officer CO-4 (team supervision)
Schedule 1.12, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. CO-4 may supervise and lead a small team of correctional officers.
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.
Trainee and probationary prison officer pay
New officers start at CO-1, a level where "training is a predominant feature". An adult CO-1 in the first year is paid $59,406 from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026; the agreement also has junior CO-1 rates for officers aged 20 and under.
What a SA prison officer salary is worth after tax
Every salary in the tables links to its take-home figure. Start with take-home pay on $59,000 for the entry rate or take-home pay on $84,000 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:
- Shift, weekend and public holiday penalties (Part 9 of the SA Public Sector Salaried Employees Interim Award).
- CO-5 to CO-7 management levels and junior CO-1 rates, which are in Schedule 1.12 but not reproduced here.
SA prison officer pay questions
Prison officer pay in other states
How this page is sourced▼
Every salary on this page was read from the South Australian Public Sector Enterprise Agreement: Salaried 2026 or Department for Correctional Services (SA)’s own published pay table on 9 October 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 Public Sector Enterprise Agreement: Salaried 2026 (ET-26-00776) — Schedule 1.12 Correctional Officers— Attorney-General's Department (SA)
Last verified: 9 October 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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