Health Services Award Changes: What Healthcare Employers Need to Know From 1 October 2026
Healthcare employers should be preparing for significant changes to the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 (Health Services Award), with new classifications and minimum pay rates applying to health professionals as of 1 October 2026.
As part of its recent Gender-based undervaluation – priority awards review, changes to the Health Services Award outlined in Determination PR814029 seek to address the historical undervaluation of work across the healthcare industry.
For healthcare practitioners, the changes affect how you classify your employees and the minimum rates you pay them.
Health Services Award: What’s Changed?
From 1 October 2026, the classification structure for health professionals in the Health Services Award will now include classifications that are based on:
- Qualifications and years of experience for Level 1 employees.
- Roles and duties for Level 2, 3, and 4 employees.
What About Dental Assistants and Pathology Collectors?
Changes affecting dental assistants and pathology collectors covered by the Health Services Award commenced earlier, from 1 April 2026. You can explore these here.
To avoid significant penalties, healthcare practices employing dental assistants or pathology collectors should ensure they are meeting new standards for employee classification and pay rates. You can access transition tables here, which show the old classifications, and their corresponding new classifications.
The New Classification Structure
Level 1 Employees
Step 1: Determining Employee Classification
From 1 October, the Award will include a list of common health professions in Schedule B, in addition to the minimum Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level generally required for each profession.
When a Level 1 employee starts work, then their classification will generally be based on the AQF level listed for their profession in Schedule B.
Furthermore, there are additional rules where a profession has more than one AQF level listed, or where the employee’s profession is not included in Schedule B.
Learn more about how the new classifications work here.
Step 2: Determining Pay Points
Once the employee’s AQF level is determined, their pay point within that level is determined based on their years of experience as a Level 1 employee.
NOTE: This does not have to be with the same employer.
Level 2, 3 and 4 Employees
The new classification is shown in the table below. This is different from the current structure before 1 October 2026, where Level 3 has five pay points and Level 4 has four.
| Classification | Roles and Duties | Pay point / Experience |
| Level 2 | Senior clinician; Specialist; Supervisor; Educator | Level 2.1: Less than 5 years’ experience in the Level 2 role and duties Level 2.2: 5 years or more experience in the Level 2 role and duties |
| Level 3 | Advanced clinician; Senior specialist; Section manager | Level 3: No separate pay points – classification is based on the employee’s role and duties |
| Level 4 | Manager | Level 4: No separate pay points – classification is based on the employee’s role and duties |
Transitioning Existing Employees
Employers should not assume that an employee’s existing classification will simply continue from 1 October. Practices should review relevant employees against the updated classification criteria and ensure payroll records reflect the appropriate new classification.
Find the updated minimum hourly rates here.
Minimum Pay Rates are Increasing
Health professionals under the Health Services Award will receive pay rate increases from the first pay period starting on or after 1 October 2026.
This will not be a one-off, with further pay increases occuring on:
- 30 June 2027.
- 30 June 2028.
- 30 June 2029.
- 30 June 2030.
In lieu of this staggered approach, healthcare businesses should consider not only the immediate payroll impact of the October 2026 changes, but also how future increases could affect longer-term workforce costs and budgeting.
Fair Work’s updated Pay and Conditions Tool and the Health Professionals and Support Services Award Pay Guide can be used to check pay rates.
Changes to the Standard Rate
From 1 October 2026, the Award’s ‘standard rate’ is changing. This is the reference amount used to calculate certain allowances under the Award. It will be based on the minimum weekly rate for a Level 1 – AQF 7 – first year employee.
Prepare Your Practice
For healthcare practice owners, award changes can have implications beyond an employee’s wage rate, affecting payroll costs, staffing budgets and broader financial forecasts. Incorrect classification or payment of employees can create compliance risks and could incur financial penalties.
You should now take the time to review your workforce before the changes apply, and prepare your business for the immediate and scheduled changes.
At Aintree Group, our integrated Accounting, Legal and Advisory teams can help healthcare practice owners understand the broader impact of employment and payroll changes on their business, from employment arrangements and award compliance considerations through to payroll, budgeting and cash flow planning.
Additional Resources: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/pay-and-wages/minimum-wages/pay-guides
This is general advice only and has not been prepared with your individual situation or needs in mind. For personalised advice, we highly recommend that you seek professional guidance from a qualified adviser.
