Penalty rates
Every shift is split at rate-change boundaries — 10pm, midnight, weekends, public holidays — so each hour is rated at exactly the right loading.
Pay Check
Pay Check for the NSW Nurses Award
Calculate NSW Nurses Award pay correctly. The Nurses Award 2020 (MA000034) has night shift loadings, Saturday and Sunday penalties, and overtime rates that vary by day and shift time. Shift It applies the right rate to each hour and compares the total to your payslip.
What Shift It handles
The complexity behind the NSW Nurses Award.
Shift It reads the award so you don't have to. Here's what it accounts for.
Overtime
Ordinary hours thresholds are tracked across the full pay cycle. Whether overtime is calculated daily, weekly, or across an averaging period, Shift It handles it correctly.
Payslip comparison
Enter the gross on your payslip. Shift It shows whether it matches your calculated entitlement — and if not, exactly how much is missing.
Common questions
NSW Nurses Award pay questions, answered.
Things workers actually search for — with straight answers.
What are the weekend penalty rates for NSW nurses?
Saturday hours are paid at 150% of the minimum hourly rate (a 50% penalty loading). Sunday hours are paid at 175% (a 75% penalty loading).1
Does the Nurses Award 2020 pay extra for night shifts?
Yes. The Nurses Award 2020 (MA000034) includes shift loadings for afternoon and night shifts worked outside ordinary hours. The award defines which shifts qualify and the applicable percentage. Shift It applies these loadings automatically based on your actual start and finish times — a shift that crosses multiple rate periods is split at each boundary.1
How is overtime calculated for nurses at NSW Health?
Monday–Saturday overtime is paid at 150% for the first two hours and 200% thereafter. Sunday overtime is paid at 200% for all hours.1
What is the public holiday rate for NSW nurses?
Public holiday work is paid at 250% of the minimum hourly rate.1 If the holiday falls on your rostered day off, you are entitled to a substitute day.
How do penalty rates work for casual nurses under the NSW Nurses Award?
Casual nurses receive a casual loading on top of their ordinary rate. Penalty rates for weekends, nights, and public holidays are then applied on top of the loaded rate. A casual nurse working a Sunday receives the Sunday penalty applied to their casual rate, not to the base rate alone. This stacking is frequently miscalculated in payroll systems.1
What is a Level 1 Registered Nurse pay rate under the NSW Nurses Award?
Pay rates are set by classification (Level 1 RN through to senior roles) and increment within each level based on years of service. The base rate for each classification is set by the Nurses Award 2020 and updated by annual wage review decisions. Your payslip should show the classification, the applicable year increment, and the hourly rate derived from those two factors. If it shows only a flat dollar figure without itemising your classification and increment, you cannot verify whether the base rate is correct.
Check your NSW Nurses Award pay.
Import your roster, pick your classification, and Shift It calculates exactly what you should have been paid — penalties, overtime, allowances, and all.