If you employ allied health professionals, you've probably seen something land in your inbox about award changes coming on 1 October 2026. Most of it reads like a pay update. It isn't one.
The Fair Work Commission has rebuilt the classification structure in the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 from the ground up, as part of its gender-based undervaluation review (case AM2024/20, decision [2026] FWCFB 123). New minimum rates are the visible part. The real work is underneath: every health professional employee has to be individually assessed against the new structure, and job title or current pay tells you almost nothing about where they land.
Who this affects: health professional employees under the award, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, podiatrists, psychologists, audiologists, chiropractors, osteopaths, and a range of other allied health roles. It does not touch nurses, who sit under a separate award. Support and administrative staff under the same award are classified differently and aren't part of this change.
In short
- Effective date
- 1 October 2026, with rates changing in five stages through to 2030.
- What changes
- Every health professional employee has to be individually assessed against the new structure, and job title or current pay tells you almost nothing about where they land.
- Who it affects
- Health professional employees under the award. It does not touch nurses, who sit under a separate award.
General information only. Read the full disclaimer.
What's actually changing
The old structure classified health professionals largely on experience and tenure. The new one classifies on three things at once: the profession's standard entry qualification (mapped to an Australian Qualifications Framework level), how much relevant professional experience the person has across their career, and the duties they actually perform.
Level 1 is set by AQF level and years in the profession. Physiotherapists, occupational therapists and podiatrists sit at AQF level 7. Psychologists, audiologists, chiropractors and osteopaths sit at AQF level 9. Experience is counted across a person's career, not just their time with you.
Levels 2 to 4 are not a length-of-service escalator. They depend on the person actually doing senior, specialist, supervisory, educator or management duties, split further by how long they've been doing that higher-level work. An experienced practitioner who isn't doing any of those things can correctly remain at Level 1, no matter how many years they've clocked up.
Two things catch employers out here. First, a job title tells you nothing. "Senior physiotherapist" on a business card doesn't mean Level 2 or 3 under the award; the actual duties do. Second, some professions were dropped from the award's list of recognised roles because the Commission couldn't identify a standard qualification for them. That doesn't mean those roles fall outside the award. Coverage is still decided by the broader classification rules, so don't read a missing profession name as an exemption.
The pay side
Rates change in five stages: 1 October 2026, then 30 June each year from 2027 through to 2030. These increases are separate from, and additional to, whatever comes out of the Annual Wage Review each year, so they stack rather than replace.
There's a retained rate mechanism for existing employees, similar to other award transitions. The Commission has generally protected existing pay in these transitions. That protects current staff, but it doesn't remove the obligation to work out where each person correctly sits and to keep applying the staged increases on top of the right base from here on.
Before 1 October 2026
List everyone in the Health Professional stream. Confirm who is actually covered, and make sure nobody on the Nurses Award has been swept in by mistake.
Get real evidence, not assumed evidence. For each person: the qualification they actually hold, their AQF level, and their genuine years of professional experience, not just years with you.
Look at what they actually do, not their title. This is where the position description work most businesses have been putting off catches up with them. If the PD was written for whoever had the job three years ago, it won't tell you anything useful now.
Map each person against the new structure. Check whether the retained rate protects them above the newly translated minimum.
Update your pay runs before the first full pay period on or after 1 October 2026. Including the set-off and salary arrangements for anyone paid above award.
Where to check the latest position
For the latest confirmed rates, check the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool once it's updated for 1 October. You can also check the MA000027 award summary, which has the pay calculator and downloadable pay guide.
Current as at 14 August 2026. This is general information about award changes, not advice about your situation. If you want a hand mapping your team to the new structure, that's exactly the sort of thing we do.
Book a free consultation, or get in touch at hello@happyhumans.com.au
Disclaimer
This article is general information only. It doesn't take into account your specific circumstances and isn't a substitute for professional legal or HR advice. We make every effort to keep our Insights accurate and current, but award rates and Fair Work Commission decisions can change, and we can't guarantee this information is complete or up to date at the time you're reading it. Nothing on this page should be relied on as legal advice, and nothing here forms part of a professional engagement with happy humans.