Health Professionals Award Reference

Who the award covers

The Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 (often shortened to HPSSA) covers private-sector health employers — think allied health clinics, medical and dental practices, pathology, imaging, and similar businesses — and two distinct groups of staff: health professionals (physiotherapists, psychologists, dietitians, radiographers and other listed professions) and support services employees (receptionists, practice administrators, cleaners, technicians and assistants).

Two common coverage mistakes: assuming a professional isn't covered because they're salaried (a salary doesn't remove award coverage), and assuming admin staff in a clinic fall under the Clerks Award — in most health settings they don't, they're support services employees under this award.

The two classification streams

Health professionals: Levels 1–4

• Level 1 — new graduates and early-career professionals working under supervision, with pay points that step up with experience.
• Level 2 — experienced professionals working independently within their discipline.
• Level 3 — senior clinicians with specialist expertise or supervisory responsibility for other professionals.
• Level 4 — professionals managing a department, service or team of senior staff.

Support services: Levels 1–9

Support staff are classified by the skill and responsibility of the role, from entry-level duties through to senior administrative and supervisory positions. Classify against the definitions in the award's schedules — not against the job title on the contract.

The current minimum rates for every level and pay point are published by the Fair Work Ombudsman and updated after each Annual Wage Review, so always check the current pay guide rather than relying on a figure you used last year.

Key provisions to know

• Span of ordinary hours — the award sets a daily span within which ordinary hours can be worked; time outside the span attracts penalty rates. The span differs depending on the type of practice, which catches out clinics with early or evening sessions.
• Weekend and public holiday penalties — apply to both streams at the rates set in the award.
• Casual loading — casuals receive the loading prescribed by the award on top of the minimum hourly rate.
• Allowances — including uniform/laundry, meal, motor vehicle and on-call allowances, each at the current amounts in the award.
• Minimum engagements and breaks — minimum shift lengths for casuals and part-timers, and rules on breaks between shifts.

Where employers get caught

• Misclassification between levels — paying an experienced independent clinician as a Level 1, or a senior receptionist at an entry support level, is the single most common underpayment source.
• Annualised salaries with no reconciliation — a salary must still cover what the award would have paid for the hours actually worked, including penalties. If nobody reconciles it annually, nobody knows.
• Missed pay-point progression — many classifications step up automatically with service; a payroll system that doesn't track anniversaries will quietly underpay.
• Treating allied health contractors as contractors when they work like employees — worth a proper review rather than an assumption.

Keeping it right

Award compliance isn't a one-off setup — rates change at least annually, and roles drift over time. A simple rhythm helps: check classifications whenever a role changes, reconcile salaries against the award each year, and update payroll the moment the Fair Work Ombudsman publishes new rates. If payroll, rostering and HR live in separate systems (or separate people's heads), the gaps between them are where breaches hide — that's the coordination tax at work. There's more on building a people function that holds this together at our people services page.

This page is general reference material, not advice on your specific employment arrangements — for a ruling on your circumstances, the Fair Work Ombudsman or a workplace relations adviser is the right port of call.