The Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme (RHWIS) supports the attraction, recruitment, and retention of health workers in rural and remote areas of New South Wales. The scheme provides financial and non-financial incentives for eligible health workers who accept positions with hard-to-fill or critical vacancies across designated rural and remote locations.
Contribute to the millions of ways NSW Health enriches communities every day, and receive up to $20,000 in incentives for eligible positions in rural and remote NSW before 30 June 2026.
To be eligible for the RHWIS, all of the following conditions must be met:
These positions are not eligible for the RHWIS:
Participating local health districts and specialty networks will determine the eligibility of a position based on workforce needs and vacancies.
Working for NSW Health in a rural and remote area means you can receive up to $20,000 in packaged incentives and additional accommodation assistance and relocation benefits.
Local health districts and specialty networks determine which incentives are available for each RHWIS-eligible position.
Health workers who are employed for less than full-time hours, incentive payments will be made pro-rata, based on the contracted hours.
Incentive packages are scaled by MM and vacancy classification, and packages can be include two forms - packaged incentives and base incentives.
Packaged incentives are a bundle of benefits provided up to a maximum value (e.g. $20,000 for the first year, and then $10,000 for subsequent years). These can include a mix of financial allowances and in-kind support, tailored to the health worker's individual needs and location. These benefits are capped at the maximum incentive value for the position.
Packaged incentives can include:
Base incentives are the benefits not considered part of the packaged incentive. The value of the base incentive does not count to the total amount of a the health worker's packaged incentive.
Base incentives can include:
MM map legend
To find out a location's classification, you can use the Health Workforce Locator.
Up to $20,000 incentive packages are available for those relocating and commencing to new eligible positions at our hardest-to-fill and remote locations.
Until 30 June 2026, the NSW Government are offering a temporary increase to the maximum incentive package value. This increase applies to health workers who relocate and commence in a new eligible position on or before 30 June 2026. The value of a package will depend on:
First year: up to $10,000
Second year onwards: up to $5,000
Second year onwards: up to $10,000
First year: up to $20,000
Incentive packages are designed to support recruitment, retention, and service continuity in rural and remote areas offered to eligible health workers. By accepting and receiving an incentive package, health workers acknowledge and agree to the terms and conditions set out under the RHWIS policy directive.
Health workers receiving a new incentive package must commit to 18 months service or complete the full duration of their contract. Leaving before this time will result in a repayment, scaled accordingly:
Repayments may be waived for health workers if:
If a health worker has previously or are currently receiving incentives and is moving to a new RHWIS-eligible position, there are a few things to consider.
They may only be eligible for a subsequent incentive package in the new position if:
Health workers are required to disclose to their new employer that they have previously received an incentive package, so that the new employer can determine subsequent eligiblity.
Each new subsequent incentive package is treated as a separate agreement, and the following conditions apply:
NSW Health are unable to and do not provide advice on unique and individual financial and tax circumstances.
Local health districts and specialty networks are responsible for the application of appropriate taxation treatment of all incentive items provided. The incentive package paid to individual health workers is valued at its gross value. Any fringe benefit tax liability is not counted as part of the value of the package and the employing health agency is responsible for payment of any fringe benefit tax incurred.
Incentives offered that are reportable fringe benefits (where the health worker’s total taxable value of certain benefits exceed $2,000 a year) are required to be reported as a reportable fringe benefit amount (RFBA) on health worker income statements (previously known as payment summary). Total RFBA is not taxable income but is taken into consideration when assessing eligibility for certain government benefits and concessions such as Medicare Levy Surcharge, Higher Education Loan Payment (HELP), superannuation benefits, child support and family assistance.
Rural and remote roles are regularly listed on NSW Health Jobs. Type #ruralhealthincentives into the search bar to see participating roles.
Find a job today
Our policy directive provides comprehensive information on the eligibility, assesssment, terms and conditions, and further details on the incentives available under the RHWIS.
For more general information on the NSW Health RHWIS, please email NSWH-RHWIS@health.nsw.gov.au.
For information on specific positions, locations, or your eligibility, please contact your local health district or specialty network's incentives team, recruitment manager, or People and Culture unit.
