Midwife Salary Ireland 2026 — Complete Pay Scale Guide

Staff Midwife Salary Ireland 2026

A staff midwife is a registered midwife employed in a clinical role without management responsibility. The pay scale is identical to the staff nurse scale.

Staff Midwife Pay Scale (February 2026)

Point	Annual Salary (€)	Approximate Weekly Gross
1	38,166	€726
2	39,760	€764
3	40,767	€783
4	42,098	€809
5	43,775	€841
6	45,452	€873
7	47,120	€905
8	48,563	€933
9	50,009	€961
10	51,458	€989
11	52,937	€1,018
12	54,412	€1,046
LSI	56,592	€1,077

Starting salary for a newly qualified midwife in Ireland: €38,166

Previous nursing or midwifery experience may be credited on appointment, allowing you to start at a higher point on the scale. Each year of relevant experience typically equates to one increment point.

---

How Does Midwife Pay Compare to Nurse Pay?

Midwives and nurses in the HSE are paid from the same basic pay scale at staff grade. The distinction comes at specialist and advanced grades where midwifery-specific roles attract different rates.

Grade	Midwifery	Nursing
Staff grade	Same scale	Same scale
Enhanced	Same scale	Same scale
CNM grades	Same scale	Same scale
ANP/AMP	Separate advanced midwife scale	ANP scale

---

Enhanced Midwife Salary Ireland 2026

The Enhanced Midwife role was created to retain skilled clinical midwives in bedside roles. Enhanced midwives are experienced practitioners who take on additional clinical responsibilities without moving into management.

Enhanced Midwife Pay Scale (February 2026)

Point	Annual Salary (€)
1	45,259
2	50,291
3	52,119
4	53,930
5	55,882
LSI	58,424

Enhanced Midwife Salary Range: €45,259 – €58,424

Senior Enhanced Midwife Pay Scale

Point	Annual Salary (€)
1	55,882
2	58,424
LSI	59,968

---

CNM Midwifery Salaries Ireland 2026

Midwives who move into management progress through the same CNM grades as nurses. The titles may include “Clinical Midwife Manager” (CMM) in some settings.

CNM1 (Midwifery) Pay Scale

Point	Annual Salary (€)
1	57,780
2	58,246
3	59,709
4	61,198
5	62,678
6	64,167
7	65,826
8	68,046

CNM2 (Midwifery) Pay Scale

Point	Annual Salary (€)
1	62,699
2	63,106
3	63,975
4	65,394
5	66,963
6	68,504
7	70,045
8	71,779
9	73,389
10	76,159
LSI	79,227

CNM3 (Midwifery) Pay Scale

Point	Annual Salary (€)
1	72,146
2	72,845
3	76,419
4	77,825
5	79,239
6	81,478

---

Advanced Midwife Practitioner (AMP) Salary Ireland 2026

Advanced Midwife Practitioners (AMPs) hold a Master’s-level qualification and practise with a high degree of autonomy. The AMP pathway mirrors the ANP pathway for nurses.

Grade	Salary Range (€)
Candidate AMP (cAMP)	See February 2026 HSE circular
Registered AMP (rAMP)	72,843 – 89,894 (8 points)

AMP salaries are set at the advanced practice nursing/midwifery level. Exact scale points depend on experience credited and should be confirmed with your employer at appointment.

---

Midwifery Manager / Director of Midwifery Salary

Grade	Salary Range (€)
Assistant Director of Midwifery/Nursing	See February 2026 HSE circular
Director of Midwifery/Nursing	See February 2026 HSE circular

Directors of Midwifery in larger maternity hospitals (National Maternity Hospital, Rotunda, Cork University Maternity Hospital) may have enhanced scales reflecting the complexity and size of their service.

---

Full Midwifery Career Pay Progression Summary

Grade	Minimum (€)	Maximum (€)
Staff Midwife	38,166	56,592 (LSI)
CNM1 (Midwifery)	57,780	68,046
CNM2 (Midwifery)	62,699	79,227 (LSI)
CNM3 (Midwifery)	72,146	81,478
Registered AMP	72,843	89,894
Asst. Director of Midwifery	See February 2026 circular	See February 2026 circular
Director of Midwifery	See February 2026 circular	See February 2026 circular

---

Midwife Allowances and Premium Payments 2026

Midwives working rostered shifts are entitled to premium payments on top of their basic salary:

Premium	Rate
Night duty	25% of hourly rate
Saturday	25% of hourly rate
Sunday	50% of hourly rate
Public holidays	Double time
On-call	Per circular

Midwives working in busy maternity units with a high proportion of night and weekend shifts can significantly increase their total earnings through these premiums.

