Graduate surveyors move up on demonstrated competence, not on each anniversary, so two graduates with the same start date can be on different levels (cl 17.4, Schedule A.15.2).
What surveyors earn: 2023–24 tax returns
In the ATO’s Taxation statistics for 2023–24, 9,869 people gave their occupation as “Scientist - surveyor”. Among those who reported wages, the median salary or wage income was $114,639 and the average $116,834. Their average taxable income was $126,763.
GIS managers and cartographers are spatial occupations in the same group as surveyors. Quantity surveyors are a different job, coded by the ATO with civil engineering professionals, and are shown because the titles are often confused.
| Occupation on the tax return | People | Median salary or wages | Average salary or wages | Median taxable income | Average taxable income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientist - surveyorATO occupation code 232212 | 9,869 | $114,639 | $116,834 | $117,972 | $126,763 |
| Geographic information systems managerATO occupation code 232214 | 1,855 | $104,899 | $106,771 | $105,351 | $110,845 |
| CartographerATO occupation code 232213 | 661 | $98,416 | $101,028 | $101,425 | $107,029 |
| Quantity surveyorATO occupation code 233213 | 4,991 | $115,999 | $129,708 | $117,714 | $136,623 |
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 Surveyors and Spatial Scientists (ANZSCO 2322) at $2,300 a week ($56 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.
Surveyor 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 8 — Survey Technician Level IIMA000066, 2026–27 | $66,721 | −$11,870 | $54,851 | $2,110 |
| Median full-time pay — Surveyors and Spatial ScientistsJobs and Skills Australia, May 2025 (weekly × 52) | $119,600 | −$28,792 | $90,808 | $3,493 |
| Median salary or wages — Scientist - surveyorATO tax returns, 2023–24 | $114,639 | −$27,205 | $87,434 | $3,363 |
| Average salary or wages — Scientist - surveyorATO tax returns, 2023–24 | $116,834 | −$27,907 | $88,927 | $3,420 |
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 $115,000 (the nearest step to $116,834), 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 surveyors
The Surveying Award 2020 [MA000066] is an occupational award: it covers any employer who employs professional surveyors and other employees in its classifications, in any industry, to the exclusion of any other modern award (cl 4.1). Professional surveyors include graduate surveyors and licensed or registered surveyors (cl 4.2). It does not cover local government employees covered by another award (cl 4.5).
The award defines surveying as determining the form, contour, position, area, height or depth of the earth's surface, or of features on, below or above it, including mapping and spatial data work by employees in its classifications (Schedule A.1). Quantity surveyors are a different occupation, which the ATO codes with civil engineering professionals; check that definition against your own duties before relying on this award.
A graduate surveyor enters at Level 8 (Survey Technician Level II) after a 3-year course or Level 7 (Surveying Technician Level III) after a 4-year course, and advances through the levels to Level 4 as they demonstrate competence — not automatically each year (cl 17.4, Schedule A.15.2). A licensed or registered surveyor is included at Level 3, Surveyor Level IV.
Survey assistants (Levels 10 to 12) and survey technicians (Levels 7 to 9) are covered by the same award.
Read the Surveying Award 2020 [MA000066] on the Fair Work Commission’s site (consolidated to 1 July 2026).
Surveyor 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.
Surveyor award rates by level, 2026–27
Clause 17.1 minimum weekly and hourly rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026; annual is the weekly rate x 52. Casual rates are Schedule B.2 (125%) exactly. Level 1 is the most senior.
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 8 — Survey Technician Level IIGraduate entry point, 3-year course (A.15.2(a)) | $33.77 | $1,283.10 | $66,721 | $42.21 |
| Level 7 — Surveying Technician Level IIIGraduate entry point, 4-year course (A.15.2(b)) | $34.46 | $1,309.50 | $68,094 | $43.08 |
| Level 6 — Surveyor Level I | $35.38 | $1,344.50 | $69,914 | $44.23 |
| Level 5 — Surveyor Level IIIncludes a party leader | $37.24 | $1,415.00 | $73,580 | $46.55 |
| Level 4 — Surveyor Level IIITop of the graduate progression (A.15.2) | $38.16 | $1,450.20 | $75,410 | $47.70 |
| Level 3 — Surveyor Level IVIncludes a licensed or registered surveyor (A.12) | $39.83 | $1,513.70 | $78,712 | $49.79 |
| Level 2 — Surveyor Level VSenior surveyor; includes a project or specialist manager | $43.54 | $1,654.40 | $86,029 | $54.43 |
| Level 1 — Surveyor Level VIIncludes a business or specialist manager | $49.09 | $1,865.60 | $97,011 | $61.36 |
Annual is the weekly rate × 52, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Surveyor penalty rates and overtime
| When you work | Full-time / part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Overtime Monday–Saturday — first 3 hours | 150% | 187.5% |
| Overtime Monday–Saturday — after 3 hours | 200% | 250% |
| Sunday | 200% | 250% |
| Public holiday | 250% | 312.5% |
Ordinary hours fall between 6 am and 6 pm Monday to Friday (cl 14.1). Work outside that spread, including Saturdays, is overtime (cl 21.1–21.2); Sunday and public holiday rates are in cl 21.4.
Overtime
- Overtime is 150% of the minimum hourly rate for the first 3 hours and 200% after that; casuals get 187.5% and then 250% (cl 21.1–21.2).
- For a graduate at Level 8 that is $50.66 an hour for the first 3 hours and $67.54 after (Schedule B.1.2).
- Working more than 2 hours past your usual finishing time earns a $16.62 meal allowance, or a meal (cl 19.2).
Work out a shift with penalties or overtime using the overtime pay calculator.
Allowances
| Allowance | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Meal allowance | $16.62 | Working more than 2 hours after the usual finishing time, or more than 4 hours on a Sunday or public holiday, unless a meal is supplied (cl 19.2). |
| Vehicle allowance | At least $1.00 per km | Agreed use of your own vehicle on the employer's business (cl 19.7). |
| Fares | Reasonable fares | Extra fares when directed to work away from your usual workplace, economy class (cl 19.3). |
| Living away from home | Fares and reasonable expenses | Board and lodging when you must sleep away from home, plus paid travel time up to 7.6 hours in 24 (cl 19.6). |
Checking a surveyor payslip
- Travel to other sites: when you are directed to work away from your usual place of employment, extra travelling time is working time (cl 19.5) and extra fares must be paid (cl 19.3). Check those hours and amounts appear on your payslip.
- Meal and vehicle allowances: the $16.62 meal allowance and any vehicle allowance must be shown separately from your wages (Fair Work Ombudsman, pay slips).
- Pay cycle: wages are paid weekly or fortnightly at the employer's choice, or monthly if you both agree (cl 18.1).
- Annual leave loading: 17.5% on top of the pay for your ordinary hours while you are on annual leave (cl 22.2).
- 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
- Survey assistant and Survey Technician Level I rates (Levels 9 to 12), and junior rates.
- The phase-in percentages for diploma and advanced diploma holders without experience (cl 17.5).
- Quantity surveyor award rates: a different occupation.
Surveyor 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 Surveying 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
- 1Surveying Award 2020 [MA000066] — 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)
- 3
- 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.
Areas of Expertise