Average Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Salary in Australia for 2026
An licensed practical nurse (lpn) in Australia earns about 73,500 AUD a year. That's 20% below the national average of 91,900 AUD.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Australia sit around 39,500 AUD a year, while the very top stretches to 114,900 AUD. Everything on this page is in Australian dollar (AUD, symbol $), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Australia, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does an licensed practical nurse (lpn) make in Australia?
A typical licensed practical nurse (lpn) working in Australia brings home around 6,125 AUD a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 39,500 AUD, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 114,900 AUD for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior licensed practical nurse (lpn) working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How licensed practical nurse (lpn) pay ranges in Australia
A good way to think about salary in Australia is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in Australia earn less than 72,700 AUD a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 49,800 AUD (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 92,400 AUD (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of licensed practical nurse (lpn)s sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 39,500 AUD. The highest stretch to 114,900 AUD, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Licensed practical nurse (lpn) pay by experience in Australia
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an licensed practical nurse (lpn) in Australia, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical licensed practical nurse (lpn) salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years41,500 AUD
- 2-5 Years+35% from previous56,100 AUD
- 5-10 Years+37% from previous76,900 AUD
- 10-15 Years+23% from previous94,300 AUD
- 15-20 Years+7% from previous100,700 AUD
- 20+ Years+9% from previous109,700 AUD
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 37%. That is the point at which a licensed practical nurse (lpn) typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Licensed practical nurse (lpn) pay by education in Australia
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving licensed practical nurse (lpn) pay in Australia. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average licensed practical nurse (lpn) salary in Australia broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Bachelor's Degree52,000 AUD
- Master's Degree+76% from previous91,600 AUD
Licensed practical nurse (lpn) gender pay gap in Australia
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Australia is no exception. Male licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in Australia earn an average of 73,100 AUD a year, while female licensed practical nurse (lpn)s earn around 74,300 AUD. That works out to a 2% gap in favour of women, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) gender pay gap
2%
Men earn this much less than women on average in Australia.
Pay raises for an licensed practical nurse (lpn) in Australia
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Australia sees a raise of about 9% every 18 months, which works out to roughly 6% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Australia, the national average raise is around 8% every 16 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Australia:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel2%
- Construction
- Education1%
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Licensed practical nurse (lpn) bonus rates in Australia
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
55% of licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in Australia reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an licensed practical nurse (lpn) a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 45% of licensed practical nurse (lpn)s reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Australia
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Licensed practical nurse (lpn): public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Australia is about 5% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
5%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Australia on average.
Licensed practical nurse (lpn) salary by city in Australia
Licensed practical nurse (lpn) pay is not even across Australia. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Sydney
- Perth
- Melbourne
- Brisbane
- Adelaide
- Gold Coast-Tweed
- Wollongong
- Sunshine Coast
- Newcastle
- Canberra-Queanbeyan
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | City | 80,000 AUD | 81,700 AUD | 38,700-127,700 AUD |
| Perth | City | 79,000 AUD | 87,700 AUD | 37,100-128,200 AUD |
| Melbourne | City | 76,800 AUD | 81,300 AUD | 38,700-123,000 AUD |
| Brisbane | City | 76,000 AUD | 78,500 AUD | 33,300-117,100 AUD |
| Adelaide | City | 75,900 AUD | 69,700 AUD | 42,400-114,300 AUD |
| Gold Coast-Tweed | City | 73,100 AUD | 68,800 AUD | 39,600-112,700 AUD |
| Wollongong | City | 69,400 AUD | 69,400 AUD | 37,200-108,200 AUD |
| Sunshine Coast | City | 69,200 AUD | 72,400 AUD | 35,300-111,700 AUD |
| Newcastle | City | 68,200 AUD | 65,900 AUD | 35,600-107,300 AUD |
| Canberra-Queanbeyan | City | 67,800 AUD | 70,100 AUD | 36,600-107,700 AUD |
| Gosford | City | 66,400 AUD | 68,800 AUD | 33,200-105,800 AUD |
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in Australia: FAQs
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How much does an licensed practical nurse (lpn) make per month in Australia?
An licensed practical nurse (lpn) in Australia earns about 6,125 AUD a month before tax, based on an annual average of 73,500 AUD.
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What's the salary range for an licensed practical nurse (lpn) in Australia?
Entry-level licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in Australia start near 39,500 AUD. Top-end pay reaches around 114,900 AUD. The middle 50% of earners sit between 49,800 and 92,400 AUD.
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Is the median licensed practical nurse (lpn) salary in Australia higher or lower than the average?
The median is 72,700 AUD, lower than the average of 73,500 AUD. Half of licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in Australia earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in Australia?
Men working as an licensed practical nurse (lpn) in Australia earn around 2% less than women on average (73,100 vs 74,300 AUD a year).
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Do licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in Australia get bonuses?
About 55% of licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in Australia reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.
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Do licensed practical nurse (lpn)s earn more in the public or private sector in Australia?
In Australia, the public sector pays an licensed practical nurse (lpn) about 5% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in Australia get a pay raise?
An licensed practical nurse (lpn) in Australia sees a raise of around 9% every 18 months, equivalent to roughly 6% a year.