What is the Pay Difference Between Cert III and Cert IV in Aged Care?

Under the Aged Care Award 2010, a personal care worker classified at direct care level 3 — the level a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) typically qualifies you for — is paid a minimum of $36.23 an hour in 2026–27, while a senior personal care worker at direct care level 4 earns $37.68 an hour. That is $1.45 an hour more in ordinary time, or about $55 a week at full-time hours — but it is the classification your employer assigns, not the certificate on its own, that sets your rate.

These are the minimum rates in the Fair Work pay guide for the Aged Care Award, effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. This guide sets out the two classifications side by side, explains what actually moves a worker up a level, and shows where the gap widens beyond ordinary hours. For the qualifications themselves — units, duration and outcomes — read ALIT’s guide to the difference between Cert III in Individual Support and Cert IV in Ageing Support. For the wider picture across Victorian support work — aged care, disability and home care rates side by side — see ALIT’s guide to how much a support worker earns per hour in Victoria in 2026.

Award classifications, not certificates, set the pay

Direct care employees under the Aged Care Award are classified at levels 1 to 6, and the level attaches to the duties and responsibilities of the role: what you do, how independently you do it and who you guide. A Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) — described in ALIT’s guide to what CHC33021 is — is the standard qualification for level 3 personal care work. Level 4 is the senior classification: workers who take on more complex care tasks, guide or mentor other staff, and contribute beyond their own residents or clients.

So the honest answer to the pay question has two parts. The certificate does not change your classification by itself — moving up means being appointed to a senior role. But the Certificate IV in Ageing Support (CHC43015) is the qualification providers look for when filling those senior roles, so in practice it is how most care workers become eligible for level 4 duties and beyond.

The 2026–27 minimum rates side by side

• Direct care level 3 — personal care worker (the Certificate III level): $36.23 an hour full-time or part-time, $45.29 an hour casual.
• Direct care level 4 — senior personal care worker (the Certificate IV level): $37.68 an hour full-time or part-time, $47.10 an hour casual.
• The gap: $1.45 an hour in ordinary time ($1.81 as a casual) — roughly $55 a week, or a little over $2,800 a year at 38 ordinary hours a week.

Two notes belong alongside those numbers. First, they are minimum award rates: enterprise agreements can pay more, and many providers do. Second, the ladder continues above level 4 — specialist personal care worker (level 5) and personal care team leader or coordinator (level 6) classifications sit higher again, with casual rates from $48.91 and $50.73 an hour — and the team leader rung is exactly where the Cert IV aims you. Award rates are adjusted each year following the annual wage review, and direct care rates have also been lifted substantially by the Fair Work Commission’s Aged Care Work Value Case decisions, so confirm the current figures on the Fair Work Ombudsman’s pay guide before making decisions.

One boundary worth knowing: enrolled and registered nurses in aged care are paid under the Nurses Award 2020 aged care rates, not the Aged Care Award — this comparison covers personal care workers only.

What actually moves you up a level

Employers classify by role, and the role changes when the duties do. The typical path from level 3 to level 4 looks like this: you are trusted with the complex parts of care — behaviour changes, palliative approaches, medication assistance within scope — you show new staff how things are done, and you start putting your hand up for coordination tasks such as contributing to care planning or leading a shift handover. When the role is reclassified or you win a senior position, the level and the rate follow.

The Victorian roles that sit at and above level 4 — care supervisor, team leader, service coordinator — are listed in ALIT’s guide to the jobs you can get with Cert IV in Ageing Support in Victoria. Most of them advertise the Certificate IV, or equivalent experience, as the qualification for the position.

Where the gap grows beyond ordinary hours

The $1.45 headline understates the difference once penalties apply, because percentage loadings compound on a higher base. Under the Aged Care Award, full-time and part-time staff are paid Saturday work at a 50 per cent loading and Sunday work at 75 per cent, with public holidays at 150 per cent — and casual rates are higher again on top of their 25 per cent casual loading. Afternoon and night shift allowances add a further 10 to 15 per cent for shiftworkers. Aged care is a 24-hour service, so weekend and shift penalties are a structural part of the roster, and every penalty is calculated from your classification rate.

Not every care job sits under this award

The Aged Care Award covers employees in residential aged care and most aged care services. If you deliver care to older people in their homes through a home care program, your employer may instead be covered by the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award (the SCHADS Award), which has its own classification structure — and some roles sit under enterprise agreements negotiated by the provider. Before comparing offers, confirm which instrument covers the role using the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Find My Award tool or by asking the employer directly.

The qualification math: cost, time and payback

Whether the step up pays for itself is a fair question. ALIT delivers CHC43015 at its West Melbourne campus over 36–52 weeks with monthly intakes, so many students complete it while working; recognition of prior learning is available for experienced Cert III workers and can shorten the path. Current fees are on the Certificate IV in Ageing Support course page, with the cost detail for Victorian students broken down in ALIT’s guide to what Cert IV in Ageing Support costs in Victoria. Set against a rate difference of roughly $2,800 a year at ordinary hours — more once penalties and progression to team leader are counted — the payback period for most working students is short.

FAQ

Does completing a Cert IV guarantee the higher rate?

No. The award rate follows the classification of the role you are appointed to. The Cert IV qualifies you for senior roles at level 4 and above; the pay moves when the position does.

How big is the pay difference in practice?

About $1.45 an hour between levels 3 and 4 in ordinary time in 2026–27 — roughly $55 a week at full-time hours — with the gap widening under weekend, public holiday, shift and casual loadings.

Do casuals earn more than permanent staff?

Casuals are paid a higher hourly rate that includes a 25 per cent loading in place of paid leave; permanent staff receive paid leave and entitlements on top of the lower base. Over a year the packages are closer than the hourly rates suggest.

How often do the rates change?

Minimum award rates are reviewed annually, with increases usually applying from the first full pay period on or after 1 July, and work value decisions can add further increases. Always check the current pay guide before relying on a figure.

Do medication or first aid units add pay directly?

Not on their own — but senior roles that require them sit at the higher classifications, so they are part of what makes a level 4 appointment possible.