Clinical Nurse Salary: How to Convert Your Hourly Rate to Annual Pay
For an Occupational Health Nurse Level 1 Pay Point 1 under the Nurses Award, the hourly rate is $34.45, leading to an annual salary of approximately $68,073 based on a 38-hour week.
Introduction
If you’re a nurse or considering a nursing career, understanding your clinical nurse salary is essential for budgeting and negotiating. Whether you’re offered an hourly rate or an annual figure, converting between the two helps you compare jobs and plan your finances. This guide uses the latest rates from the Nurses Award [MA000034] and explains how to calculate your annual pay, fortnightly pay, tax, and superannuation.
Understanding the clinical nurse salary under the Nurses Award
The Nurses Award covers most nurses in Australia, including registered nurses, enrolled nurses, and occupational health nurses. The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes pay guides with minimum rates for each classification. For example, an Occupational Health Nurse Level 1 Pay Point 1 earns $34.45 per hour as of the first full pay period on or after 1 August 2026. This is well above the National Minimum Wage of $26.44 per hour, reflecting the skilled nature of nursing.
Award rates are legally enforceable minimums. Some employers may pay above the award, but never below. The Fair Work Commission’s Modern Awards Pay Database also provides detailed spreadsheets for all awards.
Hourly to annual conversion
The standard formula for converting an hourly rate to annual salary is:
Annual gross pay = hourly rate × hours per week × 52
For full-time nurses under the Nurses Award, the ordinary hours are 38 per week. Using the Occupational Health Nurse Level 1 Pay Point 1 rate:
$34.45 × 38 × 52 = $68,073.20 per year
This assumes you work the same hours every week with no unpaid overtime, penalty rates, or allowances. If you work part-time, adjust the weekly hours accordingly. For casual employees, remember that the 25% casual loading is already included in the casual hourly rate shown in the pay guide. Never add casual loading on top of a rate that already includes it. Our hourly conversion tool can help you run the numbers.
Fortnightly pay
Many nurses are paid fortnightly. To find your gross fortnightly pay, multiply your weekly pay by two:
$34.45 × 38 = $1,309.10 per week $1,309.10 × 2 = $2,618.20 per fortnight
This figure is useful for budgeting and comparing with salary offers that are quoted fortnightly. The pay guides page has more examples for different classifications.
Tax and Medicare
Once you have your annual gross salary, you can estimate your tax. For the 2026–27 financial year, the resident tax rates are:
- Nil on the first $18,200
- 15% on income between $18,201 and $45,000
- 30% on income between $45,001 and $135,000
- 37% on income between $135,001 and $190,000
- 45% on income above $190,000
Plus the Medicare levy of 2% (based on 2025–26 single reduction thresholds, as 2026–27 thresholds were not confirmed). For a clinical nurse salary of $68,073, the tax would be approximately:
- $0 on first $18,200
- 15% on $26,800 ($45,000 – $18,200) = $4,020
- 30% on $23,073 ($68,073 – $45,000) = $6,921.90
- Total tax = $10,941.90
- Medicare levy (2% of $68,073) = $1,361.46
- Total tax and Medicare = $12,303.36
This leaves an after-tax annual income of about $55,770. Use our take-home pay calculator for a more precise estimate that includes your specific circumstances.
Superannuation
Superannuation is paid on top of your salary. From 1 July 2026, the super guarantee is 12% of ordinary earnings, up to the maximum contribution base of $270,830. For our example:
$68,073 × 12% = $8,168.76 per year in super contributions
This is not deducted from your salary; your employer pays it into your super fund. If you earn above the maximum base, super only applies to the first $270,830. The super and packaging page explains how salary sacrifice can affect your take-home pay.
Other considerations for clinical nurse salary
- Casual loading: If you’re casual, your base rate includes 25% loading. For Occupational Health Nurse Level 1 Pay Point 1, the casual rate is $43.06 per hour. Annualise that: $43.06 × 38 × 52 = $85,086.56. Remember, casual employees don’t get paid leave, so the loading compensates for that.
- Penalty rates: The Nurses Award provides higher pay for Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays. For example, Saturday rate is 150% of the base rate. These are not included in the simple annual conversion.
- Allowances: You may be entitled to laundry, uniform, on-call, or vehicle allowances. The pay guide lists these separately.
- Enterprise agreements: If your workplace has an enterprise agreement, it may override the award. Always check your agreement first.
Conclusion
Knowing your clinical nurse salary in both hourly and annual terms empowers you to make informed career decisions. Use the formula hourly × 38 × 52 for full-time work, and remember that tax, Medicare, and super are additional layers. For the most accurate figures, refer to the Fair Work Ombudsman’s pay guides and the ATO’s tax tables. Our reference tables provide a quick look at minimum wages and award rates.
Open the same rate on the home timesheet. Read the reference tables before treating a figure as your pay.