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Health Care Assistant salary in Ireland

Health Care Assistant is one of the entry grades of the Irish health service, and there is more than one scale depending on where you work and what the post is called. This page has all of them side by side.

The short answer

A newly qualified health care assistant starts on €36,651 a year. After 9 years of service you reach the top of the scale on €45,939. Allowances for promoted posts and, for some teachers, qualifications are paid on top of these figures.

Starting salary
€36,651
about €2,591 a month take-home
Top of the scale
€45,939
about €3,108 a month take-home

Figures from Department of Health Circular 2/2026, effective 1 June 2026. Take-home is for a single person with standard credits, after income tax, USC, PRSI and ASC.

What point of the scale am I on?

This is where most salary pages get it wrong. Your point is not always the same as your years of service, because one of the two scales carries incremental skips. Pick your situation:

You are on point 1
€36,651

The full pay scale, every point

Health Care Assistant (Band 2)

The standard scale, nine points and no long service increment. Health and Social Care Assistant is paid on identical figures.

Point Gross / year Take-home / year Take-home / month
1€36,651€31,092€2,591
2€38,130€32,129€2,677
3€39,687€33,221€2,768
4€40,101€33,511€2,793
5€41,118€34,225€2,852
6€41,998€34,842€2,903
7€43,264€35,730€2,977
8€44,577€36,602€3,050
9€45,939€37,294€3,108

Take-home assumes a single person with the personal and employee tax credits, no other income, and ASC at Single Public Service Pension Scheme rates. Your main superannuation contribution is deducted separately and depends on your scheme.

Health Care Assistant (Band 1, specified locations)

A higher scale for assistants working in named locations, including St Ita's Portrane, the Central Mental Hospital, the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Galway-Roscommon Mental Health Services and St Fintan's Portlaoise. Seven points.

Point Gross / year Take-home / year Take-home / month
1€42,033€34,867€2,906
2€43,117€35,627€2,969
3€44,273€36,438€3,036
4€45,382€37,011€3,084
5€46,569€37,614€3,135
6€47,790€38,235€3,186
7€49,050€38,875€3,240

These grades have been rebanded over time and the source document records it: the Health Care Assistant scale moved from Band 3 to Band 2 with effect from 1 September 2019, and the Health and Social Care Assistant scale from Band 4 to Band 2 with effect from 1 January 2021. The older band rates still apply for pension benefit calculations for retirements from those dates, which is why more than one figure can appear against the same job title.

What you earn in each year of your career

On the health care assistant scale you move up one point for each year of satisfactory service, with no skipped points. That means 9 years of service to reach the top.

Years of service Your point Gross salary
Year 1Point 1€36,651
Year 2Point 2€38,130
Year 3Point 3€39,687
Year 4Point 4€40,101
Year 5Point 5€41,118
Year 6Point 6€41,998
Year 7Point 7€43,264
Year 8Point 8€44,577
Year 9Point 9€45,939

Progression is automatic on your incremental date as long as your service is satisfactory. Time spent on a career break or otherwise out of service pushes your incremental date back.

What comes off your salary

Four deductions apply before your pay reaches your account, and one of them is specific to the public service.

Income tax, USC and PRSI

The same as any employee. Income tax at 20% up to €44,000 for a single person and 40% above, USC in bands from 0.5% to 8%, and PRSI at 4.2%.

ASC, the public service extra

The Additional Superannuation Contribution. Nothing on the first €34,500, then 3.33% to €60,000 and 3.5% above for Single Scheme members. Pre-2013 scheme members pay 10% and 10.5% on the same bands. It reduces your income tax but not your USC or PRSI.

One thing to be aware of: the take-home figures on this page include ASC but not your main superannuation contribution, which is charged separately and depends on which pension scheme you joined. Your actual net pay will be somewhat lower. We show ASC because its rates are published and identical for everyone, while the main contribution varies.

Questions people ask most

How much does a healthcare assistant earn in Ireland?
A Health Care Assistant starts on €36,651 a year and reaches €45,939 at the top of the nine point scale. There is no long service increment on this grade. In certain named locations a higher Band 1 scale applies, running from €42,033 to €49,050. Figures come from the Health Sector Consolidated Salary Scales effective 1 June 2026.
What is the starting salary for a healthcare assistant?
€36,651 a year at point 1 of the standard scale. A Care Assistant in Disability Services starts lower at €34,881, and an Attendant or Aide at €35,433.
Why are there several healthcare assistant scales?
Because the job exists under several titles with different histories. The standard Health Care Assistant scale has nine points to €45,939. Band 1 applies in named locations and pays more. Care Assistant (Disability Services) is a longer twelve point scale with a long service increment. Attendant or Aide is a separate support grade. Check the exact title on your contract, because the differences are worth thousands a year.
Which healthcare assistant scale pays most?
Band 1 has the highest ceiling at €49,050, followed by Care Assistant (Disability Services) at €48,434 with its long service increment, then Health Care Assistant at €45,939 and Attendant or Aide at €41,696. But Band 1 also starts highest, at €42,033, so it is ahead at every stage.
How long does it take to reach the top of the healthcare assistant scale?
9 years on the standard Health Care Assistant scale, which then stops because there is no long service increment. The Disability Services scale takes 12 years to its maximum and a further 3 to the increment, so 15 years in total.
Does a healthcare assistant pay ASC?
Only a little, and nothing at the start. The Additional Superannuation Contribution charges nothing on the first €34,500 of pensionable pay. On the starting salary of €36,651 it applies to just €2,151, at 3.33% for a Single Public Service Pension Scheme member, which is around €72 a year.
Why does the Attendant scale barely rise in the middle?
It is a genuine feature of that scale. Between points 3 and 6 the increments are €579, €244 and €577, against a jump of €1,861 between points 1 and 2. Progression on that grade is heavily weighted to the first couple of years.
What was the rebanding of healthcare assistant grades?
Health Care Assistant moved from Band 3 to Band 2 with effect from 1 September 2019, and Health and Social Care Assistant from Band 4 to Band 2 from 1 January 2021. The earlier band rates are retained in the pay scales for pension benefit calculations for retirements from those dates, which is why you may see more than one figure quoted for the same title.
Is healthcare assistant pay the same across Ireland?
The scales are national, but which scale applies depends on the post. The Band 1 rate is tied to specific named locations rather than to the region generally, so two assistants doing similar work in different hospitals can be on different scales. There is no Dublin weighting.
When do HSE salaries increase next?
These rates come from the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026, which applied a 1% increase on 1 June 2026. That agreement is in its final year, so the next rates depend on the agreement that succeeds it. We update this page when new consolidated scales are published.

Where these figures come from

Every euro figure on this page is taken from the official circulars below, not from salary surveys or crowd-sourced averages. Last checked 2026-08-14.

More public sector pay:

All public sector pay scales →