Interior design salary: what lands in your bank after tax and super?

Understanding your interior design salary

When you see a job ad for an interior designer, the figure quoted is usually the gross salary – the amount before tax, Medicare, and super. But what actually reaches your bank account each week? And how does super fit in? This guide unpacks the numbers so you can compare offers and plan your budget.

The official median figure

According to [], the median full-time weekly earnings for interior designers is $1,692 before tax. That works out to about $87,984 per year (based on 52 weeks). This data comes from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, and covers full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate.

Note that 73% of interior designers are female, and the median age is 40. About 70% work full-time, averaging 43 hours per week.

From gross to take-home

To see what you’d actually receive, we apply the 2026–27 tax rates and the Medicare levy. The calculation below is a guide only – it excludes HELP/HECS repayments, the Medicare levy surcharge, and salary packaging.

• Gross annual salary: $87,984
• Income tax: $16,915 (using the resident tax scale: $4,020 plus 30c for each $1 over $45,000)
• Medicare levy (2%): $1,760
• Low Income Tax Offset (LITO): $0 (phased out completely at this income)
• Take-home pay: $69,309 per year, or $1,333 per week

That weekly take-home of $1,333 is what you’d see in your bank account after tax and Medicare. For a fortnightly pay cycle, it’s about $2,666.

The super component

Your employer must pay super on top of your gross salary. From 1 July 2026, the super guarantee rate is 12% of your ordinary time earnings. On $87,984, that’s an extra $10,558 per year paid into your super fund. This is not deducted from your take-home pay – it’s an additional contribution.

If a job advertisement says “$90,000 plus super”, the total package is $90,000 + 12% = $100,800. But your take-home is still calculated from the $90,000 gross.

Why figures can vary

You may see a higher median quoted elsewhere. For example, [] reports median full-time earnings of $2,612 per week ($135,824 per year) for interior designers, sourced from . That figure likely includes a broader range of roles or different survey methodology. The ABS data we use is the most reliable for typical full-time non-managerial employees.

Cost of living context

With a take-home of $1,333 per week, rent can be a significant cost. According to the same source, median unit rent in Adelaide would take 32% of that take-home, while in Sydney it would take 43%. These figures highlight the importance of understanding your net pay when evaluating job offers in different cities.

Key takeaways

• The median interior design salary (gross) is $1,692 per week or $87,984 per year.
• After tax and Medicare, take-home is about $1,333 per week.
• Super is paid on top – 12% from July 2026.
• Always check whether a salary is quoted as gross, package, or take-home.

For more on how tax and Medicare affect your pay, see our Tax and Medicare guide. To calculate your own take-home, use the Take-home pay tool.