England's women are to be paid squad and match fees after a deal lasting one year was agreed with the Rugby Football Union.
The new arrangement has been finalised in time for the three-match series against Canada, which opens on Friday night, and will include the Six Nations.
It is the first time that squad and match fees -- understood to be worth a total in the region of £5,000 for a player who features in every game this month -- have been paid.
Previously, players were contracted to the RFU for the duration of a year, a situation that caused uproar earlier this year after the RFU announced a decision not to issue new 15's contracts earlier this year.
"We have been working with the Rugby Players Association and a representative group of players to agree a pay structure," an RFU spokeswoman said. "The pay deal includes squad and match fees and is another step forward in our drive to professionalise the women's game in England."
England were runners-up in the Women's World Cup earlier this year, losing out to New Zealand in the final in Ireland.