Assistant in Nursing Pay Rate 2026-27
An assistant in nursing is paid at least $27.65 an hour ($54,636 a year) in a private hospital under the Nurses Award, and $32.61 an hour ($64,428 a year) in a nursing home under the Aged Care Award. The setting decides the award: home care is under the SCHADS Award, and public hospital AINs are on state instruments, which this page does not publish.
Where you work sets your award
Since 1 January 2025 the Nurses Award 2020 no longer covers nursing assistants caring for aged persons in aged care or home care (clause 4.4, inserted by PR779152). A nursing home AIN is on the Aged Care Award 2010; a home care AIN is on the SCHADS Award.
The short answer
In a private hospital, an AIN is paid $27.65 an hour, a salary of $54,636 a year in the first year, or $29.45 ($58,193 a year) with a relevant Certificate III. In a residential aged care home the same work pays $32.61 an hour, $64,428 a year at direct care level 1, or $36.23 ($71,588 a year) at the Certificate III level. A casual starts at $34.56 in a hospital and $40.76 in a nursing home, including the 25% loading. Yearly figures are the weekly rate times 52, before tax.
Hospital AIN, first year
$27.65
Nursing assistant, 1st year, an hour
Same AIN, nursing home
$32.61
Direct care level 1, Introductory, an hour
Casual hospital AIN, first year
$34.56
Includes the 25% loading
Take-home a year
$46,633
$1,794 a fortnight, as a first-year hospital AIN
These are legal minimums set by a modern award, not a market average. This site does not publish average or advertised salaries, because the number that matters on a payslip is the floor an employer cannot go below. Many employers pay more, and an enterprise agreement can set a higher rate again.
AIN pay rates by setting.
AIN minimum rates run from $27.65 to $29.45 an hour in private hospitals, and from $32.61 at level 1 to $36.23 at the Certificate III level in residential aged care. Find your setting first, then your year of service or level.
Private hospital, clinic or agency (Nurses Award)
1 July 2026 · PR799315
Nurses Award 2020 (MA000034), clause 15.1(a), nursing assistant. Casual rates are printed in Schedule B. On a 38-hour week that is a salary of $54,636.40 to $58,193.20 a year, the weekly rate times 52. Every other classification in the award is on Nurses Award Pay Rates.
| Classification | Weekly | Hourly | Casual hourly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st year | $1,050.70 | $27.65 | $34.56 | $46,633 |
| 2nd year | $1,067.30 | $28.09 | $35.11 | $47,220 |
| 3rd year and thereafter | $1,084.40 | $28.54 | $35.68 | $47,824 |
| Experienced (the holder of a relevant certificate III qualification) | $1,119.10 | $29.45 | $36.81 | $49,051 |
Residential aged care (Aged Care Award)
1 July 2026 · PR799299
Aged Care Award 2010 (MA000018), clause 14.3, direct care. A former Nurses Award AIN translated to level 1, 2 or 3; levels 4 to 6 are the progression above. Levels 1 to 3 pay $64,428.00 to $71,588.40 a year, the weekly rate times 52. Hourly and casual figures are derived. The full residential scales, weekend rates included, are on Aged Care Award Pay Rates.
| Classification | Weekly | Hourly | Casual hourly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1, Introductory | $1,239.00 | $32.61 | $40.76* | $53,291 |
| Level 2, Direct Carer | $1,307.80 | $34.42 | $43.03* | $55,724 |
| Level 3, Qualified | $1,376.70 | $36.23 | $45.29* | $58,160 |
| Level 4, Senior | $1,431.80 | $37.68 | $47.10* | $60,108 |
| Level 5, Specialist | $1,486.80 | $39.13 | $48.91* | $62,053 |
| Level 6, Team Leader | $1,541.90 | $40.58 | $50.73* | $64,002 |
Home care for an older person (SCHADS Award)
1 July 2026 · PR799380
SCHADS Award (MA000100), clause 17.2, home care employees, aged care, classified under Schedule F. Hourly and casual figures are derived. Every SCHADS scale is on SCHADS Award Pay Rates.
