Electrical engineers covered by the Electrical Power Industry Award 2020 are outside the Professional Employees Award, so the rates below are not their minimums (cl 4.2(c)).
What electrical engineers earn: 2023–24 tax returns
In the ATO’s Taxation statistics for 2023–24, 34,797 people gave their occupation as “Electrical engineer”. Among those who reported wages, the median salary or wage income was $130,630 and the average $134,110. Their average taxable income was $141,415.
Electronics engineers have their own ATO code and their own ANZSCO unit group (2334), so they are shown separately for comparison.
| Occupation on the tax return | People | Median salary or wages | Average salary or wages | Median taxable income | Average taxable income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical engineerATO occupation code 233311 | 34,797 | $130,630 | $134,110 | $132,349 | $141,415 |
| Electronics engineerATO occupation code 233411 | 7,595 | $113,202 | $118,230 | $115,546 | $130,290 |
ATO figures come from 2023–24 individual tax returns: everyone who gave this occupation, including part-time and part-year workers. Salary or wages is the gross wage income people reported (averages and medians count only those who reported some); taxable income adds other income such as interest and business income and subtracts deductions. Neither figure is a full-time rate or a legal minimum.
Median full-time pay
Jobs and Skills Australia puts median full-time earnings for Electrical Engineers (ANZSCO 2333) at $2,553 a week ($67 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.
Electrical Engineer pay after tax
What each figure on this page leaves after income tax and the Medicare levy, worked out with the same tax engine as the rest of this site. Use the row nearest your own salary to sense-check the net pay on your payslip.
| Figure | Gross a year | Tax and Medicare | Take-home a year | A fortnight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award minimum — Level 1 Graduate professional — pay point 1.1 (4 or 5 year degree)MA000065, 2026–27 | $68,538 | −$12,452 | $56,086 | $2,157 |
| Median full-time pay — Electrical EngineersJobs and Skills Australia, May 2025 (weekly × 52) | $132,756 | −$33,002 | $99,754 | $3,837 |
| Median salary or wages — Electrical engineerATO tax returns, 2023–24 | $130,630 | −$32,322 | $98,308 | $3,781 |
| Average salary or wages — Electrical engineerATO tax returns, 2023–24 | $134,110 | −$33,435 | $100,675 | $3,872 |
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. Your employer withholds tax each pay from the ATO’s withholding schedules, so the tax on a payslip will not match these annual figures to the dollar. For the full breakdown see take-home pay on $135,000 (the nearest step to $134,110), or enter your own salary below.
The table assumes private hospital cover. A single person without it pays the Medicare levy surcharge of 1% to 1.5% once their income for surcharge purposes passes $105,000 (2026–27), which would lower the take-home on the higher rows.
Which award covers electrical engineers
Part of Engineer Pay Rates, which lists every Professional Employees Award pay point and the rules all engineers share.
An electrical engineer whose duties need qualifications at least equal to a graduate member of Engineers Australia is a professional engineer under the Professional Employees Award 2020 [MA000065], in any industry (cl 4.1(a)).
The award does not cover employees who are covered by the Electrical Power Industry Award 2020 (cl 4.2(c)). If you work for an electricity generation, transmission or distribution business, check whether that award or an enterprise agreement sets your pay. Engineers covered by the Rail Industry, Black Coal Mining, Airport Employees, Water Industry or State Government Agencies awards are excluded too (cl 4.2).
Electricians are tradespeople, not professional engineers, and have a different award and different minimums: see the electrician page.
Graduates start at Level 1 pay point 1.1 and move up a pay point each anniversary (Schedule A.1.3). Level 2 is an experienced engineer: a member of Engineers Australia, or someone with 4 years' professional engineering experience after qualifying.
Read the Professional Employees Award 2020 [MA000065] on the Fair Work Commission’s site (consolidated to 1 July 2026).
Electrical Engineer 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.
Electrical engineer minimum salaries by level, 2026–27
Annual wages from clause 14.1, the award's weekly conversion (annual x 6/313), and the hourly and casual rates exactly as Schedule C publishes them. A graduate engineer needs a 4 or 5-year degree, so the 3-year degree rate is not shown.
