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INHealth Professionals Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Health Professionals Award actually pays — the right classification level, weekend and shift penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Health Professionals Award is applied
- Minimum rates are the Support Services adult rates from clause 16.2(a), current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading with a 3-hour minimum engagement (2 hours for cleaners in private medical practices).
- The whole weekend is one penalty: 150% for all ordinary hours between midnight Friday and midnight Sunday — casuals get a combined 175%, never 150% plus the loading.
- Overtime beyond 38 ordinary weekly hours pays 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200% (casuals: 187.5% / 250%, loading built in) — and it substitutes for weekend and shift penalties, not stacks on them.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including weekend and shift penalties — but not to overtime.
- The stacking trap: the casual loading is never paid on top of weekend (175%) or shift (140%) penalties — multiplying those by 1.25 is this award’s most common payroll error. Public holidays are the one exception: casual PH is 275%, the 25% loading added to the 250% permanent rate, confirmed against the FWO pay guide.
Who the award covers
- Medical, dental and allied health practices — the health industry Australia-wide
- Reception, admin and clerical staff in health practices
- Dental assistants, pathology collectors and technicians
- Cleaners, cooks, orderlies and other support staff in health facilities
- Degree-qualified health professionals — physios, psychologists, dietitians, social workers (Schedule B)
- Any employer engaging a health professional, even outside the health industry
Nurses and midwives (Nurses Award), doctors (Medical Practitioners Award), community pharmacies (Pharmacy Industry Award) and aged care employers have their own awards — check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
This award runs two streams, and the stream decides everything: Support Services (reception, admin, dental assistants, technicians, cooks and cleaners — Levels 1–9) and Health Professional (degree-qualified clinicians like physios and psychologists — Levels 1–4). This calculator uses the Support Services stream, the one most small practices actually hire into. Most practice teams sit at Levels 1–5.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $26.97 | $1024.70 | Cleaner · Hospital orderly · Laundry hand · Food services assistant | The entry level: less than 3 months’ industry experience, basic duties within established routines under direct supervision. No prior experience or training required. |
| Level 2 | $28.03 | $1065.20 | Driver (under 3 tonne) · Storeperson · Housekeeper · Personal care worker grade 1 | Prioritises work within established routines with limited supervision — needs specific on-the-job training or relevant skills experience. |
| Level 3 | $29.11 | $1106.20 | Receptionist · General clerk/typist · Dental assistant (unqualified, under 12 months) · Theatre technician | The classic practice front desk: basic clerical functions with a medium level of accountability, sound communication and arithmetic skills, limited supervision. |
| Level 4 | $29.45 | $1119.10 | Ward/medical records clerk · Trade cook · Pathology technician · Personal care worker grade 3 | Works within established policies and guidelines; may need formal qualifications or Certificate III-level skills training. |
| Level 5 | $30.45 | $1157.20 | Secretary · Senior cook · Pharmacy technician · Pathology collector (entry) | Semi-autonomous with substantial accountability — admin roles need comprehensive knowledge of medical terminology or health insurance schemes. |
| Level 6 | $32.09 | $1219.50 | Chef · Anaesthetic technician · Dental assistant (Certificate III) · Advanced computer clerk | High level of autonomy; may require post-trade qualifications, an Advanced Certificate or Associate Diploma. |
| Level 7 | $32.67 | $1241.40 | Clerical supervisor · Senior chef · Dental assistant (Certificate IV) · Experienced pathology collector | Works autonomously and prioritises the work of others — may supervise, with substantial accountability and responsibility. |
| Level 8 | $33.78 | $1283.50 | Payroll specialist · Practice administrator with delegated responsibility | Specialist knowledge and experience sufficient to independently advise, train and supervise lower levels — think complex payroll, costings and management reports. Three pay points; this is the first. |
| Level 9 | $37.76 | $1435.00 | Office/practice manager · Work group supervisor | Supervises a work group or office under general direction: sets priorities, monitors workflow, develops training and work practices. Three pay points; this is the first. |
- Map the stream first, then the level. Degree-qualified clinicians — physiotherapists, psychologists, dietitians, social workers and the rest of Schedule B — belong in the separate Health Professional stream (a new 3-year graduate starts at $32.09/hr), not in this table.
- Levels 8 and 9 each have three pay points that step up annually — the calculator uses the first, so experienced staff at those levels will sit above these figures.
- Dental assistants and pathology collectors at Levels 3–7 have their own transitional rate sub-tables (until 31 December 2026) — a few dollars different at some levels, so check clause 16.2(b)/(c) before finalising.
- The day-worker span is 6am–6pm Monday–Friday, but private medical and dental practices get a wider span (7:30am–9pm plus Saturday) — shift penalties only start outside the span that applies to you.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Health Professionals 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):
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 Health Professionals 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 Health Professionals Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 15). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Health Professionals 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.
Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000027) — 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 minimums for the Support Services stream (clause 16.2(a)), current at 1 July 2026, with Levels 8–9 shown at their first pay point. Juniors are a percentage of these (50% under 17, up to 90% at 20), and degree-qualified clinicians use the separate Health Professional stream. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
Where does my physio or psychologist fit?
In the Health Professional stream, not this table. A new graduate with a 3-year degree starts at Level 1 pay point 2 ($32.09/hr) and steps up a pay point every year automatically — an experienced clinician exercising independent judgment is Level 2 ($39.31/hr and up).
Do casuals get the 25% loading on top of weekend rates?
No — this is the award’s classic trap. A casual working Saturday or Sunday gets a flat 175% of the minimum rate, and a casual shiftworker gets a flat 140%. The loading is only added to plain weekday hours; it’s built into the overtime percentages. Public holidays break the pattern, though — casual PH pay is 275%, the 25% loading genuinely added on top of the 250% permanent rate, confirmed against the FWO’s official pay guide.
Is Saturday paid differently from Sunday?
No — unusually, this award has a single weekend penalty: 150% (175% casual) for all ordinary hours between midnight Friday and midnight Sunday. There’s no higher Sunday tier.
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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