Health Professionals and Support Services Award Changes from October 1 2026
If your organisation employs health professionals covered by the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 (HPSS Award), there are important changes coming from 1 October 2026.
Following the Fair Work Commission’s May 2026 decision in its gender undervaluation review, health professionals will move to a new classification structure and new minimum pay rates from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 October 2026.
For HR and payroll teams, this is more than simply applying a new pay rate. You’ll need to review how employees are classified, check their qualifications and experience, and make sure your payroll and employment records are updated.
The good news is that there’s still time to prepare.
What's Changing?
A New Classification Structure
The current classification structure for health professionals under the health professionals award is being replaced with a new structure. Under the new arrangements, classification will take into account:
- the qualification level ordinarily required for the profession
- the employee’s relevant professional experience
- for higher-level classifications, the employee’s actual role, duties and responsibilities.
This means employers should review classifications rather than simply carrying existing classifications across to the new structure.
New Minimum Pay Rates
New minimum pay rates will apply from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 October 2026, then increase in stages each 30 June from 2027 through to 2030.
For payroll teams, this means the impact needs to be considered well beyond October 2026. If you’re preparing budgets or salary reviews, factor in the later increases as well.
Who Is Affected?
The changes generally apply to employees classified as health professionals under the Health Professionals and Support Services Award. Depending on the work your organisation performs, this may include:
- physiotherapists
- occupational therapists
- podiatrists
- psychologists
- dietitians
- speech pathologists
- audiologists
- pharmacists
- radiographers and sonographers
- other health professionals covered by the Award.
The 1 October changes are primarily focused on the health professional stream. They are separate from the changes that took effect from 1 April 2026 for classifications including dental assistants and pathology collectors.
What Does This Mean for Your Organisation?
The biggest practical change is that you may need to reassess how individual employees are classified.
For Level 1 health professionals, the new structure considers the AQF level of the qualification ordinarily required for the profession and the employee’s relevant professional experience.
For higher-level classifications, the focus shifts towards the employee’s role and responsibilities. The new classifications include roles such as senior clinicians, specialists, supervisors, educators, advanced clinicians, senior specialists, section managers and managers.
In other words, don’t rely solely on an employee’s job title when determining their new classification. Look at what they actually do.
What Does This Mean for Payroll?
Payroll will need to be ready to apply the new classifications and rates from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 October. Before making the change, work through these questions for each employee:
- Who is covered? Identify all employees currently classified as health professionals under the Health Professionals and Support Services Award.
- What profession are they in? Confirm the employee’s profession and the qualification normally required to enter it.
- What qualification do they hold? Check the relevant AQF level for the profession and the employee’s qualifications.
- How much professional experience do they have? Review their relevant experience, including experience gained before joining your organisation.
- What work are they actually performing? For employees in more senior roles, review their duties and responsibilities against the new classification definitions.
- What is their new minimum rate? Determine the employee’s new classification and pay point, then compare it with their current rate.
- Does their current salary still work? If an employee is paid above the Award rate, check whether the salary remains sufficient to meet the new Award obligations.
Employer Checklist
Once you’ve worked through the questions above, make sure you’ve also done the following before 1 October:
☐ Reviewed above-award salary and wage set-off arrangements.
☐ Updated payroll classifications and pay rates.
☐ Checked employment contracts and remuneration arrangements where necessary.
☐ Communicated any classification or pay changes to affected employees.
☐ Updated budgets to allow for the further increases through to 2030.
Don't Forget Above-Award Salaries
Employers who pay employees above the Award minimum should also review their salary arrangements.
A higher salary does not remove the need to correctly classify an employee under the health professionals award. Employers relying on an above-award salary to satisfy Award entitlements should also make sure their employment contracts and wage set-off arrangements are clear and effective. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s guidance on offsetting is a useful reminder that these arrangements have limits: paying more than the minimum in one pay period generally can’t make up for paying less in another, and record-keeping obligations still apply.
The key question for payroll is not simply “Are we paying more than the Award?” It is also “Does the employee’s classification remain correct, and does the salary arrangement properly cover the relevant Award obligations?”
If you’re not sure your current arrangements stack up, this is an area where workplace relations consulting advice can save a lot of risk down the track.
Phased Wage Increases
The changes to the Health Professionals and Support Services Award will be introduced in five stages:
Date | What happens |
1 October 2026 | First phased increase applies |
30 June 2027 | Second phased increase |
30 June 2028 | Third phased increase |
30 June 2029 | Fourth phased increase |
30 June 2030 | Fifth and final phased increase |
This staged approach means the payroll impact will continue beyond 2026, so it’s worth incorporating the future increases into workforce and remuneration budgets now.
Start Preparing Now
The main task is to review classifications before the October change takes effect.
Don’t leave this until the last pay run before the change. Gathering qualification information, confirming professional experience and reviewing the duties of employees in senior roles can take time, particularly where you have a larger health professional workforce.
Getting the classification review done early will give you time to resolve any questions, update your payroll system and employment records, communicate changes to employees and plan for the staged increases.
In short, the October changes to the Health Professionals and Support Services Award are not just a payroll rate change. They’re a classification review as well.
Need Support With the Health Professionals and Support Services Award Changes?
Starting the review now will make the transition much easier. If you’d prefer to leave it to us, Brisbane management consultants MJSP can take the burden off you and complete the classification and pay review for you.
Get in touch with MJSP today on (07) 3839 1233 or at reception@mjsp.com.au to discuss how we can help, or use our HR Health Check Tool to identify where your broader HR and payroll practices could be strengthened.