Work in a state public hospital? These award rates are not your pay scale — state medical officer agreements pay considerably more. The award applies to private hospitals and other national-system employers.
Which award covers doctors
The Medical Practitioners Award 2020 [MA000031] covers doctors employed in hospitals, hospices, day procedure centres, Aboriginal health services, community health centres and similar settings (cl 4.2), where the employer is in the national workplace relations system — for example private hospitals.
Most junior doctors work in state public hospitals, and they are not paid under this award: each state has its own medical officers' award or enterprise agreement, which pays well above these minimums. See our healthcare worker pay and public service pay scale pages for the state picture.
The award's classifications follow a doctor's career: intern (first postgraduate year), resident medical practitioner, registrar (in an accredited specialist training program), senior registrar, career and senior career medical practitioner, community medical practitioner and specialist levels (cl 12).
Self-employed GPs and doctors engaged as contractors — including GPs who contract to a practice rather than being employed by it — are not employees and have no award minimum.
Read the Medical Practitioners Award 2020 [MA000031] on the Fair Work Commission’s site (consolidated to 1 July 2026).
Doctor award pay rates 2026–27
These rates apply from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026. Part-time employees are paid the same hourly rates for the hours they work.
Doctors in training — intern, resident, registrar
Clause 16.1(a)–(d): annual, weekly and hourly minimums exactly as published. Casual is the hourly rate plus the 25% loading (cl 11.1).
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| InternFirst postgraduate year | $33.62 | $1,277.54 | $66,432 | $42.03 |
| Resident medical practitioner pay point 1Second postgraduate year onwards | $35.69 | $1,356.33 | $70,529 | $44.61 |
| Resident medical practitioner pay point 2 | $37.13 | $1,410.96 | $73,370 | $46.41 |
| Resident medical practitioner pay point 3 | $37.49 | $1,424.67 | $74,083 | $46.86 |
| Registrar pay point 1In an accredited specialist training program | $40.61 | $1,543.23 | $80,248 | $50.76 |
| Registrar pay point 2 | $42.28 | $1,606.52 | $83,539 | $52.85 |
| Registrar pay point 3 | $44.21 | $1,679.79 | $87,349 | $55.26 |
| Registrar pay point 4 | $45.56 | $1,731.12 | $90,018 | $56.95 |
| Senior registrar pay point 1Passed college exams, awaiting fellowship | $53.07 | $2,016.81 | $104,874 | $66.34 |
| Senior registrar pay point 2 | $55.17 | $2,096.35 | $109,010 | $68.96 |
Annual is the award's own full-time annual salary, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Career medical practitioners
Clause 16.1(e)–(f). A career medical practitioner has at least 4 years' postgraduate clinical experience; a senior career medical practitioner at least 10 (cl 12.5–12.6).
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career medical practitioner pay point 1 | $53.62 | $2,037.52 | $105,951 | $67.03 |
| Career medical practitioner pay point 2 | $55.61 | $2,113.15 | $109,884 | $69.51 |
| Career medical practitioner pay point 3 | $56.71 | $2,155.08 | $112,064 | $70.89 |
| Career medical practitioner pay point 4 | $58.80 | $2,234.38 | $116,188 | $73.50 |
| Senior career medical practitioner pay point 1 | $60.65 | $2,304.85 | $119,852 | $75.81 |
| Senior career medical practitioner pay point 2 | $62.58 | $2,378.17 | $123,665 | $78.23 |
| Senior career medical practitioner pay point 3 | $64.69 | $2,458.04 | $127,818 | $80.86 |
| Senior career medical practitioner pay point 4 | $66.65 | $2,532.77 | $131,704 | $83.31 |
Annual is the award's own full-time annual salary, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Specialists
Clause 16.1(h)–(k). A specialist has completed a recognised specialist training program and been admitted as a fellow of the college (cl 12.8).