| Classification | Weekly | Hourly | Casual hourly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $1,239.00 | $32.61 | $40.76* | $53,291 |
| Level 2 | $1,307.80 | $34.42 | $43.03* | $55,724 |
| Level 3 | $1,376.70 | $36.23 | $45.29* | $58,160 |
| Level 4 | $1,431.70 | $37.68 | $47.10* | $60,105 |
| Level 5 | $1,486.80 | $39.13 | $48.91* | $62,053 |
| Level 6 | $1,541.90 | $40.58 | $50.73* | $64,002 |
Hourly figures are the weekly rate over 38 ordinary hours. Take-home is an estimate for a single Australian resident for tax purposes with no study loan debt and no Medicare levy surcharge, worked out with the same Wage Calculator used across this site. Superannuation is paid by your employer on top of these rates and is never deducted from them. A casual figure marked * is not published in the award and is the minimum hourly rate plus the 25% loading.
How an AIN moves up the scale.
An AIN in a hospital moves up by year of service to the third year, then to the experienced rate once they hold a relevant Certificate III. Under the Aged Care Award 2010, level 1 is for under three months of aged care experience, level 2 for three months or more, and level 3 for a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) or equivalent. Levels 4 to 6 are senior, specialist and team leader roles, and their rules are on the award pages linked above.
Hospital or nursing home: what the same AIN is paid.
The same AIN earns $4.96 to $6.78 an hour more in a nursing home than in a private hospital, because Schedule I.2 of the Aged Care Award 2010 places a former Nurses Award AIN at direct care level 1, 2 or 3. Schedule G.2 of the SCHADS Award maps to home care levels 1 to 3 the same way.
| AIN profile | Private hospital | Nursing home | More an hour | More a week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First year, under 3 months in the industry | $27.651st year | $32.61Level 1 | $4.96 | $188.30 |
| First year, 3 months or more in the industry | $27.651st year | $34.42Level 2 | $6.77 | $257.10 |
| Second year | $28.092nd year | $34.42Level 2 | $6.33 | $240.50 |
| Third year | $28.543rd year and thereafter | $34.42Level 2 | $5.88 | $223.40 |
| Experienced, relevant Certificate III | $29.45Experienced | $36.23Level 3 | $6.78 | $257.60 |
The hourly gap uses the derived aged care hourly rate; the weekly gap compares two printed weekly rates. An AIN who moved across also keeps the Nurses Award quantum of annual leave, the National Employment Standards four weeks plus one extra week (clause 28.3 of the Aged Care Award 2010, clause 31.3 of the SCHADS Award). That applies only to someone covered by the Nurses Award on 31 December 2024. What that week is worth is on the Annual Leave Calculator.
Which award covers an assistant in nursing.
Three modern awards cover an assistant in nursing, and the work setting decides which: the Nurses Award in private hospitals and clinics, the Aged Care Award in residential aged care, and the SCHADS Award in home care.
| Where you work | Award or instrument |
|---|---|
| Private hospital, day surgery, clinic or nursing agency | Nurses Award 2020 (MA000034), clauses 4.1, 4.2 and 15.1(a) |
| Residential aged care home | Aged Care Award 2010 (MA000018), direct care, clause 14.3 |
| Care of an older person in their own home | SCHADS Award (MA000100), home care, aged care, clause 17.2 |
| State public hospital | The state or territory’s own public health award or agreement. Not published here |
| Disability support | SCHADS Award, on its disability scales |
The aged care rows changed on 1 January 2025, when clause 4.4 of the Nurses Award began excluding nursing assistants who care for aged persons in the aged care industry or the home care sector. The Fair Work Ombudsman states the same change on its page Aged Care Work Value Case: Changes to awards. Personal care workers in the same homes are paid on the same direct care rows, set out with the general stream on Aged Care Worker Pay Rate. Support work for people with disability is on Disability Support Worker Pay Rate.
