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Ambulance and Patient Transport Award Pay Calculator

Work out what a week under the Ambulance and Patient Transport Award actually pays — the right classification, weekend and public-holiday rates, the award’s unusual tiered casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.

How the Ambulance and Patient Transport Award is applied

Minimum rates are the Year 1 operational rates from clause 16.1(a)(i), current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
Casual loading is tiered and replaces penalty rates: 25% on weekdays, 75% on Saturdays and Sundays, 100% on public holidays — never loading plus penalty.
Rostered ordinary hours on Saturdays and Sundays pay 150% (casuals 175% total, because the tiered 75% casual loading substitutes for the penalty rather than stacking on it — and actually lands casuals above the permanent rate here); rostered public holiday hours pay 250% (casuals 200% total, below the permanent rate).
Overtime: each day stands alone — Monday to Friday 150% for the first 2 hours then 200%; Saturday and Sunday overtime is 200% all day; beyond rostered hours on a public holiday, 250%. Casuals get the same overtime rates with no casual loading on top.
Night shifts carry a flat allowance, not a percentage: $59.71 per rostered shift finishing between 6pm and 8am or starting between 6pm and 6:30am.
Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including weekend penalties and all-purpose allowances — but not to overtime.

Who the award covers

Private ambulance services and non-emergency patient transport businesses
Paramedics, ambulance officers and student paramedics
Patient transport officers and clinical transport officers
Communications centre call takers and dispatch staff
Fleet maintenance officers and mechanics servicing ambulance fleets
Clerical and administrative staff of ambulance and patient transport employers

State and territory government ambulance services generally sit under their own enterprise agreements and public-sector instruments, general passenger drivers under the Passenger Vehicle Transportation Award, and clinic or hospital support staff under the Health Professionals and Support Services Award — check before you classify.

Which level is your team member?

The award runs two streams — Operational and Clerical/Administrative — and classifies operational staff by qualification: Certificate III for transport officers and call takers, Diploma for ambulance attendants, a degree for paramedics, then appointment-based officer ranks above that. Each operational classification also steps through three years-of-service rates.

Level	Per hour	Per week (38h)	Typical roles	The test
Trainee Clinical Transport Officer	$30.47	$1158.00	Trainee — non-stretcher patient transport	Training towards the Certificate III in Non-emergency Client Transport while assisting non-emergency patients in non-stretcher vehicles.
Student Ambulance Officer/Paramedic — Level 1	$31.03	$1179.10	Paramedicine student employed while studying	Employed while undertaking the paramedic diploma or degree (Levels 2–3, at $33.01 and $33.54/hr, follow as study progresses). Appointed Ambulance Officer/Paramedic on completing the course.
Clinical Transport Officer	$31.27	$1188.30	Non-emergency transport — non-stretcher vehicles	Holds a Certificate III in Non-emergency Client Transport and provides transport and assistance to non-emergency patients in non-stretcher vehicles.
Patient Transport Officer	$32.05	$1218.00	Non-emergency stretcher transport	Holds a Certificate III in Non-emergency Client Transport (or equivalent) and provides basic care and transport of non-emergency patients.
Communications Call Taker	$32.05	$1218.00	Emergency and non-emergency call taking	Trained to answer calls to pre-determined guidelines under supervision in a communications centre; holds a Certificate III in Ambulance Communications (Call Taking).
Ambulance Attendant	$34.21	$1299.90	Diploma-qualified non-emergency care	Has completed the Diploma of Paramedical Science (Ambulance) or equivalent with supervised clinical practice — a more advanced level of care than a Patient Transport Officer, for non-emergency patients.
Ambulance Officer / Paramedic	$34.46	$1309.50	Degree-qualified paramedic	Holds a paramedicine degree (or recognised equivalent) with completed clinical placements: assessment, treatment, care and transport of emergency and non-emergency patients in a pre-hospital setting.
Assistant Station Officer / Regional Relieving Officer	$36.58	$1389.90	Deputy to a station officer · Live-away relieving duties	An Ambulance Officer appointed to assist a Station Officer (possibly with clinical training duties), or one living away from home to perform routine relieving duties.
Station Officer / Team Manager (branch under 10 staff)	$37.58	$1428.20	In charge of a small station or team	An Ambulance Officer appointed to be in charge of and manage an ambulance station or team. At a headquarters or branch of 10 or more staff, the rate steps up to $38.49/hr.
Senior Station Officer	$40.97	$1557.00	Manages a geographic or specialist area	An Ambulance Officer appointed to manage and coordinate operations across a designated geographic or specialist area of an ambulance service.

The calculator shows Year 1 rates for the most-used operational classifications — every operational role steps up at Year 2 and Year 3 of service, so experienced staff sit above these figures.
Intensive Care Paramedic isn’t a separate pay rate: it’s an Ambulance Officer/Paramedic with the MICA graduate diploma, paid the base rate plus the all-purpose paramedic skills allowance.
Five classifications are trimmed from the picker: Student Paramedic Levels 2–3, Station Officer at a HQ/large branch ($38.49/hr), Fleet Maintenance Officer ($36.32/hr) and Mechanic ($34.46/hr).
Office staff sit in the Clerical/Administrative stream — Administrative Officer Bands 1–4, from $29.04 to $39.66/hr — not in the operational tables.

