National Consistent Payments (NCP) - GP Training Incentive Payments from Semester 1, 2026

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DoHDA) is introducing a new GP Training Incentive Payments initiative available from Semester 1, 2026 for registrars enrolled in a Commonwealth-funded RG training pathway under the Australian General Practice Training Program (AGPT) or Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS). 

These incentives will provide registrars with improved employment conditions, better support for them and their families on their journey towards Fellowship and attract new doctors to the RG workforce. 

Incentives include:   

  • Salary incentive - A $30,000 (pro-rata) salary incentive for doctors when they commence their first training term (PCT1) in community-based primary care setting from semester one, 2026 or later.   
  • Study leave incentive - Up to 5 days of study leave incentive per training year, to study for and attend exams, and attend professional development activities. 
  • Parental leave incentive - Up to 20 calendar weeks of parental leave incentive for eligible primary caregivers and 2 calendar weeks for eligible secondary caregivers. Includes births, adoption or long-term fostering of a child up to the age of 16. 

For more information and eligibility requirements, the GP Incentive Payments Policy as well Fact Sheets and FAQs are available on the DoHDA website. 

Webinar: GP Training Incentives

This webinar provides more information on eligibility requirements and application processes for the new GP Incentive Payments available from Semester 1, 2026.

Salary Incentive Payments

Eligible ACRRM registrars on the AGPT pathway with an approved placement to begin or continue their first training term (PCT1) in a community-based primary care setting will receive a task notification to complete in MyACRRM on 19 January 2026. 

Registrars will be required to: 

  • Review and complete the declaration task in their MyACRRM 
  • Be registered for a PRODA account and add your bank details with Services Australia 
  • Login to MyCollege and enter or update your bank details to ensure we can pay your incentives 

Eligible registrars will receive a maximum of $30,000 (pro-rata) in salary incentives paid monthly in arrears.

Example:

Sierra and Noah commenced their first placement in community-based primary care during PCT1 in semester one, 2026. Sierra is a full-time registrar (1.0 FTE), while Noah is part-time (0.5 FTE).

As a full-time registrar, Sierra’s $30,000 salary incentive payment will be paid in full during the single semester it takes her to complete PCT1, at a rate of $5,000 per month.

As a part-time registrar, Noah will also receive a $30,000 salary incentive payment. However, as it will take them 2 semesters (12 calendar months) to complete PCT1, their incentive will be distributed evenly across these two semesters, at a rate of $2,500 per month.

Full eligibility requirements can be found in the Department GP Training Incentive Payments Policy here.

For more information, view the Department’s resources, the webinar and FAQs on this page or contact your training program advisor.

Study Leave Incentive

Eligible ACRRM registrars on the AGPT pathway can apply retrospectively for the study leave incentive to cover up to 5 days (38 hours) of study leave each training year.

Applications must be submitted after the relevant activity or leave is completed at the end of each semester. Only applications submitted for leave or activities completed in the current training year will be considered.

Registrars should communicate the need for parental leave as per normal processes with their employer.

Study leave incentive request process:

The study leave incentive will be paid as a lump sum once the study leave application form has been approved by ACRRM. The payment will be calculated pro-rata as per the registrars FTE.

Payments will be made at the corresponding base rate in the National Terms and Conditions for the Employment of Registrars (NTCER), plus 10% in lieu of billings, plus an amount equal to superannuation (12% as at July 2025). Registrars will be responsible for their own income tax and superannuation contributions.

The hourly or daily rate for study leave incentive remains the same for all registrars, regardless of whether they train full-time or part-time.

More information on Study Leave Incentive Payments can be found in the Department GP Training Incentive Payments Policy here.

Full registrar eligibility and study leave activity requirements can be found Department GP Training Incentive Payments Policy here.

For more information, view the Department's resources, the webinar and FAQs on this page or contact your training program advisor.

Parental Leave Incentive

Eligible ACRRM registrars on the AGPT pathway can apply for the equivalent of 20 calendar weeks of parental leave for primary caregivers, and 2 weeks for secondary caregivers. 

The parental leave incentive is available for the birth of a child, or the commencement of the adoption or long-term fostering of a child, which occurs on or after 1 January 2026.

Registrars should communicate the need for parental leave as per normal processes with their employer. 

Parental leave incentive request process:

The parental leave incentive will be paid at the corresponding base rate in the NTCER, plus 10% in lieu of billings, plus an amount equal to superannuation (12% as at July 2025). Registrars will be responsible for their own income tax and superannuation contributions.

For the duration of the parental leave incentive payment period, registrars will be paid a rate in accordance with the training term applicable (for example, CGT 1 or 2) at the commencement of their leave.

