Building surveyor salary: what you actually take home after tax and Medicare

Building surveyor salary: what you actually take home

If you work as a building surveyor in Australia, your gross pay is only part of the story. What lands in your bank account each fortnight depends on income tax, the Medicare levy, and any tax offsets you qualify for. This guide walks you through the calculation using the latest 2026–27 rates.

Where building surveyor pay comes from

The Surveying Award 2020 covers professional surveyors, including building surveyors. It sets minimum weekly and hourly rates for 12 classification levels. For example, a Level 5 employee earns $1,415.00 per week or $37.24 per hour. A Level 1 employee earns $1,865.60 per week or $49.09 per hour. These are the legal minimums – your actual building surveyor salary may be higher depending on your experience, employer, and location.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics lists building surveyor (occupation 241931) as a role that requires registration or licensing, but does not publish a specific salary figure. That means your take-home pay will vary, but the method to calculate it stays the same.

Step 1: Work out your gross annual salary

Start with your weekly or annual pay. If you are paid under the award, multiply your weekly rate by 52. For a Level 5 building surveyor: $1,415.00 × 52 = $73,580 per year. If you are paid above the award, use your actual salary.

Step 2: Apply the income tax brackets

For 2026–27, the Australian Tax Office uses these resident tax rates:

• $0 – $18,200: nil
• $18,201 – $45,000: 15 cents for each dollar over $18,200
• $45,001 – $135,000: $4,020 plus 30 cents for each dollar over $45,000
• $135,001 – $190,000: $31,020 plus 37 cents for each dollar over $135,000
• $190,001 and over: $51,370 plus 45 cents for each dollar over $190,000

Using the $73,580 example:

• Tax on first $18,200 = $0
• Tax on $18,201 – $45,000 = ($45,000 – $18,200) × 0.15 = $4,020
• Tax on $45,001 – $73,580 = ($73,580 – $45,000) × 0.30 = $8,574
• Total tax before offsets = $4,020 + $8,574 = $12,594

Step 3: Subtract the Low Income Tax Offset (LITO)

LITO reduces your tax if your taxable income is below $66,667. For $73,580, you are above the phase-out range, so LITO is $0. If your building surveyor salary were lower, you might receive up to $700.

Step 4: Add the Medicare levy

The Medicare levy is 2% of your taxable income, unless you qualify for an exemption or reduction. For a single person in 2026–27:

• Income below $28,011: no levy
• Income between $28,011 and $35,013: levy is 10 cents per dollar over $28,011 (shaded rate)
• Income above $35,013: full 2%

At $73,580, you pay the full 2%: $73,580 × 0.02 = $1,471.60.

Step 5: Calculate your take-home pay

• Gross annual: $73,580
• Income tax: $12,594
• Medicare levy: $1,471.60
• Total deductions: $14,065.60
• Net annual: $73,580 – $14,065.60 = $59,514.40
• Fortnightly take-home: $59,514.40 ÷ 26 = $2,289.02

This is an estimate only. It excludes HELP/HECS repayments, the Medicare levy surcharge, salary sacrifice, and payroll rounding. Use our Take-home pay tool for a personalised calculation.

What about superannuation?

Super is not deducted from your take-home pay. From 1 July 2026, your employer must contribute 12% of your ordinary time earnings into a super fund, up to a maximum contribution base of $270,830. If your job advertisement says “$80,000 plus super”, your take-home is based on $80,000, and super is extra.

How the building surveyor salary fits into the bigger picture

Your building surveyor salary may be above the award minimum, especially if you are licensed or work in a high-demand area. The national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour or $1,004.90 per week – that’s the floor for all employees. The average full-time adult ordinary time earnings are $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 per year. Many building surveyors earn above that average.

To see where your pay sits relative to benchmarks, visit our Benchmarks page. For more on tax and the Medicare levy, see Tax and Medicare.

Key points to remember

• The Surveying Award sets minimum rates; your actual pay may be higher.
• Income tax is progressive – the more you earn, the higher the marginal rate.
• The Medicare levy adds 2% for most full-time workers, but low-income earners may pay less or nothing.
• Super is on top of your salary, not taken out of it.
• Use the Clearance tool to estimate your net pay after all deductions.