---

How to Qualify as a Midwife in Ireland

To practice as a midwife in Ireland you must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). There are two main routes:

Direct Entry Midwifery

A 4-year Level 8 Bachelor of Midwifery degree. Graduates register as midwives only (not nurses). This route is available at:

• University College Cork (UCC)
• University College Dublin (UCD)
• Trinity College Dublin (TCD)

Post-Registration Midwifery

A 2-year midwifery programme for registered nurses who wish to also register as midwives. Offered at several sites in partnership with Irish universities.

---

Midwife Jobs in Ireland

Midwife vacancies in Ireland are advertised on:

• HSE Jobs (hse.ie/jobs) — the primary source for public health service midwifery posts
• jobvacancies.ie — all current HSE and public sector nursing/midwifery vacancies
• Individual maternity hospital websites

The major employers of midwives in Ireland are:

• National Maternity Hospital, Dublin
• Rotunda Hospital, Dublin
• Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital, Dublin
• Cork University Maternity Hospital
• University Hospital Galway (Maternity)
• University Maternity Hospital Limerick

---

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the starting salary for a newly qualified midwife in Ireland?
A: €38,166 per annum (Point 1 of the staff midwife scale, February 2026 rates).

Q: Is midwife pay the same as nurse pay in Ireland?
A: At staff grade, yes — the basic pay scale is identical. At specialist and advanced levels, midwifery-specific scales apply.

Q: Can nursing experience count towards the midwife pay scale?
A: Yes. Prior nursing experience is typically credited on a point-for-point basis on appointment as a midwife.

Q: How long does it take to reach the top of the midwife pay scale?
A: The staff midwife scale has 12 incremental points plus a Long Service Increment (LSI) — approximately 12–13 years of satisfactory service to reach the LSI of €56,592.

Q: What is a Director of Midwifery paid?
A: Between €85,346 and €94,862, depending on their point on the scale.

Q: Do midwives get the INMO pay increases?
A: Yes. Midwives are INMO members and receive the same negotiated pay increases as nurses.

Q: What is an enhanced midwife?
A: An enhanced midwife is a senior clinical midwife who takes on additional responsibilities in a bedside role without moving into management. The pay range is €45,259 – €58,424.

---

Summary

• Staff midwives start at €38,166 (February 2026)
• The staff midwife scale runs to €56,592 (LSI)
• CNM midwifery management grades follow the same scale as nursing CNMs
• Directors of Midwifery earn up to €94,862
• Premium payments for nights, weekends, and public holidays apply to rostered staff

---

Related Articles

• INMO Pay Scales 2026 — Complete Guide
• Nursing Pay Scales Explained Ireland 2026
• HSE Pay Scales 2026 — Complete Guide
• CNM1, CNM2, CNM3 Salary Guide Ireland 2026

Registered Midwife pay scale, point by point (June 2026)

Registered Midwives share the Staff Nurse scale. The full 13-point scale effective 1 June 2026:

Point	Annual salary
1	€38,166
2	€40,158
3	€41,175
4	€42,519
5	€44,213
6	€45,907
7	€47,591
8	€49,049
9	€50,509
10	€51,973
11	€53,466
12	€54,956
13 (LSI)	€56,592

You move up one point per year of satisfactory service; the final point is a long-service increment. See your year-by-year progression with take-home pay in the pay increment calculator, or check any point in the take-home pay calculator. Qualification and location allowances, and premiums for nights, Sundays and public holidays, are additional.

Related pay-scale guides

• HSE Pay Scales 2026 (complete guide)
• Staff Nurse salary 2026
• INMO nurse and midwife pay scales
• CNM1, CNM2 and CNM3 salary
• June 2026 HSE pay increase

Pay figures verified against the HSE Consolidated Salary Scales, 2026. See the summary table at the top for the current range.