How much do doctors earn in Australia? (2026, by grade)
Australian doctor pay is set state by state through enterprise agreements — public documents that name an exact salary for every grade and year. That makes the honest answer knowable, which is rare in medicine. Here is what the current agreements pay, in Australian dollars, gross, before the additions that make real take-home higher.
Base salary by grade
| Grade (UK equivalent) | Typical base range (A$/yr) | ≈ £/yr at A$1.90 |
|---|---|---|
| Intern (≈ FY1) | 80,000 – 97,000 | £42,000 – £51,000 |
| RMO (≈ FY2 / SHO) | 95,000 – 115,000 | £50,000 – £61,000 |
| Registrar (≈ ST3+) | 120,000 – 150,000 | £63,000 – £79,000 |
| Senior Registrar | 140,000 – 165,000 | £74,000 – £87,000 |
| Consultant / Staff Specialist | 200,000 – 420,000+ | £105,000 – £220,000+ |
Ranges span the five states we model (SA, QLD, WA, NSW, VIC) and the steps within each grade. Western Australia and Queensland generally sit at the top of trainee scales; consultant pay varies most by state and specialty, with VMO arrangements pushing well past the top of the range shown.
Why real take-home is higher than these numbers suggest
Three structural extras sit on top of base salary. Superannuation: employers pay 12% into your retirement fund in addition to salary — the NHS pension, by contrast, comes out of yours. Salary packaging: public hospital doctors can pay up to A$9,010 of living expenses plus A$2,650 of meals from pre-tax salary each FBT year. Penalty rates: weekends and nights pay real multiples — in SA, Saturdays at 1.5×, Sundays at 2×, nights +15% — so a normal rota commonly adds 25–30% to base. A doctor comparing gross payslips misses all three.
And the deductions
Australian income tax (ATO 2025–26) takes roughly 25% effective at registrar income including the 2% Medicare levy — a similar effective rate to UK income tax and NI at equivalent pay. The difference in your bank account comes less from tax and more from the extras above and the higher base.
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Open the calculator →Related: NHS vs Australia — the honest comparison · Moving to Australia as a UK doctor · FAQ