What the Nurses Award calls an AIN.
A nursing assistant is an employee not registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia who works under the direct control of a registered nurse, solely to assist a registered or enrolled nurse (Nurses Award Schedule A.1). Assistant in nursing and AIN are the titles employers use. Enrolled nurses are registered, and are paid on a separate scale set out on Enrolled Nurse Pay Rate.
AINs in public hospitals.
A public hospital AIN is paid under the state or territory’s own instrument, not a modern award, and this site publishes none of those rates. Each state and territory health service sets its own nursing assistant scale, so check the current rates your health department publishes.
Every classification in this award, including the ones this page leaves out, is listed on the Nurses Award Pay Rates page.
What $27.65 an hour leaves on a payslip.
A full-time week at the Nursing assistant, 1st year rate is $1,050.70 before tax. The ATO weekly withholding schedule for 2026-27 takes $154.00 from it when the tax-free threshold is claimed, so $896.70 reaches your account. Paid fortnightly, it is $1,793.40.
| 38 hours a week | Gross a week | Tax withheld | Take-home a week | Take-home a fortnight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time$27.65 an hour | $1,050.70 | $154.00 | $896.70 | $1,793.40 |
| Casual, same hours$34.56 an hour | $1,313.28 | $239.00 | $1,074.28 | $2,148.56 |
Withholding is the payslip figure, not the year’s tax: the schedule rounds each pay to the dollar and leaves offsets to the tax return, which is why it differs a little from the take-home a year above. Super is paid on top. For a different number of hours, the Weekly Pay Calculator opens with $27.65 and 38 hours filled in, and the Overtime Calculator adds hours at time and a half and double time to the same rate, before any award-specific overtime rules.
Where these figures come from.
Provenance
Verified- Award
- Nurses Award 2020 (MA000034)
- Effective from
- 1 July 2026
- Consolidated to
- 1 August 2026
- Determinations
- PR799315
- Retrieved
- 6 September 2026
- Ordinary hours
- 38 a week
- Also from
- Aged Care Award 2010 (MA000018)
- Effective from
- 1 July 2026
- Consolidated to
- 1 September 2026
- Determinations
- PR799299, PR813673
- Retrieved
- 6 September 2026
- Also from
- Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (MA000100)
- Effective from
- 1 July 2026
- Consolidated to
- 1 September 2026
- Determinations
- PR799380, PR813674
- Retrieved
- 6 September 2026
Every rate above was read from the award text at the Fair Work award library and nothing on this page is copied from another pay site. Rates change from the first full pay period on or after the effective date, so a payslip covering the changeover can lawfully carry the older figure for part of the period.
The Aged Care and SCHADS rates were read from the same library: MA000018 and MA000100. The 1 January 2025 coverage change is also stated by the Fair Work Ombudsman in Aged Care Work Value Case: Changes to awards (content last updated 27 July 2026, retrieved 25 September 2026).
What this page does not cover.
Listed as plainly as what it does, because a rate page that hides its gaps is how the wrong number ends up on a payslip.
State public hospital rates
Public hospital AINs are paid under state and territory awards and agreements, such as the NSW public health system nurses award. None of those figures is published here.
Private hospital agreements
Many private hospital groups pay under a registered enterprise agreement above the award. The award rate is the floor beneath it.
Penalties and shift loadings
Afternoon, night, weekend, public holiday and overtime rates are set separately in each award and are not in these tables. How penalty rates work across awards is on Penalty Rates.
Allowances
Allowances set by each award are paid on top of these rates and are not included here.
Retained and transitional rates
Both aged care awards carry individual retained rates for some reclassified employees. Those arrangements are not in these tables.
Market or advertised pay
This page publishes the award floor only. It is not an average, a median, or what a given hospital or provider offers.
Assistant in Nursing Pay Rate questions, answered.