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist | $61.51 | $2,337.21 | $121,535 | $76.89 |
| Senior specialist pay point 1 | $65.77 | $2,499.10 | $129,953 | $82.21 |
| Senior specialist pay point 2 | $68.02 | $2,584.92 | $134,416 | $85.03 |
| Senior specialist pay point 3 | $70.35 | $2,673.38 | $139,016 | $87.94 |
| Senior specialist pay point 4 | $75.34 | $2,862.87 | $148,869 | $94.18 |
| Senior specialist pay point 5 | $76.41 | $2,903.56 | $150,985 | $95.51 |
| Principal specialist | $77.97 | $2,962.73 | $154,062 | $97.46 |
| Senior principal specialist | $80.73 | $3,067.60 | $159,515 | $100.91 |
Annual is the award's own full-time annual salary, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Doctor penalty rates and overtime
| When you work | Full-time / part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Career MPs: Monday–Friday 6 pm to midnight | 112.5% | 137.5% |
| Career MPs: Monday–Friday midnight to 8 am | 125% | 150% |
| Career MPs: Saturday | 150% | 175% |
| Career MPs: Sunday | 175% | 200% |
| Senior doctors: public holiday | 250% | 275% |
Penalty rates differ by classification (cl 21.1). Doctors in training instead get 2.5% of their minimum weekly rate for each rostered ordinary shift that starts or ends between 9 pm and 6 am. Only the higher penalty applies where two overlap, including overtime (cl 21.1(e)).
Overtime
- All doctors except senior doctors: hours beyond 38 a week are overtime — 150% for the first 2 hours Monday to Saturday, then 200%; Sunday 200%; public holiday 250%. Casuals: 175%, 225% and 275% (cl 20.2).
- On-call: 10% of the daily rate for each day on call (cl 20.3(a)). Recall: one hour's pay for travel plus at least 3 hours at 150% (weekdays) or 200% (weekends and public holidays) (cl 20.4).
- Sleepover for doctors in training: $103.96 per sleepover, covering up to an hour of work (cl 20.5).
Work out a shift with penalties or overtime using the overtime pay calculator.
Allowances
| Allowance | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Sleepover allowance (doctors in training) | $103.96 per sleepover | Includes up to one hour of work; more than 5 call-outs makes the whole period active duty (cl 20.5). |
| On-call allowance | 10% of the daily rate | Per day on call, doctors other than senior doctors (cl 20.3(a)). |
Doctor pay after tax
On the Intern rate of $1,277.54 a week, a full-time doctor earns $66,432 a year before tax.
| Gross annual pay | $66,432 |
|---|---|
| Income tax (after LITO) | −$10,446 |
| Medicare levy | −$1,329 |
| Take-home per year | $54,657 |
| Take-home per week | $1,051 |
2026–27 resident tax rates with the low income tax offset and the 2% Medicare levy; no HECS-HELP repayment and no Medicare levy surcharge. Superannuation is paid on top by your employer. For the full breakdown see take-home pay on $65,000 (the nearest step to $66,432), or put in your own hours with the weekly pay calculator.
What doctors actually earn
Jobs and Skills Australia puts median full-time earnings for General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers (ANZSCO 2531) at $2,446 a week ($60 an hour), against $1,852 a week for all occupations.
Median weekly pay of full-time, non-managerial adult employees before tax and salary sacrifice, from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (May 2025) as published by Jobs and Skills Australia. It reflects what employers actually pay, including people on enterprise agreements or above-award salaries, so it is a market figure, not a legal minimum.
What this page does not show
- State public hospital medical officer scales (NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA, SA, Tasmania, ACT, NT), which are set by state instruments.
- Community medical practitioner and director of medical services scales (cl 16.1(g), (l), (m)).
- Visiting medical officer and contractor arrangements, which are not employment.
Doctor pay questions
Pay rates for other jobs
How this page is sourced▼
Every minimum rate was read from the Fair Work Commission's consolidated text of the Medical Practitioners Award 2020, consolidated to 1 July 2026, on 23 September 2026. Casual rates are the award's own published figures wherever it publishes them. Nothing is estimated.
The median comes from Jobs and Skills Australia’s occupation profile and is a market figure, not an entitlement. Take-home figures use the same tax engine as the rest of this site. Award rates change every 1 July, so re-check after the next Annual Wage Review.
Sources & References
- 1Medical Practitioners Award 2020 [MA000031] — consolidated to 1 July 2026— Fair Work Commission
- 2Pay guides for modern awards— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 3Annual Wage Review 2025–26 decision [2026] FWCFB 3500— Fair Work Commission
- 4
Last verified: 23 September 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
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AuthorFounder & Senior Bookkeeper
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Anita Bell earned her accountancy degree in 2015 and has worked as a senior bookkeeper with Prime Bookkeeping for over 5 years. This built her skills in Australian and New Zealand tax legislation and industry regulations. She is certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One, and works with payroll and rostering software including Gusto, Deputy, Tsheets and KeyPay. She has strong experience in hospitality, building and construction, financial services, real estate, ecommerce, and medical and health services.
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