Allowances that can apply on top

Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Ambulance and Patient Transport Award adds allowances for particular duties and situations — being the designated first aid officer, working overtime without notice, using your own car. They’re small lines individually, but they’re legal entitlements and they add up. The common ones (1 July 2026 amounts):

Paramedic skills allowance — Intensive Care Paramedics (all-purpose: flows into penalties and overtime)$140.39/week first year · $206.20/week after (ambulance services) · $82.40/week other employers

CEP/Paramedic allowance — continuing education units (all-purpose)$22.69–$28.26/week per unit group · $155.91/week full paramedic skills set

Shift allowance — shift finishing 6pm–8am or starting 6pm–6:30am$59.71 per rostered shift

On-call allowance — rostered off duty but ready to respond$4.38 per hour

Communications centre allowance — operational staff on comms duties$9.42 per 8-hour shift, plus $1.19/hour beyond 8 hours

Single officer crew allowance — operational stretcher duties alone$19.90 per 8-hour shift

Meal allowances$20.91 per shift away from the usual workplace · $26.16 for overtime past 2 hours

Motor vehicle allowance — own car used for work$1.01/km

Annual leave loading17.5% on ordinary pay — paid on top of the allowances and penalties leave pay already includes

The calculator below doesn’t include allowances — add the ones that apply to your team on top of the result. The full list lives in the award’s allowances clause.

Break entitlements under the Ambulance and Patient Transport Award

Breaks are part of the award too — and missed or worked-through breaks usually carry a penalty rate, so they belong in the roster, not just the tea room. Here’s what the Ambulance and Patient Transport Award requires:

Meal breakAn unpaid meal break of at least 30 minutes each shift.

Crib time (operational crews)Operational employees instead get a paid 20-minute crib break each shift, counted as time worked, at a time and place the employer directs. Other staff can agree to the same swap.

Rest breaksTwo paid 10-minute rest breaks each day where practical — one each side of the meal break, counted as time worked.

Changing timeA paid 10 minutes at the end of duty to wash, shower or change, if the uniform can’t be worn home.

From the award’s breaks clause (clause 15). Verify the current award text before relying on it.

Calculate a week under the Ambulance and Patient Transport Award

Enter the week as it’s actually rostered. Weekend, evening and public-holiday hours are paid at the award’s penalty rates; anything beyond 38 hours is priced as overtime; super is applied to ordinary-time earnings only.

Classification levelEmployment typeState or territoryWeekday ordinary hoursSaturday hours (rostered)Confirmed against the FWO pay guide: permanent Saturday is 150% (not 200%), casuals get a 75% loading instead of the penalty — 175% total, above the permanent rateSunday hours (rostered)Confirmed against the FWO pay guide: permanent Sunday is 150% (not 200%), casuals get a 75% loading instead of the penalty — 175% total, above the permanent ratePublic holiday hours (rostered)Casuals get a 100% loading instead of the 250% penalty — 200% total

Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000098) — first full pay period on or after that date.

This week’s numbers

Nothing is stored or sent — the maths runs on this page.

Are these the exact legal rates?

They’re the adult Year 1 operational minimums from clause 16.1(a)(i), current at 1 July 2026. Every operational classification steps up at Year 2 and Year 3 of service, and clerical staff have their own Band tables. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.

Why does my casual get 175% on Saturday but no loading on overtime?

Because this award’s casual loading is tiered and substitutional: 25% weekdays, 75% weekends and 100% public holidays — paid instead of the penalty a permanent would get — and clause 11.2(c) switches the loading off entirely for overtime hours. A casual’s overtime pays the same 150%/200% as everyone else’s. Note the permanent Saturday/Sunday rate itself is only 150%, so the 75% casual loading actually puts casuals above the permanent weekend rate here — the public holiday loading (100%) is the one that lands below the permanent 250% rate.

Is there a night shift penalty?

Not a percentage one. A shift that finishes between 6pm and 8am, or starts between 6pm and 6:30am, attracts a flat $59.71 shift allowance per shift — the same dollar amount whether the shift is 8 hours or 12. Budget it per roster line, not per hour.

How do I pay an Intensive Care Paramedic?

Start with the Ambulance Officer/Paramedic base rate, then add the paramedic skills allowance — $140.39/week in the first year, $206.20/week after, for ambulance services. It’s an all-purpose allowance, so it loads into weekend penalties, overtime, leave and super, not just the base week.

This is a general calculator, not legal advice. It applies the award’s published adult minimums to the hours you enter — it can’t see your enterprise agreement, allowances or individual arrangements, and junior, apprentice and shiftwork rates differ. Always confirm pay against the award, your agreement or your adviser. If you believe something here is materially wrong or out of date, please contact us — we’ll review it promptly.

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