Psychologist salary in Australia: what you take home after tax and Medicare

Psychologist salary in Australia: gross vs take-home

When you see a psychologist salary in Australia advertised, it is almost always a gross figure – before tax, the Medicare levy, and any salary-sacrifice arrangements. Your take-home pay is what lands in your bank account each fortnight after those deductions. This guide explains the key pay scales, what the latest data shows, and how to estimate your net income.

Award minimum pay for psychologists

From 1 October 2026, the Health Professionals and Support Services Award sets minimum rates for psychologists at Level 1 (AQF 9 qualification). The table below shows the hourly and annual rates for full-time work (38 hours per week).

Classification	Hourly	Annual
Level 1, 1st year	$38.02	$75,135
Level 1, 2nd–3rd year	$40.66	$80,350
Level 1, 4th–6th year	$43.67	$86,284
Level 1, 7th year+	$46.18	$91,260
Levels 2–4 (senior to manager)	$51.19–$65.77	$101,161–$129,953

These are the legal minimums. Many employers, especially public hospitals, pay above award.

Public hospital pay scales

Queensland Health and NSW Health publish their own salary schedules. In Queensland, a new graduate psychologist starts at HP3, which ranges from $83,824 to $124,314 per year (from 1 September 2026). NSW Health’s Psychologists (State) Award 2025 starts graduates at $83,670 and progresses to $122,465 after nine years. Senior psychologists earn $128,933 to $139,712, while clinical psychologists (with endorsement) start at $118,162 and can reach $159,112 as senior clinicians.

Median earnings from national data

Jobs and Skills Australia reports that full-time psychologists and psychotherapists had median weekly earnings of $2,204 in May 2025. That equates to about $114,608 per year before tax. The Australian Taxation Office’s 2023–24 tax statistics show a lower median of $77,858 for clinical psychologists and $74,152 for other psychologists – but those figures include part-time workers, so full-time pay is typically higher.

From gross to take-home: tax and Medicare

For the 2026–27 income year, the Australian Taxation Office has updated tax tables. The tax-free threshold remains $18,200. Above that, you pay 15c per dollar up to $45,000, then 30c up to $135,000, and so on. The Medicare levy is 2% of your taxable income, unless you earn below the single threshold of $28,011 (no levy) or between $28,011 and $35,013 (shaded rate). Most full-time psychologists will pay the full 2%.

To estimate your take-home, use our Take-home pay tool. For example, a psychologist earning $80,000 per year would have a fortnightly take-home of about $2,466 after tax and Medicare. A psychologist on $100,000 would take home roughly $2,978 per fortnight.

Common mix-ups: salary vs package vs take-home

A job ad might say '$90,000 plus super'. That means your gross salary is $90,000, and your employer adds 12% super ($10,800) on top. Your take-home is based on the $90,000, not the $100,800 package. Similarly, salary packaging (e.g., for public hospital employees) can reduce your taxable income and increase take-home, but it is not the same as your base salary.

Always check whether a figure is 'plus super' or 'including super'. The Salary packaging guide explains how to compare offers.

Key benchmarks for comparison

The national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour and $1,004.90 per week (from 1 July 2026). The average full-time adult ordinary time earnings are $2,083.70 per week. Psychologists generally earn above these benchmarks, especially in public hospitals and private practice.

For more context, see our Benchmarks page and Tax and Medicare guide.

Final note

This estimate is for a resident individual and excludes HELP/HECS repayments, the Medicare levy surcharge, and payroll tax-table rounding. It is not a tax assessment. Use the Clearance tool to check your specific situation.