Ophthalmologist salary: what lands in your bank after tax and Medicare

Understanding your ophthalmologist salary

When you see an advertised ophthalmologist salary, it is rarely the amount that lands in your bank account. The figure can be a gross annual salary, a total package including super, or even a taxable income from the tax office. Each means something different for your take-home pay.

What the data says about ophthalmologist earnings

The Australian Taxation Office publishes taxable income for occupations. For ophthalmology (ANZSCO 253914), the average taxable income for 2023–24 was $655,245 and the median was $497,095. That is not a salary – it is what the ATO considers assessable income after deductions. The median tells you half of ophthalmologists earned less than that amount.

Jobs and Skills Australia reports that eye specialists work a median of 47 hours per week, with 73% working full-time. The median age is 49, and 30% are female. Their data on median weekly earnings is not publicly broken down to a dollar figure, but the Fair Work award provides minimum rates for specialists in public hospitals.

The award minimum for specialists

Under the Medical Practitioners Award, a specialist (not senior) is entitled to a minimum weekly pay of $2,570.93 as of July 2026. That works out to $67.66 per hour. Senior specialists earn more, up to $3,374.36 per week for a senior principal specialist. These are minimum rates – many ophthalmologists in private practice earn well above.

Gross salary vs package vs take-home

A common mix-up: a job ad might say "$500,000 plus super". That means your gross salary is $500,000, and your employer adds 12% super on top (up to the contribution base of $270,830). Your take-home pay is the $500,000 minus income tax and the Medicare levy. If the ad says "$500,000 package", that usually includes super, so your gross salary is about $446,429 and super is $53,571.

To estimate your take-home, use the 2026–27 tax rates. For a gross salary of $500,000, the tax is $51,370 plus 45c for every dollar over $190,000. That is $51,370 + 0.45 × ($500,000 - $190,000) = $51,370 + $139,500 = $190,870. Add the Medicare levy of 2%: $10,000. Total deductions: $200,870. Take-home: $299,130 per year, or about $11,505 per fortnight. That is before any salary sacrifice or HELP repayments.

Why your take-home can vary

Your actual take-home depends on several factors:

• Salary packaging: public hospital specialists can package items like cars or laptops, reducing taxable income.
• Deductions: professional fees, insurance, equipment – these lower your assessable income.
• Medicare levy surcharge: if you don't have appropriate private hospital cover and earn over $90,000 (single), you pay an extra 1% to 1.5%.
• HELP debt: if you have a student loan, repayments are deducted from your pay at 1% to 10% of your income.

For a more precise estimate, use our Take-home pay calculator. It applies the resident tax rates and Medicare levy automatically.

The role of super

Super is not part of your take-home pay. From 1 July 2026, the super guarantee is 12% of your ordinary time earnings, up to $270,830. If your ophthalmologist salary is $500,000, your employer only pays super on the first $270,830, which is $32,499.60. That money goes into your super fund, not your bank account.

Medicare levy thresholds

The latest published single-person Medicare thresholds are $28,011 and $35,013. If your taxable income is below $28,011, you pay no Medicare levy. Between $28,011 and $35,013, you pay 10c per $1 over $28,011. Above $35,013, you pay the full 2%. For an ophthalmologist, the full 2% applies.

Key takeaways

• The ophthalmologist salary you see advertised is usually gross, not take-home.
• The ATO median taxable income of $497,095 is a useful benchmark, but it is after deductions and not a salary.
• Public award rates start at $2,570.93 per week for a specialist.
• Your take-home is roughly 60–65% of gross for high incomes, depending on deductions and surcharges.

For more on how tax and Medicare affect your pay, see our Tax and Medicare guide. If you are comparing job offers, check whether super is included in the quoted figure using our Salary packaging page.