What a doctor keeps in Australia after tax, 2026
Practically nobody leaves an Australian medical school without a HECS-HELP debt, and virtually every specialist eventually earns enough to trigger Division 293. Neither appears in a headline salary, and both reshape what actually lands each month.
Net pay at each stage of a medical career in 2026
Income tax and the Medicare Levy at 2%, tapered under the reduction threshold, are what come off. HECS-HELP repayments sit outside these figures, becoming compulsory once income passes roughly A$54,000, as the section below sets out in cash terms.
| Stage | Gross Salary | Monthly Net (excl. HECS) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intern (PGY1) | A$75,000 | A$5,018/mo | 19.7% |
| Registrar | A$125,000 | A$7,851/mo | 24.6% |
| Specialist (public hospital base) | A$220,000 | A$12,539/mo | 31.6% |
| Senior specialist + private billing (example) | A$400,000 | A$20,489/mo | 38.5% |
The superannuation guarantee, 12% in 2026, is paid by the employer above most salaried positions. Always establish whether a quoted package figure has super inside it or beneath it, because job advertisements are inconsistent on the point. Source: AMA award benchmarking and state health department pay scales, 2026.
HECS-HELP and Division 293, the two quiet deductions
Few degrees leave a heavier HECS debt than medicine, where six years of study commonly produces A$80,000 to A$100,000 or more. Once income passes the compulsory repayment threshold, around A$54,000 in 2025-26, a share of income is deducted automatically on top of income tax, starting near 1% and rising towards 10% as earnings grow.
- A registrar on A$125,000 falls into a repayment band of roughly 7-8%, meaning an extra ~A$800-950/month beyond the take-home figures shown above, until the debt is cleared
- HECS debt is indexed annually (to CPI or wage growth, whichever is lower, under 2023 reforms), so it's worth paying attention to even though there's no interest in the traditional sense
- At the top end, Division 293 tax adds an extra 15% tax on concessional (pre-tax) superannuation contributions once combined income plus super contributions exceeds A$250,000 - squarely where senior specialists and consultants with private billing income sit
Neither shows up in a standard take-home calculator, this one included, since one applies to Australian graduates and the other to high earners. Both deserve their own line in a budget rather than an assumption that the headline net figure has them covered.
Where Australian doctors sit on the pay range
| Percentile | Gross Annual | Monthly Net |
|---|---|---|
| P25 (Intern/RMO) | ~A$75,000-A$95,000 | ~A$5,020-A$6,150/mo |
| P50 Median (Registrar) | ~A$125,000 | ~A$7,850/mo |
| P75 (Specialist, public base) | ~A$220,000 | ~A$12,540/mo |
| P90 (Specialist + private billing) | ~A$400,000+ | ~A$20,490+/mo |
HECS-HELP repayments and Division 293 tax are both excluded where they apply. Surgical and procedural specialists running substantial private practice clear A$400,000 in total comfortably. Source: AMA and state health award data, 2026.
Questions readers ask
An intern in PGY1 on A$75,000 keeps around A$5,018 a month. A registrar on A$125,000 keeps about A$7,851, and a specialist on the A$220,000 public hospital base roughly A$12,539. HECS-HELP repayments and Division 293 tax, where they apply, are excluded.
Compulsory repayments begin around A$54,000 of income and scale from roughly 1% to 10%. A registrar on A$125,000 pays somewhere near 7% or 8%, another A$800 to A$950 a month beyond standard deductions, and it continues until the typical medical degree debt of A$80,000 to A$100,000 or more is cleared.
Once combined income plus super passes A$250,000 a year, Division 293 adds a further 15% tax on concessional superannuation contributions. Most senior specialists and consultants with real private billing income are caught by it, which is worth keeping in mind when comparing headline specialist salaries.
On the A$220,000 public base, keeping roughly A$12,539 a month, an Australian specialist earns considerably more than an NHS consultant at entry on £113,565 keeping about £5,801 before pension, even after currency conversion, and lands close to a Canadian family physician's take-home once overhead is deducted. That gap explains a great deal of the flow of doctors from Britain and New Zealand.