AWARD UPDATE

Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 - Changes from 1 October 2026

We're writing to flag a significant change coming to the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 (HPSS Award), because your organisation employs staff covered by it. From the first full pay period starting on or after 1 October 2026, the classification structure and pay rates for the health professional stream are changing - and it's worth starting to prepare now rather than in September.

WHAT'S CHANGING

A New Classification Structure for Health Professionals

• A new classification structure for health professional employees, replacing the current levels.
• Reclassification of existing health professionals into the new structure.
• New minimum pay rates, based principally on the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level ordinarily required for the profession, plus relevant professional experience.
• The first of five phased wage increases, with the remaining increases scheduled for 30 June 2027, 30 June 2028, 30 June 2029 and 30 June 2030.

WHO THIS DOES AND DOESN'T COVER

This generally applies to employees classified as health professionals under the Award - for example allied health roles such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, podiatrists, psychologists and similar professions. It does not generally reclassify ordinary support-services employees such as receptionists and administrative staff on 1 October. Dental assistants and pathology collectors were already subject to separate changes from 1 April 2026.

BEFORE 1 OCTOBER

What Employers Need to Do

To be ready for the first full pay period on or after 1 October 2026, we'd recommend working through the following:

☐ Identify every employee currently classified as a health professional under the Award.

☐ Confirm each employee's profession and the standard AQF qualification assigned to that profession.

☐ Confirm their relevant professional experience.

☐ Translate each employee from the existing classification into the new structure.

☐ Compare the new minimum rate against the employee's actual rate.

☐ Review any contracts containing above-award or offset arrangements.

☐ Update payroll from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 October.

☐ Notify affected employees in writing of their new classification and rate.

☐ Budget for the further staged increases through to 2030.

☐ Review above-award salaries and wage set-off arrangements. Employees must still be correctly classified, and any reliance on an existing salary to satisfy the new minimum rates should be supported by clear and effective contractual wording.

Phased wage increases

1 Oct 2026 First phased increase applies

30 Jun 2027 Second phased increase

30 Jun 2028 Third phased increase

30 Jun 2029 Fourth phased increase

30 Jun 2030 Fifth and final phased increase

Important Note: These staged work-value increases are separate from any increases arising from the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review. This means that increases may occur on the above phased dates together with the traditional July annual wage increases.

WE'RE HERE TO HELP

Let's Work Through This Together

This is a detailed change, and getting the reclassification and pay comparisons right matters - both for compliance and for how it lands with your team. If you'd like a hand identifying which of your employees are affected, mapping them to the new structure, or reviewing contracts and payroll ahead of 1 October, get in touch and we'll work through it with you.