Licensed practical nurse salary in Quebec: the scale, premiums, annual salary
In the public network, the licensed practical nurse earns $27.78 to $37.08 an hour since April 1, 2026. The scale, the lump sum for the first steps, premiums and annual salary.
In the public network, the salary of the licensed practical nurse (nursing assistant in Quebec) ranges from $27.78 to $37.08 an hour since April 1st, 2026. The scale has twelve steps. A lump sum raises the first two to the patient care attendant's rate.
Job titles 3455 and 3445
The job title nomenclature of the health and social services network, updated on September 15, 2026, classifies the licensed practical nurse under number 3455, at ranking 14. The title requires the DEP in Santé, assistance et soins infirmiers and registration with the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers auxiliaires du Québec (Quebec's order of nursing assistants).
The team leader licensed practical nurse is number 3445, at ranking 15. Our article on the role of the licensed practical nurse describes the job.
The current salary scale
| Step | April 1st, 2026 | April 1st, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $27.78 | $28.75 |
| 2 | $28.62 | $29.62 |
| 3 | $29.46 | $30.49 |
| 4 | $30.33 | $31.39 |
| 5 | $31.26 | $32.35 |
| 6 | $32.15 | $33.28 |
| 7 | $33.16 | $34.32 |
| 8 | $34.15 | $35.35 |
| 9 | $34.93 | $36.15 |
| 10 | $35.41 | $36.65 |
| 11 | $36.26 | $37.53 |
| 12 | $37.08 | $38.38 |
Source: job title nomenclature, part III, page III.130, title 3455, version of September 15, 2026. Hourly rates.
The team leader, title 3445, earns $27.94 to $38.95 an hour over twelve steps since April 1st, 2026. The candidate to the profession, title 3456, works while waiting for her permit at a single rate of $25.28.
The lump sum for steps 1 and 2
The first two steps are below the rate of the patient care attendant, title 3480, which is $29.40 an hour as of April 1st, 2026 according to the same nomenclature. Letter of agreement No. 15 of the FIQ collective agreement pays the licensed practical nurse a lump sum equal to the difference with the single rate of ranking 9, the attendant's.
The lump sum is therefore $1.62 per paid hour at step 1 and $0.78 at step 2. It stops at step 3. It counts neither in the calculation of premiums nor for the pension plan. The FSSS-CSN agreement provides for the same measure in its letter of agreement No. 58.
The work week and annual salary
The nomenclature sets the week for title 3455 at 37.5 hours. The FIQ agreement, in paragraph 7.29, counts 52.18 weeks in a year.
| Step | Calculation | Annual salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $27.78 × 37.5 × 52.18 | $54,359 |
| 1, with the lump sum | $29.40 × 37.5 × 52.18 | $57,528 |
| 12 | $37.08 × 37.5 × 52.18 | $72,556 |
Our own calculation, full time, without premiums or overtime.
Progression and experience
Paragraph 7.23 of the FIQ agreement moves the licensed practical nurse up one step for each completed year of experience. Eleven years separate the first step from the twelfth.
At hiring, article 8 places the employee on the scale according to her previous experience. One year of work in the profession counts as one year of experience. Someone who left the profession more than five years ago is placed at most at the second-to-last step.
Premiums
The following rates are those of article 9 of the FIQ agreement and of the premium table of the CPNSSS, for the period from April 1st, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
| Premium | Base rate | Increased rate |
|---|---|---|
| Evening | 7% of hourly wage, minimum $2.08 an hour | 10% |
| Night | 14% of hourly wage, minimum $4.17 an hour | 18% |
| Weekend | 5% of hourly wage, minimum $1.50 an hour | 9% |
| CHSLD, seniors' home, alternative home | $1.74 an hour | $2.33 an hour |
The increased evening, night and weekend premiums go to an employee who accumulates 70 or more paid hours per 14-day pay period. The weekend premium also requires a service open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The FIQ agreement names the licensed practical nurse among the titles that receive the CHSLD premium. The increased premium of $2.33 goes to an employee who works all the hours set for her job title. Our article Working in a CHSLD describes this setting.
The critical care premium applies to the emergency department, intensive care, the neonatal unit, the coronary unit and the burn unit. It is 15% for 70 or more paid hours per 14-day period, 14% from 42 hours and 10% under 42 hours.
Overtime
Article 19 of the FIQ agreement pays overtime at time and a half of regular salary, which is $41.67 an hour at step 1 and $55.62 at step 12. Double time applies on a statutory holiday and, under certain conditions, to a full weekend shift in a service open 24 hours a day.
Licensed practical nurse and patient care attendant
The patient care attendant receives a single rate, without steps. The licensed practical nurse starts at the same amount with the lump sum, then goes past it at step 3. At the twelfth step, the gap is $7.68 an hour. See patient care attendant salary and moving from attendant to licensed practical nurse.
In the private sector
No public scale applies in a private seniors' residence, a clinic or a non-subsidized private CHSLD. The employer, or the institution's collective agreement, sets the salary.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a licensed practical nurse's salary in April 2026?
Since April 1st, 2026, the scale for title 3455 ranges from $27.78 to $37.08 an hour in the public network. At steps 1 and 2, the lump sum brings pay to $29.40 an hour. Premiums are added on top.
What is a licensed practical nurse's salary?
Full time in the public network, the scale gives $54,359 a year at the first step and $72,556 at the twelfth. The calculation counts 37.5 hours a week and 52.18 weeks. It leaves out the lump sum, premiums and overtime.
What is the average salary of a licensed practical nurse in Quebec?
The Government of Canada's Job Bank publishes a median wage, not an average. For licensed practical nurses in Quebec, group 32101, it is $30.00 an hour, with a low wage of $24.21 and a high wage of $33.00. The reference period is 2023-2024 and the update dates from November 19, 2025.
What is a licensed practical nurse's salary right out of the DEP?
Right out of the DEP, a licensed practical nurse with no experience starts at the first step of the public network: $27.78 an hour, raised to $29.40 by the lump sum. Before the permit is issued, the candidate to the profession receives $25.28 an hour. Our article on the DEP in Santé, assistance et soins infirmiers describes the training.
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Sources
- Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, Nomenclature des titres d'emploi, des libellés, des taux et des échelles de salaire du réseau de la santé et des services sociaux, pages II.92 to II.96 and III.129 to III.132, September 15, 2026
- CPNSSS, Primes des conventions collectives nationales 2024-2028, consulted on October 10, 2026
- CPNSSS and FIQ, Convention collective, version administrative, in force from December 15, 2024 to March 31, 2028, articles 7, 8, 9 and 19, letter of agreement No. 15
- CPNSSS and FSSS-CSN, Convention collective, version administrative, in force from June 16, 2024 to March 31, 2028, letter of agreement No. 58
- Government of Canada, Job Bank, Salaires, infirmier auxiliaire autorisé ou infirmière auxiliaire autorisée au Québec (CNP 32101), updated November 19, 2025