Biomedical Engineering Salary: What You Take Home After Tax and Medicare

Biomedical Engineering Salary: Gross Pay vs Take-Home

If you are a biomedical engineer in Australia, you have probably seen job ads quoting a figure like “$90,000 plus super” or “$75,000 package”. The number that actually lands in your bank account each fortnight is lower after income tax, the Medicare levy, and any salary-sacrifice arrangements. This guide walks you through the mix-ups between gross salary, total package, and take-home pay, using the latest public information.

What the Data Shows for Biomedical Engineering Salary

The most authoritative source for occupation-level pay is the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) via Jobs and Skills Australia. For biomedical engineers (ANZSCO 233913), the ABS does not publish median weekly earnings – the figure is listed as N/A. That is because the sample size is too small to produce a reliable estimate. What we do know from the 2021 Census is that 88% of biomedical engineers work full-time, the median age is 37, and 21% are women. The average full-time hours are 41 per week, slightly below the all-occupations average of 44 hours.

Because a national median is not available, the best public benchmark for a specific sector comes from the Biomedical Engineers (Victorian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2024-2028. This agreement, published by The Royal Melbourne Hospital, sets weekly rates for five classification levels. For example:

• Class 1, Year 1: $1,283.66 per week (from 1 August 2024)
• Class 2, Year 1: $1,627.55 per week
• Class 3, Year 1: $1,805.60 per week
• Class 4, Year 1: $2,089.34 per week
• Class 5, Year 1: $2,422.29 per week

These rates increase by 3% each August. A Class 5, Year 3 engineer would earn $2,983.71 per week by August 2027. Remember, these are gross weekly wages before tax and super. Private sector salaries may be higher or lower, and you should always check the specific role.

From Gross to Take-Home: Tax and Medicare

Once you know your gross annual salary, you can estimate your take-home pay using the 2026–27 tax rates. For a resident taxpayer:

• First $18,200: no tax
• $18,201 to $45,000: 15c for each dollar over $18,200
• $45,001 to $135,000: $4,020 plus 30c for each dollar over $45,000
• $135,001 to $190,000: $31,020 plus 37c for each dollar over $135,000
• Over $190,000: $51,370 plus 45c for each dollar over $190,000

The Low Income Tax Offset (LITO) can reduce your tax by up to $700 if your taxable income is below $37,500, then phases out. The Medicare levy is 2% of your taxable income, but if you earn below $28,011 (the single lower threshold) you pay no levy. Between $28,011 and $35,013, you pay a reduced rate (10c per dollar over the lower threshold). Above $35,013, you pay the full 2%. These are the latest published single-person thresholds from the Australian Taxation Office.

For example, a biomedical engineer earning $90,000 gross per year would have:

• Tax: about $17,517 (using the 2026–27 rates)
• Medicare levy: $1,800 (full 2%)
• LITO: $325 (reduced from maximum because income is above $45,000)
• Net tax after LITO: $17,192
• Take-home pay: $72,808 per year, or about $2,800 per fortnight.

This is an estimate only. It excludes HELP/HECS repayments, the Medicare levy surcharge, and salary sacrifice. Use our Clearance tool for a personalised calculation.

Common Mix-Ups: Package vs Base vs Take-Home

Many job advertisements quote a “total remuneration package” that includes superannuation. Super is 12% from 1 July 2026 on earnings up to $270,830. If an ad says “$100,000 package”, the base salary is roughly $89,286 (since $100,000 ÷ 1.12 = $89,286). Your take-home is calculated on the base salary, not the package. Always clarify whether the figure is base or total.

Another mix-up is confusing gross annual salary with fortnightly take-home. A $90,000 base salary gives you about $2,800 per fortnight after tax and Medicare, not $3,461 ($90,000 ÷ 26). The difference is tax and the Medicare levy.

Using the National Minimum Wage as a Benchmark

The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour and $1,004.90 per week (38 hours). This is the floor for all award-covered employees. Biomedical engineers are typically paid well above this, but it is a useful reference. See our Benchmarks page for more.

Key Takeaways

• Biomedical engineering salary varies widely. The only published public-sector rates are from the Victorian enterprise agreement, ranging from $1,283 to $2,983 per week.
• Take-home pay is always less than gross. Use the 2026–27 tax rates and Medicare thresholds to estimate.
• Super is not part of your take-home. Always check if a salary figure is base or package.
• For a detailed estimate of your own situation, visit our After-tax salary page or the Tax and Medicare guide.