Understanding Your Nurse Salary QLD: Gross, Package, and Take-Home Pay

Nurse Salary QLD: What You Actually Take Home

When you see a nurse salary QLD advertised, it's usually the gross annual figure before tax, Medicare, and super. Understanding the difference between gross, package, and take-home is key to budgeting. This guide uses official Queensland Health wage rates and the 2026–27 tax system to show what lands in your bank account.

Gross Salary Ranges from Queensland Health

Queensland Health publishes detailed wage rates for nursing streams. For example, from 1 April 2026:

• Assistant in Nursing/Midwifery (Grade 1, Band 1, Pay point 1): $69,836 per year
• Enrolled Nurse (Grade 3, Pay point 1): $75,573 per year
• Registered Nurse/Midwife (Grade 5, Pay point 1): $87,790 per year
• Clinical Nurse/Midwife (Grade 6, Band 1, Pay point 1): $114,532 per year
• Nurse Practitioner (Grade 8, Pay point 1): $158,344 per year
• Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery (Grade 13, Band 2): $265,059 per year

These rates are from the Nurses and Midwives (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement and include a 0.5% CPI uplift in mid-2026. provides the full schedule.

From Gross to Take-Home: Tax and Medicare

Your take-home pay is the gross salary minus:

• Income tax using the 2026–27 resident rates:
• $0–$18,200: nil
• $18,201–$45,000: 15c per $1 over $18,200
• $45,001–$135,000: $4,020 plus 30c per $1 over $45,000
• $135,001–$190,000: $31,020 plus 37c per $1 over $135,000
• Over $190,000: $51,370 plus 45c per $1 over $190,000
• Medicare levy: 2% of taxable income (full rate for most nurses; see thresholds below)
• Low Income Tax Offset (LITO): up to $700 for incomes under $37,500, phasing out by $66,667. This reduces tax, not Medicare.

Medicare levy thresholds (single person): $28,011 (lower) and $35,013 (upper). If your taxable income is below $28,011, you pay no Medicare levy. Between $28,011 and $35,013, you pay 10c per $1 over $28,011. Above $35,013, you pay the full 2%.

Example: Registered Nurse Take-Home

Take a Registered Nurse (Grade 5, Pay point 1) earning $87,790 per year (from 1 April 2026).

• Taxable income: $87,790
• Income tax: $4,020 + 30% × ($87,790 – $45,000) = $4,020 + $12,837 = $16,857
• LITO: $325 – 1.5c × ($87,790 – $45,000) = $325 – $641.85 = negative, so $0 LITO
• Medicare levy: 2% × $87,790 = $1,755.80
• Total deductions: $16,857 + $1,755.80 = $18,612.80
• Take-home pay: $87,790 – $18,612.80 = $69,177.20 per year (about $5,764 per month, $2,660 per fortnight)

This is an estimate; your actual tax may vary due to HELP/HECS, salary packaging, or other factors.

The 'Plus Super' Confusion

Many job ads say "$87,790 plus super". Super is 12% contributed by your employer on top of that gross amount (from 1 July 2026). It does not come out of your pay. Your take-home is still based on the $87,790 gross. Super goes into your fund and is not accessible until retirement. See our Super guide for more.

Salary Packaging: Reduce Taxable Income

Queensland Health employees can salary package certain expenses (e.g., parking, meals, living expenses) from pre-tax dollars. This lowers your taxable income, reducing both income tax and Medicare levy. For example, packaging $9,000 could save you about $2,700 in tax (30% bracket). Check with your employer's salary packaging provider. Our Salary packaging page explains the basics.

Minimum Wage Benchmark

For context, the national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour, $1,004.90 per week (from 1 July 2026). Even the lowest nursing role (Assistant in Nursing at $35.22 per hour) is well above this. See Minimum wage for details.

Key Takeaways

• Gross salary is the figure in your contract.
• Take-home is gross minus tax and Medicare.
• Super is extra, not deducted.
• Salary packaging can reduce tax.
• Use our Take-home pay tool to estimate your net pay.

For official wage rates, refer to the Fair Work Ombudsman's Nurses Award and Queensland Health's nursing wage rates. Always check your specific agreement and tax situation.