The parental leave incentive payments will be calculated pro-rata using the registrar’s FTE at the time of application and will be paid monthly in arrears.

More information on payments can be found in the Department GP Training Incentive Payments Policy here.

Full registrar eligibility and parental leave requirements can be found in the Department GP Training Incentive Payments Policy here.

Registrars with exceptional circumstances should contact their training program advisor to discuss their circumstances before submitting an application.

For more information, view the Department’s resources, the webinar and FAQs on this page or contact your training program advisor.

Frequently Asked Questions

You are eligible if you are on a Commonwealth-funded GP or RG training pathway, such as the AGPT and RVTS. Other pathways are not eligible.  

For AGPT registrars, the incentive payments will be administered through Services Australia via the National Consistent Payment (NCP) Framework.  

There are no location requirements for these incentives.

If you meet the eligibility criteria, your IMG status does not affect your access to the incentives.

The incentive payments are pro-rated based on your full-time equivalent (FTE). For the salary incentive and study leave incentive, you will receive the same total amount as a full-time registrar. However, your payments will be spread out over a longer period according to your FTE. 

The salary incentive and parental leave incentive payments will be made monthly in arrears. The study leave incentive will be paid on application at the end of each semester.

For the salary incentive, you must submit a declaration to ACRRM to activate payment. 

For the study and parental leave incentives, you must first seek approval from your employer to take time away from work. You can then apply to ACRRM , using the required application form. You may have to provide supporting evidence.

The incentive payments are considered assessable income. You are encouraged to seek independent advice from a qualified tax professional to understand the impact on your individual financial circumstances. 
These payments are incentives, not employment entitlements, so money will not be paid on your behalf into your superannuation fund. However, the study and parental leave incentive payments include an amount equal to superannuation, which you can choose to contribute to your superannuation.  
The study and parental leave incentives will be available to all new and continuing registrars from 2026. If you have not completed your first primary care training (PCT 1) term in community-based primary care setting before 2026, then you may also be eligible for the salary incentive.  
As long as you meet the eligibility criteria, you are eligible for the incentives. However, if you are already entitled to study leave and paid parental leave through your employer, you may not be eligible for those specific incentives.  
As long as you meet the eligibility criteria, you are eligible for the incentives. However, if you are already entitled to study leave and paid parental leave through your employer, you may not be eligible for those specific incentives.  
Contact your Training Program Advisor in the first instance for any application or payment related enquiries. 

Salary Incentive FAQs

If you have received a state GP training incentive (i.e. the Victorian Government’s GP Grant Program or Queensland Government’s GP Trainee Incentive Scheme), you are not eligible for the Commonwealth salary incentive.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing will assess each program withdrawal on a case-by-case basis to decide if you will be required to repay the salary incentive.  
If you have already received the salary incentive, either in full or partially, you cannot receive it again. 

Study Leave FAQs

The study leave incentive provision is capped per training year and any unused incentive will be forfeited.
Your study leave incentive payments will be paid at the corresponding rate for the training term in which you took your leave, not the date you submitted the application.  
You can claim up to 2 days per training year for relevant structured study activities outside of work hours. You will have to provide supporting evidence. You cannot claim the study leave incentive for self-directed study outside of work hours. 

Parental Leave FAQs

If you are a primary caregiver on parental leave in the 18 weeks prior to the commencement of this policy (i.e. from 28 August 2025), you may be considered for a portion of the parental leave incentive. You will have to apply for exceptional circumstances through ACRRM.  
There is no option to take the incentive at half-pay to extend the leave period. The parental leave incentive must be taken in a single continuous block. Any unused incentive will be forfeited.  
All eligible registrars of the same caregiver status are entitled to the same number of calendar weeks, but the payment amount will be prorated according to your FTE at the time of application. 
All parental leave incentive payments will be updated to reflect any rate changes from the date of effect. However, you will remain on the relevant rate for the stage of training you were at when you started your parental leave. 
The GP training parental leave incentive is complementary to, and not a replacement for, the Commonwealth PLP scheme. Depending on your individual circumstances, the incentive may impact your work test and income test eligibility for the PLP scheme. 

Financial support calculator

There are also several financial supports, provided by the Commonwealth Government, available to rural and remote doctors, at various levels of training and/or experience. A calculator has been developed by Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) which aims to help individuals understand what they may be entitled to, and easily access individual program information.

The calculator provides a guide only to the maximum level of financial support available to rural and remote doctors, based on the search parameters and a full year. This calculator can be accessed through RDAA financial support calculator.