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 Graduate professional — pay point 1.1 (4 or 5 year degree)Graduate electrical engineer (4 or 5-year degree recognised by Engineers Australia) | $34.57 | $1,313.83 | $68,538 | $43.21 |
| Level 1 Graduate professional — pay point 1.2 | $35.15 | $1,335.87 | $69,688 | $43.94 |
| Level 1 Graduate professional — pay point 1.3 | $36.62 | $1,391.50 | $72,590 | $45.78 |
| Level 1 Graduate professional — pay point 1.4 | $38.47 | $1,461.99 | $76,267 | $48.09 |
| Level 2 Experienced professionalExperienced engineer | $39.77 | $1,511.23 | $78,836 | $49.71 |
| Level 3 Professional | $43.46 | $1,651.57 | $86,157 | $54.33 |
| Level 4 Professional | $49.02 | $1,862.74 | $97,173 | $61.28 |
Annual is the award's own full-time annual salary, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Electrical Engineer penalty rates and overtime
| When you work | Full-time / part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Monday–Saturday before 6 am or after 10 pm | 125% | 150% |
| Sunday | 150% | 175% |
| Public holiday | 150% | 175% |
Percentages of the minimum hourly rate for hours worked at the employer's direction (cl 18.4, Schedule C). There is no Saturday daytime penalty under this award.
Overtime
- Overtime beyond 38 hours a week is paid at the minimum hourly rate (cl 18.2(a)), including call-backs and work done remotely — $39.77 an hour at Level 2.
- None of the overtime, penalty or record-keeping clauses apply if your contract salary is at least 25% above your level's minimum (cl 18.6): $85,672.50 for a graduate at pay point 1.1, $98,545 at Level 2, $107,696.25 at Level 3.
Work out a shift with penalties or overtime using the overtime pay calculator.
Allowances
| Allowance | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle allowance | At least $1.00 per km | When you and your employer agree that you will use your own vehicle on the employer's business (cl 16.3). |
| Travelling expenses | Reasonable costs | All reasonable expenses, including accommodation and meals, incurred while travelling on the employer's business (cl 16.2). |
Checking a electrical engineer payslip
- Night and weekend hours: below the cl 18.6 salary line, hours you are directed to work before 6 am or after 10 pm Monday to Saturday are paid at 125%, and Sunday and public holiday hours at 150% (cl 18.4) — $43.21 and $51.86 an hour for a pay point 1.1 graduate (Schedule C.1). Penalty pay must be shown as its own amount on the payslip (Fair Work Ombudsman, pay slips).
- Your pay point should rise on each anniversary as a graduate, from 1.1 to 1.4, unless your employer defers it in writing (Schedule A.1.3–A.1.4).
- Vehicle allowance: agreed use of your own car on the employer's business is paid at least $1.00 a kilometre (cl 16.3), shown separately from salary.
- Super and deductions: each payslip must show the super your employer paid, or will pay, for the period and the fund it goes to, and every deduction — salary sacrifice included — with the fund or account it was paid into (Fair Work Ombudsman, pay slips).
For what every line on a payslip should show, see understanding your payslip.
What this page does not show
- Rates under the Electrical Power Industry Award 2020 and electricity network enterprise agreements.
- Electrician and electrical trade rates, which are on the electrician page.
- Recruiter salary surveys by seniority: they are not official figures.
Electrical Engineer 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 Professional Employees Award 2020, consolidated to 1 July 2026, on 9 October 2026. Casual rates are the award's own published figures wherever it publishes them. Nothing is estimated.
Income figures are the ATO’s Taxation statistics 2023–24, Individuals Table 15A, exactly as published: the occupation is what each person wrote on their tax return.
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
- 1Professional Employees Award 2020 [MA000065] — consolidated to 1 July 2026— Fair Work Commission
- 2Taxation statistics 2023–24, Individuals Table 15: average and median taxable income and salary or wages by occupation— Australian Taxation Office (data.gov.au)
- 3Electrical Engineers (ANZSCO 2333) occupation profile — ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025— Jobs and Skills Australia
- 4Pay slips— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 5Annual Wage Review 2025–26 decision [2026] FWCFB 3500— Fair Work Commission
Last verified: 9 October 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
Anita Bell
AuthorFounder & Senior Bookkeeper
Accountancy degree (2015); certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One
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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