How much does an assistant in nursing get paid an hour in Australia?
At least $27.65 an hour in a private hospital and $32.61 an hour in a nursing home, as a new starter. In a hospital, clinic or agency, the Nurses Award 2020 rises to $29.45 an hour for an experienced AIN holding a relevant Certificate III. In a residential aged care home, the Aged Care Award 2010 pays $36.23 an hour at direct care level 3, the Certificate III level. These are award minimums. A public hospital AIN is paid under a state instrument instead.
How much does an AIN earn a year?
At least $54,636 a year in a private hospital and $64,428 a year in a nursing home before tax, on a 38-hour week. That is the weekly award rate times 52, so it is a salary floor, not an average. With a relevant Certificate III the floor is $58,193 in a hospital and $71,588 at aged care level 3. A first-year hospital AIN takes home about $46,633 a year after tax.
What award covers an assistant in nursing?
Three awards, split by setting. In a private hospital, day surgery, clinic or nursing agency it is the Nurses Award 2020 (MA000034), which calls the role a nursing assistant. In residential aged care it is the Aged Care Award 2010 (MA000018), direct care stream. For care of an older person in their own home it is the SCHADS Award (MA000100), home care aged care scale. In a state public hospital, pay is set by that state's own public health award or agreement, not by a modern award.
Are AINs in aged care still under the Nurses Award?
No. Since 1 January 2025, clause 4.4 of the Nurses Award (inserted by PR779152) says it does not cover nursing assistants who provide care to aged persons in the aged care industry or the home care sector. Those AINs moved to the Aged Care Award 2010 or the SCHADS Award, both of which pay more at every step: from $4.96 to $6.78 an hour more on the translation the awards set out.
What is the casual pay rate for an assistant in nursing?
Casual AINs get a 25% loading on the ordinary hourly rate. Under the Nurses Award 2020 that is $34.56 an hour in the first year and $36.81 an hour for an experienced AIN with a Certificate III, both printed in the award. In residential aged care it is $40.76 at direct care level 1 and $45.29 at level 3, worked out from the weekly rate because that award prints no casual figure. How the loading is built is on Casual Loading.
Does a Certificate III increase an AIN's pay?
Yes, under every award that covers the role. In a hospital, the Nurses Award's experienced rate for the holder of a relevant Certificate III is $29.45 an hour, against $28.54 for a third-year AIN without one. In residential aged care, a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) or equivalent is what places you at direct care level 3, $36.23 an hour, against $34.42 at level 2.
Is AIN pay different in NSW or Queensland public hospitals?
Yes, because public hospitals are not on the modern award. An AIN employed by NSW Health is paid under the Public Health System Nurses' and Midwives' (State) Award, and Queensland Health publishes its own nursing stream wage rates. Every state and territory health service sets its own scale. This site does not publish any of those figures, so check your state health department's current rates.
What is an AIN?
An assistant in nursing, or AIN, is what the Nurses Award calls a nursing assistant: an employee who is not registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (and not training for registration), who works under the direct control and supervision of a registered nurse, and whose job is solely to assist a registered or enrolled nurse with nursing care (Schedule A.1). That lack of registration is what separates an AIN from an enrolled nurse, whose scale is on Enrolled Nurse Pay Rate.
Is an AIN paid more than a personal care worker in aged care?
No. In residential aged care both are direct care employees under the Aged Care Award 2010, paid on the same levels, from $32.61 an hour at level 1. The full scale, with the general stream, is on Aged Care Worker Pay Rate.
Did AINs who moved into aged care keep their extra week of leave?
Yes, if they were already employed. An AIN who was covered by the Nurses Award on 31 December 2024 and moved across under PR779152 keeps the Nurses Award quantum of annual leave, which is the four weeks in the National Employment Standards plus one extra week (clause 28.3 of the Aged Care Award 2010, clause 31.3 of the SCHADS Award). An AIN hired into aged care after that date gets the aged care award's own entitlement.
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