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⚠️ 1 July 2026 pay increases are now in effect · New classification structure commences 1 October 2026 · Is your clinic ready?
Know exactly what to pay
your practitioners under the
new 2026 Award structure
The Health Professionals Award has changed. Two separate deadlines. A brand-new AQF-based classification system. Updated rates for every level, experience band, casual and permanent.
This free 18-page Pay Rate Guide gives allied health clinic owners everything they need to classify employees correctly, check minimum pay rates, and stay compliant — without wading through the Award or Fair Work's website.
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Inside the guide
Everything you need to get it right — in one place
No Award-reading required. This guide translates the Fair Work Commission's decision into clear, practical rate tables and action steps for allied health employers.
Pay rate tables: 1 July 2026
Complete permanent and casual rate tables for Health Professionals (Levels 1–4) and Support/Admin staff — with all penalty rates included — updated for the 4.75% Annual Wage Review increase.
New AQF classification structure
Understand how the new AQF-based classification system works from 1 October 2026 — covering AQF Levels 5 through 9, experience bands (1st year through 7th year+), and Level 2/3/4 roles.
Pay rate tables: 1 October 2026
Full rate tables under the new structure — permanent and casual — updated to include the 4.75% Annual Wage Review increase that was announced after the May decision.
AQF level lookup by profession
A quick-reference table for the most common allied health professions — physio, OT, chiro, podiatrist, speech path, exercise physio, remedial massage, myotherapist and more.
Staged increases to 2030
Future salary projections through to 2030 so you can model wage costs now, review pricing strategy, and identify in which year your current rates stop exceeding the Award.
Employer action checklist
A step-by-step checklist to map every Health Professional into the new structure before October — including what to review, what to update, and what to document.
Two deadlines. Both matter.
4.75% Annual Wage Review increase
Modern award minimum wages increase by 4.75%. Current Health Professional classifications continue to apply — but at the new higher rates. Update your payroll now if you haven't already.
New AQF classification structure commences
The old Level 1 Pay Point 1–6 structure is replaced entirely. Every Health Professional employee needs to be mapped into the new AQF-based structure before this date.
Further staged increases apply
Additional staged increases continue each year from 1 July 2027 through 2030, on top of the Annual Wage Review increase. These are not absorbed — both apply every year.
About the author
Meet Norelle
Norelle Pratt
Norelle made submissions to the Fair Work Commission on behalf of allied health clinic owners throughout this review process. She's not teaching theory — she's been inside this process from the beginning.
HR for Health Leaders was one of the only HR providers advocating for the industry and was cited directly in the Fair Work Commission's final determination — [2026] FWCFB 123.
Want help applying this to your clinic?
The guide gives you the rates. A free 30-minute consult with Norelle gives you the answers specific to your team — classifications, salaries, and what to do before October 1.
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